Hundreds of people lined up for a controversial fashion brand’s pop-up retail store on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver on Thursday.
Vancouver’s first Shein pop-up store opened this week.
The brand is best known for keeping prices down, but it has faced allegations of forced labor, unsafe working conditions, design plagiarism and has also faced backlash over its environmental impact.
Fossil Free Fashion ScorecardOn the website for the ranking system by environmental advocacy group Stand.Earth, Shein says it received a “failing score” in every category.
“As a super fast fashion brand, Shein’s raw materials have had a major negative impact and production has become a major problem,” the scorecard reads.
“Shein has shown no progress in the areas of materials use, circularity, renewable energy advocacy, or clean transportation, and there is very limited transparency into its operations.”
According to the scorecard, the company must provide a breakdown of its supply chain emissions, phase out coal-fired boilers and move to renewable energy in manufacturing.
However, the brand denied the allegations in an email to CityNews.
Mr Shein said he had reimagined the supply chain to empower thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.
“Our digitized supply chain provides our supply chain partners with the insights and tools they need to succeed, supporting their business ambitions and enabling them to grow with us,” the company said.
“We build long-term relationships with our supply chain partners and hold them accountable to our rigorous standards.”
It states that all suppliers working with Shein must abide by its code of conduct. The company said its code of conduct is a “rigorous” standard that promotes safe working conditions throughout the supply chain.
“In line with the International Labor Organization’s core conventions, this Code details SHEIN’s compliance requirements.”
“It outlines clear requirements such as wage payment, workplace health and safety, and environmental standards.”
Shein told City News that infringement is a serious issue and that he does not intend to steal anyone’s intellectual property.
“Shein’s suppliers must comply with company policies and certify that their products do not infringe on third party intellectual property. We continue to invest in and improve our product review process. ” he said.
The company says it has moved to automated capabilities to launch small batches of 100 to 200 items to address its environmental impact.
“This highly automated process enables our supplier partners to reliably manufacture what their customers want while minimizing overproduction. This makes it more affordable for customers and reduces waste. That means less,” the company says.
Shein says it reduces production waste “from the source” by producing only what customers want, resulting in “much less” waste than the industry average.
“This means we don’t overpurchase raw materials and production waste is limited to products that are actually in demand,” the company said.
“Our small batch production and accurate forecasting allow us to significantly reduce instances of overstocking and keep production waste rates consistently low and in the single digits.”
![Staff at Shein's Pop Store in Vancouver are seen working at the counter.](https://vancouver.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/9/2024/04/12/MicrosoftTeams-image-12-1024x576.jpg)
But digital activist Erdene Batzolig of Stand.Earth says Shein is by far the biggest fast fashion brand, emitting 90 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
“To put this into perspective, this is more than the annual emissions of Paraguay, the entire country,” she says.
“Most, if not all, of Shein’s products are fossil fuel fibers.”
Batzolig said Shein uses a lot of polyester, but won’t reveal exactly how much.
“We cannot afford to have a brand like Shein at a time when we are experiencing extreme climate change, climate disruption and heat waves,” she said.
She also said Mr. Shain was being investigated for labor law violations. She said Shane reportedly put factory workers in dangerous conditions.
“(Workers) spend over 17 hours producing these cheap clothes, and now people are lining up to buy them,” she said.
Batzolig said knowing about labor law violations and how a brand’s clothing is made could help people decide not to buy the company’s products.
But she says it’s primarily up to companies to change their business models and reduce production.
“We will phase out fossil fuels such as coal and move to a supply chain where 90% of emissions are generated by renewable energy. We cannot afford to pay Shein’s prices at this time,” she said. .
Batzorig says people don’t need Shein to create 10,000 items every day.
“We know we produce too much. We wear clothes today that can last for generations,” she said.
“So what happens to these products that don’t sell? Where does it go? We don’t really talk about it because it usually goes to the Global South.”
She says there is a lot of clothing waste in marginalized communities and the impact of fast fashion brands like Shein needs to be addressed.
Batzolig said it’s important for consumers to research brands and the fabrics used, noting that polyester and nylon are bad for the environment.
“You and I used to put oil on our bodies. Mr. Shane had a lot of problems with his clothes smelling like chemicals and causing rashes,” she said.
“So if your clothes don’t last long, if they’re not made of materials that are comfortable and breathable on the body, I think that’s a personal choice we can make.”
She says there are many resources online that consumers can refer to to find out if what they’re wearing is good for them and the environment.
-With files from Angela Bower.