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Meet Temu – the online marketplace that connects customers with sellers, brands and manufactures to empower them to “live their best lives”. Through a number of Tik Tok hauls and an advertisement that was played during this year’s Super Bowl, Temus’s slogan “Shop Like A Billionaire” went viral. This online marketplace is growing rapidly because of its cheap prices, billions in backing and billions of products. But, in a world that is striving to promote sustainable lifestyles, the question that arises is whether a company like Temu is sustainable or simply clever greenwashing.
Based in Boston, Temu is a company founded as a sister one to PDD Holdings, a Chinese E-commerce company. Its popularity is increasing daily, posing a direct competition to Amazon, and even generated $14.7 billion in revenue in 2021. Temu’s products come directly from China (both manufactured and shipped), with low and affordable prices. The incredibly low prices, lightning deals, and free shipping on household items, toys, electronics, clothing and beauty products has raised the question about the legitimacy and the safety of the app itself.
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Although the company has not clearly stated its sustainable practices, they have mentioned their values – empowerment, inclusion, diversity, integrity, and being socially responsible. However, these low prices and the wide offering of products is seen by sustainable fashion experts as nothing more than another Shein– appealing to consumerism with products that are made in questionable working conditions while offering false promises of a positive social and environmental impact.
According to slow fashion experts, the main concerns about Temu’s sustainability arise around its lack of transparency. Temu’s business model is in direct competition with Amazon, offering even lower prices than the well-known retailer. As to how those low prices are maintained while ensuring that fair wages and labor rights are upheld is unclear. On an environmental note, the brand doesn’t offer any more details about some of its ‘eco’ claims either. For instance when you type ‘organic’ into the search bar, hundreds of items appear- packs of vaseline, scrunchies, and a fat burning cream- none of which offer certifications or clear information about how the products are sustainable. Elsewhere, products come with a claim that every delivery is offset with carbon emissions. But, again it’s unclear how that is done. In an age when consumers want to be informed about the environmental and social impact of the products they’re buying, Temu’s actions could be seen as greenwashing.
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Another sustainable concern is what happens when the thousands of products (many of which are plastic) do not sell and become landfill waste. So, until Temu’s sustainability practices are clearer and more defined, there are several other options to “Shop like a Sustainable Billionaire”.
- Support sustainable brands that clearly define their impact.
- Shop secondhand and of course…
- Use what you already have.
Overconsumption surely requires a change, and this change starts with a more sustainable approach to buying.