Controversial fashion giant rolls out emergency measures as US policy change threatens its business — here's what's happening

Fast-fashion brands have long frustrated environmentally conscious consumers. These companies mass-produce trendy clothing at the lowest cost possible, which results in horrific amounts of textile waste.

A frequent source of ire is the brand Shein. The company has been in the process of introducing an initial public offering in London, as detailed by International Business Times in early May.

More recently, Shein shifted to pursuing a Hong Kong IPO after Chinese regulators failed to approve a London listing, CNBC reported at the end of May.

Shein's original plan was to introduce its IPO in the United States, filing in 2023 with a reported target valuation of around $90 billion. However, it found the regulatory hurdles, which included a deeper, critical look into its labor practices, to be too challenging.

President Donald Trump's recent tariffs and rule changes targeting Chinese goods have also complicated business matters. While the "de minimis" loophole used to allow Shein to avoid tariffs on its products arriving in the U.S., this ended in early May, leaving the company's packages to the U.S. threatened with tariffs of up to 145% at one point.

The tariffs were later reduced to as low as 30%, according to Reuters and other sources. Even more recently, legal cases have led to additional uncertainty about the fate of the tariffs.

As a result, Shein, which is based in Singapore, also considered moving elements of its production to Brazil and Turkey, although the Times reported that the Chinese government pushed back against these relocations.

Ultimately, many have accused the company of exploitative forced labor practices that include 75-hour workweeks for its employees, per the Times, and those reports also hindered efforts to obtain the IPO in London.

Shein has also been accused of ripping off designs from higher-end fashion brands in addition to the incredible waste the company produces.

Its products are reportedly designed to deteriorate quickly, which often results in the clothing ending up in local landfills.

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This is a significant problem due to the immense popularity of Shein. But one way to combat the overwhelming consumption powered by fast fashion is through thrifting. Buying secondhand products can save you tons of money.

Seasoned thrifters can save about $1,700 a year by engaging in the practice. And many enjoy the thrill of finding a great bargain. Thrifters have celebrated finding steals on everything from furniture to footwear to rare records.

Thrifting can also have tremendous benefits for the environment. It is estimated that the fashion industry is responsible for between 1% and 8% of global carbon pollution. Thrifting helps limit pollution and keeps textiles out of our already crowded landfills. And it is just one of the ways consumers can break up with fast-fashion brands.

It seems more and more people are realizing that Shein's business model is unsustainable. A British influencer named Georgia Portogallo (@geeportogallo) declared on TikTok: "I now know … that [Shein's] staff are underpaid. They work too many long hours. … The whole working conditions are horrendous."

And as Sheng Lu, a professor at the University of Delaware, explained, per NPR, "The actual cost of making, say, a $5 garment ... is far more, much higher than these $5, if you also consider the impact on garment workers, its impact on the environment."

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