Saturday, November 13th, 2021
Sew 75 hours a week
Shein puts employees under “enormous pressure”
Shein.com is the most visited fashion website in the world. The dirt cheap goods are produced in China, they are worn in the USA, Europe and Australia. The work of the people in the factories has nothing to do with ethics or sustainability, as a visit to a non-governmental organization in the sewing shops shows.
A Swiss non-governmental organization reports on precarious working conditions at suppliers for the Chinese fast fashion discounter Shein. The employees worked excessively overtime. The report by the public interest group Public Eye mentions 75-hour weeks at six locations in Guangzhou. The head office of the online retailer is also located in the port city northwest of Hong Kong.
The workers are exposed to “enormous pressure”, reports the BBC, citing the organization. Public Eye employees reportedly visited 17 factories that supply Shein and parent company Zoetop. A total of ten workers at six locations were interviewed. At this point in time, all production facilities were working in a three-shift system and exclusively for Shein. Many workers only had one day off a month.
According to the report, the workers were mostly migrants who were paid per item of clothing. It is said that this benefits the system. Shein agreed to examine the report. “We have a strict code of conduct for suppliers, which includes strict health and safety guidelines and complies with local laws. If non-compliance is found, we will take immediate action,” BBC quoted a company spokesman as saying.
Excessive overtime in Chinese factories is not uncommon. However, you are violating local labor laws, which prescribe an eight-hour work day and a 40-hour week. Public Eye launched the investigation into the cheap fashion giant, who works with thousands of suppliers, last year to learn more about the corporate structure of the secretive company.
Low prices attract young people
Shein does not release any financial figures. However, sales are believed to have risen sharply during the pandemic as consumers shop more online. Data provider CB Insights estimates that sales in 2020 exceeded $ 10 billion.
The predominantly privately owned company has made a name for itself around the world over the past two years. Young people in particular are attracted by the extremely low prices. 23 million people follow the company on Instagram or Tiktok. With 160 million visitors to the platform in June alone, the big rivals Zara and H&M have already been overtaken.
The very low prices have also called on organizations such as the Worker Rights Consortium, which have long wanted to find out more about the working conditions around the company. The largest investors in Shein, Sequoia Capital China and Tiger Global Management refused to comment on allegations of exploitation to Reuters in August.