Lululemon is investing in biomaterial companies who can help them make their famous leggings from ... [+] bio-based nylonLululemonLululemon, credited with giving the fashion world athleisure, has always prided itself on the quality of its products, particularly its leggings, which inspired women to wear them outside of the gym. But when it comes to the companys sustainability goals, these very leggings have a problem. Most of them are derived from fossil-fuel materials such as polyester and nylon.In 2020, the company set out its impact agenda including a goal to use 75% preferred materials (defined as materials contributing to improved environmental and/or social impacts compared to conventional versions) by 2025 and reach 100% by 2030.In its most recent sustainability report from 2023, published in September 2024, it had achieved 57% preferred materials in its mix including 61% of its polyester, which accounts for 33% of total fibers, coming from recycled sources and 46% of its cotton, which accounts for 19% of its fiber mix, being responsibly sourced. However, nylon, which makes up 31% of fibers used by Lululemon, is trailing behind. Just 6% of nylon used by the brand is from recycled sources and 0% came from renewable sources, another category the brand is exploring as a preferred material.Facing a lack of commercially viable, low-impact nylon options, the brand has been investing in solutions providers. Nylon is one of the key areas because we see not much investment is going into finding solves on nylon. So, we want to take that leadership role here on nylon, Yogi Dandapure, VP of raw material innovation at Lululemon told me in an interview.The brand shared exclusively with me that today it is announcing an expanded partnership with California-based biotechnology company ZymoChem to scale bio-based adipic acid, one of the key chemical building blocks of nylon which is traditionally petroleum based. It is hoped this could become a viable renewable option for the nylon 66 the brand uses in some of its most iconic products such as the Align and Wunder Train leggings.Lululemon invested an undisclosed amount in ZymoChem last year as part of a $21 million series A funding round alongside other investors including Toyota Ventures. The next stage of the partnership will allow ZymoChem to tap into Lululemons existing supply chain, experiment with product development and create a roadmap for how it could be introduced into product lines in the long term. There is currently no time frame on when this innovation may appear in stores but Patty Stapp SVP, global raw materials at Lululemon told me this is part of the overall pathway to hit our targets, referring to its impact agenda goals. Lululemon did not disclose the financial terms of the new partnership.Lululemon has announced a multi-year collaboration with ZymoChem to help scale bio-based nylonBrian DeSimone 2025Harshal Chokhawala, co-founder & CEO of ZymoChem, told me in an interview: Nylon and the adipic acid is used at more than 3 million metric tons a year. It goes into textiles, it goes into engineering plastics, it goes into military systems. And so, were really hoping that our technology has widespread applications, starting with the textile space with Lululemon.Andapure says that a more sustainable replacement for conventional nylon has been difficult to find because it has more niche uses in the world when compared to materials such as polyester: Nylon is a smaller fiber, and when it comes to polyester, we can have a recycled polyester using PET bottles to begin with, and it significantly reduces your carbon footprint. But for nylon, there are no commodity items like that.Chokhawala says a key differentiator in ZymoChems technology is its potential to scale: Weve spent a decade developing a carbon-conserving biotechnology that's based on fermentation, but the unique point of this technology is the ability to enable cost competitiveness with fossil-based manufacturing at scale.From a performance perspective, Andapure says replacing the petroleum monomer with ZymoChems bio-based monomer, creates a material with the same properties, so theres no compromise on quality.While the bio-based Nylon will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and come from a renewable source, it is not biodegradable and Lululemon is looking to address end-of-life for the material through its existing partnership with Australia-based Samsara Eco.In February 2024, the partnership announced the worlds first enzymatically recycled nylon 66 product created from Lululemon nylon products mixed with other non-textile materials to create high quality recycled nylon. In a press release, Lululemon stated that most recycled nylons came from post-industrial waste and end results that matched Lululemons quality requirements were limited. The apparel brands vision is to scale its partnerships with ZymoChem and Samsara Eco to create a closed loop process for creating nylon 66 products.In 2023, Lululemon launched a pilot collection of bio-based nylon 6 shirts with another biotechnology company, Geno. Stapp says there will be new developments from this partnership soon: Were looking at their scale up plans, and we're working with them closely and our merchandising partners to understand how to phase that into our line over time, she said.While the athleisure brand has no specific goals to end its reliance on fossil fuel-based materials, its betting heavily on bio-based innovation as the solution that delivers a lower-impact future that doesnt compromise the customer experience of its products.