As we wind down for the year and step into some much needed rest, we’re reflecting on the steps that brought us closer to a green, decarbonized future in 2025. We’re doing this because we want to show you — our supporters — how much of an impact your actions truly make; but also because it’s a useful reminder for us of what we’re here to do and what lays ahead. Our main goal, in case you’re new in our community, is to push the biggest polluting corporations to use their power (literally) to accelerate the green energy transition and triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030. This last part is essential if we want to keep temperatures down and secure a safe, clean future for everyone.
Lots of things happened this year within our campaigns at ASL — but also in the wider context — that inched us closer to that future. And none of it would have been possible without you. So here’s a look at what you helped make happen in 2025, and how your actions contribute to real-world, long term change.
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know we’re big on collective action. Systemic change has to come from those at the top — the major polluters who shaped and benefit from the systems we are trying to transform. But we also know that the rest of us can push them to do so if we take action together. And this year, you did exactly that.
You pushed Lululemon to clean up its supply chain pollution
To start, many of you helped move Lululemon one step closer to truly cleaning up its supply chain. In July, 14 professional athletes from around the world wrote to CEO Calvin McDonald, urging the company to invest in electrifying its manufacturing — a crucial step for cutting emissions and improving working conditions in the textile industry. You joined them. Together with our community of yoga teachers and practitioners, you sent more than 1,000 emails to Lululemon’s Senior VP of Sustainability, calling on the brand to live up to yogic values and demonstrate their investment in high-quality renewable energy and clean heat. Because of this collective pressure, Lululemon responded directly, suggesting new “tools, resources and partnerships to help suppliers transition to clean energy” are in development — and we are in continued talks with the company about accelerating their impact.
You pushed Hyundai Motor to help decarbonize one of the dirtiest materials
If that wasn’t enough, nearly 700 of you also signed our open letter urging Hyundai Motor to invest in green steel and make its cars safer for the planet. As one of the world’s largest carmakers, Hyundai Motor has enormous power to accelerate the global shift to low-emissions steel. To bring that message home, we launched Steel Rally, a digital racing game highlighting just how far behind Hyundai Motor is compared to its competitors. In just four weeks, 75,000 drivers joined the race — a clear signal of public demand for climate-safe steel. This will remain a major focus for us in 2026, and we’re glad to have you with us.
You pushed one of the biggest energy users to up its climate ambition
This year also marked our expansion into a new sector: industrial gases — specifically its biggest player, Linde Inc. Many of you supported us by sharing our explainers and helping raise awareness about this hidden, energy-hungry industry that could play a big role in decarbonizing global grids, but hasn’t yet stepped up. Your engagement helped push this work into the spotlight: Bloomberg covered our report, and in response to mounting pressure, Linde’s CEO addressed it directly on his Bloomberg podcast appearance. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve begun engaging with the company — and we’ll be ramping up this work in 2026.
Your actions didn’t just move our campaigns forward. Every small action has a ripple effect — and when those ripples turn into tidal waves, they can shift entire systems. Our campaigns are designed to sit within a wider ecosystem of change-making, and throughout 2025, we saw signs of that ecosystem gaining momentum.
Electrifying the fashion industry
Electrification is the most impactful step for decarbonizing the fashion industry while reducing harmful air pollution and extreme heat. Fashion accounts for around 2% of global emissions, and much of its supply chain operates in regions where renewable energy growth is urgently needed to displace fossil fuels. This year, we saw the first signs of some meaningful progress.
Heat pumps — a clean technology that can replace coal, gas and biomass-fired boilers in textile factories — have been clearly identified as the most effective decarbonization solution for textile production. Even better, they’re already being tested in textile factories across India, Vietnam, China, and Pakistan. These early pilots matter: they create the case studies and financial models that brands need in order to confidently invest in clean, electrified heat across their supply chains — exactly what we’re calling on Lululemon to do.
We also saw a roll out of wind and solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) across fashion supply chains in Europe, Asia, and South America. PPAs are the most credible way brands can secure high-quality offsite renewable energy for their facilities while directly contributing to new renewable capacity on the grid. That additional capacity is what the world urgently needs to transition away from fossil fuels.
Making steel greener
Steel is one of the most carbon-intensive materials on the planet. It’s responsible for roughly 10% of global emissions, and traditional production methods are incredibly energy-hungry and polluting. Green steel offers a different path: green hydrogen and electric arc furnaces powered by renewable energy.
This year, one of the biggest hurdles in the transition began to ease: demand for green steel grew. Major buyers of steel — especially automakers and construction companies — are increasingly asking for low-carbon alternatives. BloombergNEF identified nearly 200 supply agreements for low-carbon steel in 2025, almost double the number from just two years ago. About half of those orders came from car manufacturers. Companies like Volvo and BMW are already purchasing green steel for future vehicle production.
This matters immensely: demand is what ultimately will drive steelmakers to invest in cleaner production, even when it’s more expensive upfront. And we’re starting to see that investment materialize. This year, major steelmaker SSAB began developing a new fossil‑free mini‑mill in Luleå, Sweden, which will use green steel technology and recycled steel scrap to meet growing demand for low‑carbon steel.
The momentum is building: the more companies signal that they’re ready to buy green steel, the faster steelmakers will follow. And the faster that we will see global emissions — and temperatures — fall.
Holding corporations accountable
Here’s where the not-so-good news comes in. Corporate climate strategies remained weak in 2025. Some companies are pulling back on public climate commitments and leaning into ‘greenhushing’, staying quiet to avoid scrutiny. Corporate PPAs in Europe have also slowed down for the first time, not beating last year’s record, largely due to the knock-on effect of the energy crisis on price volatility.
And yet, this only reinforces why corporate accountability still matters. Without public pressure, companies can’t be counted on to do the right thing — and that’s exactly why we show up every day. It’s also why your support, signatures, shares, and voices matter more now than ever.
In 2026, we’ll be doubling down on this work: pushing for transparency and integrity, and making sure that real change happens where it matters most.
Ramping up global renewable energy
And finally, the driving force behind our work across every sector, and the reason we do what we do: the world agreed in 2023 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. That means we have to keep an eye on how global renewables are actually doing.
Renewable energy kept growing fast in 2025. Global solar and wind capacity rose again — and in China, emissions have been flat or falling for the past 18 months thanks to an unprecedented surge in new solar and wind generation.
This matters not just for today’s grids, but for the long-term trajectory of the planet. Since the Paris Agreement was signed, global warming projections have been slowly bending downward — and a huge part of that shift is the rapid expansion of clean energy.
There’s still a long way to go to fully replace fossil fuels with clean alternatives, but the direction of travel is inevitable: the energy transition is accelerating, and every push — including yours — helps speed it up.
In 2025, more of you engaged in our campaigns than ever, and we’re hoping that you’ll continue to join us in 2026. There’s much to be done, and a lot of momentum to build on.
Our work is not done with Lululemon (their emissions, despite hopeful promises, rose by 14% last year). But it’s clear that when you use your voice, they respond — and so we will continue to push them to support suppliers to phase out fossil fuels and protect workers from climate impacts. We will deepen our focus on the electrification of the broader fashion industry, and call for the rollout of clean heat across the biggest fashion polluters. We will also begin to explore electrification for other sectors, as a vital missing puzzle piece for clean industry.
We will continue to demand that Hyundai Motor, and its steel business Hyundai Steel, catch up to other carmakers and shift gears on green steel, making it impossible to ignore that citizens and car owners all over the world want their cars made from the steel of the future, not the fossil era.
We will keep raising awareness around some of the world’s biggest, hidden polluters — industrial gas companies. Together, we will push Linde to up its climate ambition and use its massive power to make the world a cleaner place for all.
And finally, a crucial but less sexy focus for us: the world of carbon accounting — the system that sets the rules for how companies count and reduce their emissions. We promise it’s much less boring than it sounds. The carbon accounting system is being shaken up as we speak, with massive implications for all the sectors we work on. The stakes are huge, particularly for Big Tech, as it could overhaul the way tech giants like Meta and Amazon hide their true emissions. There will be fireworks, so watch this space as we keep you up to date on this obscure but world-changing battle in 2026!
All of these campaigns have been carefully researched and strategically designed to create the biggest possible impact for a cleaner, safer, cooler future. But none of it can happen without you. So for one more year, from the entire ASL team: thank you for fighting for change alongside us.
