Advocacy group finds Shein suppliers working 75-hour weeks

A Swiss advocacy group has found suppliers manufacturing for Shein, the Chinese fast fashion giant, to be working 75-hour weeks.

Public Eye, a sustainability-oriented, politically and religiously independent solidarity development NGO based in Switzerland, reported six production sites in Guangzhou were found to have excessive hours with staff under enormous pressure to finish orders.

Shein responded by saying it it takes supply chain issues seriously and will review the report, yet more often than not external audits are what raise

10 workers across six sites told Public Eye they worked three daily shifts with just one day off per month. This may suggest workers are remunerated by finished item rather than by hourly wage.

According to the BBC such hours aren’t unusual in Chinese production hubs, even though they violate local labour laws, which set out a maximum working day of eight hours, as well as a 40-hour working week.

Shein said: “Upon learning of the report, we immediately requested a copy and when we receive and review the report, we will initiate an investigation. We have a strict supplier Code of Conduct which includes stringent health and safety policies and is in compliance with local laws. If non-compliance is identified we will take immediate action,” the spokesperson said.

It takes 7 days to finish an item from design to execution

Public Eye launched an investigation into Shein, which works with thousands of suppliers, last year in a bid to find out more about the fashion giant’s structure. The company typically drops 6,000 new items per day, with the average item costing just 7,90 pounds. The company is thought to be able to turnaround its fast fashion collections from design to packinging in just seven days.

Victoria Bellandini, senior fashion lecturer at the University of Lincoln told the BBC: “You cannot get clothes that cheap that are made in good working conditions and until we really know where our clothes are coming from, we can’t source these problems”.

“Big brands say they check their suppliers but so much of this is farmed out to cheaper factories, meaning there is a widespread lack of transparency behind industry standards. The fashion industry is changing to a certain extent at the higher end level but this isn’t happening for cheaper clothes brands”.

According to the BBC Public Eye visited the 16 million square foot Shein warehouse on the outskirts of Guangzhou, where it ships its clothes from. About one dozen employees interviewed there said they worked similar, long, hours.

Who is Shein?

Shein is a newcomer to the giant fast fashion pool, and does not disclose any information on its revenues, says Public Eye. A Chinese report from December 2020 stated revenues for the year accrued to nearly USD 10 billion. A large Chinese roker forecasts revenues of USD 20 billion for 2021, said Public Eye. The Shein website provides little information about the company, stating that Shein is “an international B2C fast fashion e-commerce company”.

Its main markets are “Europe, America, Australia, and the Middle East, along with other consumer markets”; in total it maintains that it is present “in over 150 countries and regions”. It does not state the location from which the clothes are distributed. Only the address of the parent company is provided in the imprint of the Swiss website – it’s called Zoetop Business and is headquartered in Hong Kong.

“With a huge range of unashamedly cheap items of clothing and an aggressive social media presence, online clothing retailer Shein is catching up with industry giants like H&M and Zara in the race for young women’s money and attention,” says Public Eye. “Despite its glitzy online presence, the company behind the brand remains opaque.”

Article sources: BBC and Public Eye