Sébastien Le Belzic (correspondent in China) / Photo credit: RICHARD A. BROOKS / AFP
Acclaimed for its clothes and accessories sold at unbeatable prices, the Chinese brand Shein is as popular as it is decried because of various ecological and ethical scandals. All its products come from China and the production conditions raise many questions.
It is one of the symbols of “fast-fashion”, literal translation of “express mode”, which designates these clothing brands offering new collections at very regular intervals, sometimes even several times a month. The Chinese brand Shein, particularly popular thanks to the many low-cost clothes it offers, is also decried because of various ecological or ethical scandals.
In China, 6,000 subcontractors work for the brand in particularly difficult conditions. American parliamentarians even accuse Shein of having recourse to the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims and demand the opening of an investigation.
No contract or social insurance
The workers produce an average of 120 pieces a day and work 11 to 12 hours a day with only one day off per month, according to Timo Kollbrunner of the NGO Public Eye Researcher who investigated working conditions in the Middle Kingdom. “The most problematic aspect are these incredibly long working days and the fact that none of the workers have a contract. None of the workers we were able to interview benefit from social insurance”, develops- he.
The NGOs also denounce the chemicals used for the production of textile parts and their harmful effects on the health of the workers but also on the environment. Not to mention the mountains of waste generated as China produces 20 million tons of unsold clothing every year. The brand defends itself and claims to have audited 150 of its factories, i.e. less than 3% of its subcontractors.
2023-05-05 04:29:34
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