Fast fashion: so Shein made false statements about the working conditions of his factories

Chinese clothing company Shein which sells online is accused of not being transparent about the conditions of factory workers

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Chinese clothing company Shein which sells online is accused of not being transparent about the conditions of factory workers

The well-known Chinese brand Shein, which is popular online offering trendy clothing and accessories at bargain prices, is now accused in the UK of not being transparent about the working conditions of factories and, even worse, of having made false statements about it.

Even if you are not a consumer of "disposable" fashion, you have probably seen the advertisement of Shein, a company based in China but selling online to customers only outside the country, offering fashion clothing and accessories at very low prices. . The brand is particularly famous for its ultra-cheap shorts, tops and bikinis, is very active on social media and recently even announced its own English-language reality show.

In June, it was reported that the company had overtaken H&M, Zara and Forever 21 as the largest "fast fashion" retailer in the United States.

Now, however, in the United Kingdom, the brand has come under fire as, according to Reuters, it has not divulged the necessary information on the supply of its products, even issuing false statements about the work in the factories from which the garments come. and the accessories it sells. An accusation that is making, as is right, around the world.

But let's start from the beginning. In Britain, companies of a certain size (i.e. those selling over £ 36 million worth of goods globally per year) must indicate very clearly and prominently for consumers, on their e-commerce site, the measures taken to combat forced labor as required by the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Shein, however, not only did not make this information public but, until July 26, as Reuters writes, false statements were found on the brand's website regarding conditions in the factories, which it was claimed were certified by international standards bodies. of labor (International Organization for Standardization - ISO) and that the company was "proudly complying with rigorous fair labor standards established by international organizations such as SA8000".

This was not true, however, and even though Shein says she does not use child or forced labor, that is not enough, as the company does not provide the complete supply chain information that is required by law.

It was Reuters who unmasked the false claims regarding the certifications and, following the report, Shein immediately removed the names of the two organizations from the page dedicated to the company's social responsibility.

Additionally, Shein, who has refused to provide her annual revenue to Reuters stating that she does not disclose such information publicly, said through a spokesperson that she is in the process of finalizing the statements required by UK law and plans to publish them shortly on her. site:

We are developing comprehensive policies, which we will post on our website in the next two weeks.

However, Reuters writes that it has not been able to independently assess the working conditions in the factories used by Shein or the wages it pays and that the retailer has not responded to explicit requests for comment on what its standards for suppliers are.

Meanwhile, pending more transparency, this large retailer is doing billion-dollar deals by selling low-quality things at bargain prices. And we who appreciate sustainability and things that last and are reused for a long time, we can only advise you to orient yourself on another kind of fashion.

Source: Reuters