Shein is under fire once again — not for its production waste, lack of transparency in its sourcing, or its propaganda factory tour. This time, it was revealed that Shein found two cases of child labor amid its latest audits with third-party manufacturers.
What's happening?
Shein's general counsel for Europe, Yinan Zhu, wrote a letter to British Members of Parliament in February regarding results from audits of 317,000 workers, the Guardian reported. Zhu said the company had found cases of child labor, including one child as young as 11 working in the factories of its suppliers. She had helped during a holiday at a factory where her parents worked.
"Nonetheless, and irrespective of these details, we took the issue extremely seriously, including designating the incident as child labor and immediately terminating our relationship with the supplier," Zhu wrote.
Zhu was questioned in person in January by members of the parliamentary committee about Shein's working conditions as the company is planning an initial public offering in London. Upon asking for clarification, Zhu refused to confirm or deny that Shein is not using materials linked to forced Uyghur labor.
Shein has faced several allegations of abuse within its supply chain, and there have been many reports over the years, including illegal working hours, fire hazards, unregulated smoking rules, and greenwashing.
Why is this important?
The latest report of child labor violations and the company's failure to protect children from harsh working conditions isn't an isolated incident.
Last year, two other cases of child labor from 2023 were reported. In that instance, CNN reported that Shein moved quickly in "ending underage employees' contracts, arranging medical checkups, and facilitating repatriation to parents or guardians as necessary."
Shein is going to be feeling the pressure from competitors like Temu and AliExpress, and it will be affected by the retraction of the "de minimis" duty-free exemption in the U.S. for low-value items, as the Guardian detailed.
Shein became a phenomenon in the U.S. in part because of its low pricing (associated with unethical activities), which made it attractive for younger shoppers and those who preferred abundance over quality. But if production prices go up, the cost has to be taken away from somewhere along the chain.
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More tax incentives 🏦 What can I do to fight against child labor?
Eighty percent of clothing is made by women aged 18 to 24, according to the World Resources Institute, citing the nonprofit Remake. Even if that age group is legal to work, you will be directly affecting women's lives around the world by encouraging better labor laws.
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If you want to fight for child labor laws, you can ask for transparency from the brands you consume. Write to the brand or its publicist for clarification on their production standards. If a brand will not answer, you can also write to your representatives in government.
If you would prefer to create change with your dollars, avoid shopping with fast-fashion brands like Shein, Temu, AliExpress, Zara, H&M, and drop-shipped brands on Amazon.
The biggest change you can make while shopping is to avoid shopping new whenever possible. Thrifting collectively saves consumers thousands of dollars a year, prevents textile waste from heading to the landfill, and reduces demand for new clothing items. If you want to break up with fast fashion, you can learn how to from this guide.
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