Lululemon ‘Like New’ Program Lets You Buy Cheaper Leggings and Help the Environment

Soon you will be able to help the environment and save some money on gently worn activewear from Lululemon. The Lululemon Like New trade-in and resale program will allow consumers to both purchase gently used gear at a significant discount and sell back their previously worn products for store credit, the brand announced today. The athletic-wear giant is launching its new sustainability initiative across U.S. stores in honor of Earth Day 2022. 

Beginning April 22, consumers will be able to bring their lightly worn Lululemon clothing to any of the brand’s 390-plus stores nationwide and receive an e-gift card (redeemable in-store or online) for eligible items, according to a press release from the brand. Customers will receive $5 of store credit for tank tops, shirts, shorts, and skirts; $10 for leggings, crops, hoodies, sweatshirts, sweaters, pants, dresses, and bags; and $25 for outerwear. 

The clothing will be resold on the Like New online shop, where eco- and budget-conscious brand devotees will be able to shop for thousands of pre-worn Lululemon products at reduced prices. The items are sorted into “good as new” or “gently used” condition. A black, high-rise pair of the brand’s popular Wunder Under leggings in good-as-new condition goes for $69 (down from $118), for instance, while a gently used pair will set you back $59. (The item descriptions contain details about any signs of wear and tear, such as a missing tag or minor pilling.) Like New purchases can be returned within 30 days for a full refund minus a $7.50 shipping fee.

Like New is part of the fitness clothing company’s plan to make the brand more sustainable by extending the lifetime usage of its products and reducing waste. “At Lululemon, we are proud to create quality product built to last, and we believe it’s our responsibility as retailers to create solutions to keep those products in circulation for as long as possible,” Maureen Erikson, Lululemon senior vice president of global guest innovation, exclusively shared with SELF. 

According to the company, 100% of profits from the program (or 2% of Like New revenue, whichever is higher) will be reinvested in various initiatives to reduce Lululemon’s environmental footprint, with the ultimate aim of creating a “circular ecosystem” by 2030, per the press release. “With the nationwide expansion of Lululemon Like New, we’re thrilled to expand the reach of our recommerce program and make progress on the sustainability goals outlined in our Impact Agenda,” said Erikson, referring to the forward-thinking agenda the brand set forth in 2020. 

Those commitments include offering customers the ability to repair or recycle all Lululemon products by 2025 and making all of their products from sustainable materials. (This week, the brand also announced new styles made with recycled materials, which go on sale April 19.) The company, which launched its first-ever running shoes last month, also intends to create “end-of-use solutions” for their products (ways to recycle, up-cycle, refurbish, or otherwise eliminate the wasting of material). 

The Like New trade-in program kicked off with a pilot version back in May 2021, when it rolled out in over 80 stores in California and Texas. Most of the inventory that people traded in fell into the “good as new” category, according to the brand. “We’ve seen incredible momentum and strong guest engagement through our Lululemon Like New pilot,” Erikson said, “and we are looking forward to welcoming new guests nationwide to participate in our circular ecosystem.”

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