Organization: Lululemon Athletica

Year: 2015

Resolved: Resolved: That given the cruel and inhumane treatment of birds used for down, the Board is strongly encouraged to enact a policy that will ensure that no down products are sold by Lululemon.

Supporting Statement:Supporting Statement: Birds exploited for down are subjected to many different forms of abuse. Ducks and geese are sometimes plucked while alive-meaning that workers pin them down and yank fistfuls of feathers right out of their sensitive skin. The plucking is often so violent that it rips the delicate skin right open. The workers then sew up the gaping wounds using a needle and thread but no painkillers. The down industry sometimes also supports the abysmally cruel foie gras industry, in which birds are force-fed via pipes shoved all the way down their throats two or three times a day, causing their livers to swell to up to 10 times their normal size. Foie gras producers are able to boost their profits by selling the feathers from these force-fed birds. Undercover investigations have revealed that birds on factory farms are kept in extremely crowded and filthy conditions, are shipped to the slaughterhouse in open- air trucks in all weather extremes, and are killed violently and painfully. A Harris Interactive poll commissioned by PETA shows that the vast majority-80 percent-of outdoor sports enthusiasts are happy to choose products with synthetic insulation rather than duck or goose down and would shop at stores that don't offer any down products. The number rose to 88 percent after respondents were informed that down is sometimes obtained from birds who are force-fed for foie gras as well as from birds who are pinned down and have their feathers ripped out while they are still alive. Claims of ethically sourced down cannot be substantiated because of the complicated down supply chain, a general lack of transparency, flaws in the auditing process, and misleading information from suppliers. With today's modern synthetic technology, Lululemon can be innovative, distinctive, and highly competitive without using down. By eliminating down from its offerings, Lululemon has the opportunity to prevent an enormous amount of suffering on the part of ducks and geese. Accordingly, we urge shareholders to support this ethically and economically responsible resolution.