Certain brands are known as fast fashion while others are ethical. But, as more consumers move towards supporting brands that match their ethics, fast fashion brands are ramping up their campaigns to show that they can be ethical too. Take fast fashion conglomerate Shein.
The brand has stayed in-line with consumers’ desires by featuring a wider range of sizes and models with a range of skin tones to show that they’re inclusive. They’ve launched campaigns announcing their dedication to the community, environment and the people who make their clothes. There’s even a 2021 Sustainability & Social Impact Report where they talk about meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and a #SHEINcares hashtag. But, all of these marketing efforts contrast sharply with multiple reports from human rights groups and publications highlighting the company’s lack of transparency and allegations of slave and child labor. While these have been refuted by the company, it does leave conscious consumers to wonder, “Is Shein ethical?”
This milkmaid dress from Shein is 100% polyester, a plastic-based material. And, its low price of $18 raises questions about how much garment workers were paid.
What Is & Isn’t In Shein’s Impact Report
Shein’s commitment to sustainability and social impact will be proven through actions, not words.
Shein’s 25-page sustainability report reads more like a glossy zine for investors than a fact-driven report stating the company’s goals and progress. And, the company acknowledges this, stating that this report is only the start and that the company’s commitments will be proven with actions, not words. But, for consumers weary of greenwashing and seeking concrete facts about a brand’s impact, the report leaves out a few key points about how a fast fashion brand is effectively revamping itself to be ethical and eco-friendly.
Facts that are present in the report don’t support broader ethical and environmental claims. Shein works with 6,000 suppliers, has a workforce that is 58% female and employs 10,000 people worldwide. But, it’s unknown what the average wages for their 10,000 strong workforce is. And, the concrete steps the company is taking to ensure that labor and wage standards are being met are not provided.
On Earth Day the company valued at $15 billion in 2021 planted 600K+ trees and donated around $100K to a dozen different nonprofits. But, how these donations support their environmental ethics remains showy at best. Elsewhere, Shein claims to support using more eco-friendly materials like recycled nylon and polyester in their clothing and recycled materials for packaging. But, as to what percentage that is at the moment, that number is not provided.
Elsewhere in the report, Shein acknowledges the United Nations’ SDGs role in influencing their future decisions without specifying what those decisions or goals actually are. Collaborations with NGOs are highlighted, without specifying how they’re ‘playing a role in their internal labor and environmental standards’. Statements like ‘not having a brick and mortar store greatly reduces our waste,” are unsupported and the other side of that- plastic shipping materials and CO2 emissions- are not addressed.
One page that should receive props for being transparent is page 11 that shows a graph of how their suppliers’ factories perform when audited. According to Shein, 66% of those suppliers have a grade-C average. Fire and emergency preparedness was the number violation with 27% of suppliers in violation. To improve this, the company stated that they will engage suppliers in educational resources and training to ensure that workers will have a safer work environment.
But, all-in-all is Shein ethical? Considering how much information isn’t shared and the fact that Shein continues to sell unbelievably low priced garments, it’s hard to say ‘yes’. Their suppliers aren’t transparently shown. Wages aren’t reported. And, strolling through their website shows that a majority of their clothing is still virgin polyester.
Reformation Pacey Dress is made from viscose and rayon a man-made fiber sourced from wood pulp from sustainably sourced forests that saves 135 gallons of water. $218
How Could Shein Be More Transparent?
If #SheinCares, then it needs to be effectively communicated to consumers just how they care. All in all Shein’s sustainability report is lacking in a few key facts. Unfortunately, this is nothing new in the fashion space. Smaller brands may not have the man/women power to make the necessary monthly assessments and yearly reports. And, it’s unclear why larger brands with multi-billion dollar evaluations don’t have the man-power to put together reports with stronger facts and data supporting their statements. What is clear is that very few brands present clear and concise sustainability reports that effectively communicate to consumers the improvements they’re making.
One brand that presents clear and concise sustainability and social impact reports is Reformation. The California-based brand clearly outlines their ethical achievements with statements like, “Currently, six of our suppliers have attained a social compliance certification like Fair Trade, SA8000, or WRAP.” Elsewhere their report states that, “In 2021, our goal was to have 75% of our fabrics dyed and printed in facilities that hold third-party clean chemistry certifications like Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and bluesign®.2 We fell short by about 30%.”
Having clear concise statements supported by facts helps consumers to understand a brand’s impact by clearly seeing how a brand is and isn’t sustainable and ethical. It’s the anti-greenwashing. Transparency can also build trust and allow consumers to be a part of the sustainable journey with a particular brand. We’re all learning more about how our everyday decisions impact the environment around us. And, it was only a few years ago that brands began to disclose garment workers’ wages. So, while it’s hard to say that fast fashion brands like Shein are sustainable or ethical, having them transparently reveal how they are and aren’t along with the steps they’re taking to be more ethical could pay off more in the long run than glossy hashtags about how they care.
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