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Shein, the massively popular bargain bin retailer selling clothes, accessories, and home goods, said it uncovered two cases of child labor between Q1 and Q3 of 2023. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In its most recent sustainability report<\/a> released last week, Shein said the discoveries were made through the company\u2019s audits of suppliers working with the brand. Shein says it defines children as anyone under the age of 15; in China, it\u2019s illegal to employ children under 16. Shein didn\u2019t specify which factories were employing children, or how many were discovered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cUpon discovering these violations, SHEIN suspended orders from the contract manufacturers and undertook investigations,\u201d the company writes. Under the policy at the time, manufacturers were given 30 days to resolve the violation by \u201cterminating contracts with underage employees, ensuring the payment of any outstanding wages, arranging medical checkups and facilitating repatriation to parents\/legal guardians as needed.\u201d As of October 2023, Shein says it\u2019s enforced stricter rules around contractors who were discovered to be using child labor \u2014 now, those suppliers will immediately terminated by Shein. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The company says it did not find any cases of child labor in Q4 of 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shein\u2019s dispersed supply chain means that the products for sale on its website aren\u2019t all made under one roof or by one company: the brand works with a network of manufacturers, making it harder to keep track of working conditions and potential labor violations. The company also operates a marketplace, hawking products from third-party sellers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The cheap and fast products sold by Shein (and competitors like Temu) exist alongside an ugly truth: workers making the items are taken advantage of. In 2022, Shein said it would spend $15 million<\/a> to revamp factories and increase audits after an investigation found that some workers were subject to illegally-long working hours. But follow up reporting found little has changed: a report by human rights advocacy group Public Eye earlier this year found that some China-based workers said they worked 75 hours a week<\/a>. One worker told the group that they work 8AM to 10:30PM and can only afford to take one day off a month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shein exists largely online, where influencers post haul videos to promote the brand, raving about its \u201caffordability.\u201d As the company has strengthened its foothold in the US, it has tried to shed some of its negative public image by recruiting influencers to tour factories in China<\/a> and hosting in-person popup events<\/a> open to the public. But the Amazon competitor has struggled to fend off sustained scrutiny on its business practices. Some experts say Shein\u2019s plans to go public in the US this year are growing more and more unlikely<\/a>. The company more recently has filed to go public in London, according<\/a> to the Wall Street Journal. <\/em>The company was valued at $66 billion last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n