Tearfund, in collaboration with Baptist World Aid, reviewed the latest 2024 Ethical Fashion Report to see how companies like Temu and Shein rank in terms of protecting workers and mitigating environmental damage. The report, which surveys and scores 120 of the world’s largest fashion brands, revealed that the average score across brands was 31 out of 100. Shein scored 20, while Temu received a rock-bottom score of 0. 89% of companies aren’t paying a living wage at any stage of their supply chain.
The Ethical Fashion Report examines the fashion industry’s practices regarding worker rights and environmental sustainability throughout supply chains, providing a comprehensive, industry-wide snapshot.
The Ethical Fashion Report was first created in 2013 in response to widespread worker exploitation and a lack of ethical practices. It followed the tragic Rana Plaza collapse which exposed the conditions in which many garments are made and ignited the ethical fashion movement.
Both Shein and PDD Holdings (Temu’s parent company) have been accused of extreme overtime in their supply chains. In one case, workers for PDD Holdings were reported to have worked 12-hour days, 380 hours per month—well above China’s legal limits. Investigations by Public Eye into Shein’s factories revealed employees working up to 75 hours per week. While overtime may sometimes be voluntary, low baseline wages often leave workers no choice but to work long hours to make ends meet.
Tearfund also expressed concerns that Temu and Shein may be selling products made under forced labour conditions. A 2022 Bloomberg investigation confirmed that cotton used in Shein’s products was sourced from the Xinjiang region in China, an area accused of using state-sanctioned forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups. Temu has also been flagged for having an “extremely high risk” of forced labour in its supply chain, according to a report by US lawmakers.
The 2024 Ethical Fashion Report researched 120 fashion companies representing over 450 brands. The research covers five sections across policies, tracing, supplier relationships, worker empowerment, and environmental sustainability—collectively analysing 13,000 data points.
Temu’s score reflects its lack of transparency, which is a growing standard in the fashion industry. Opaque supply chains are a phenomenon relegated to the past. Without transparency, consumers can’t know if the company is doing what’s necessary to ensure workers’ welfare. Temu’s refusal to disclose basic information publicly is out of step in an industry where consumers increasingly demand accountability.
Shein, while scoring slightly higher than Temu, also came under scrutiny. Shein’s score of 20 confirms our suspicions: while they align with industry standards on some basic policies, they fall significantly behind in measures that deliver meaningful change for workers. Despite a 62-page sustainability report from Shein, the company continues to lag behind in addressing core human rights issues.
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