Shein suspends orders from suppliers involved in child labour

Fast fashion powerhouse Shein has temporarily suspended suppliers' orders after finding two cases of child labour in its supply chain. This comes as the retailer is cracking down on its clothing manufacturers ahead of its IPO on the London Stock Exchange.

The retailer relies on thousands of third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers, near its headquarters in Guangzhou, to turn around new items of clothing in a matter of weeks. The company has been criticised for the conditions its workforce faces at factories in its supply chain.

"Both cases were resolved swiftly, with remediation steps including terminating contracts with underage employees, ensuring the payment of any outstanding wages, arranging medical checkups and facilitating repatriation to parents/legal guardians as needed", Shein told the BBC.

"Following appropriate remediation, the contract manufacturers were permitted to resume business."

After facing backlash, Shein said it has now tightened its supplier policies. Now, it assures that any child labour or forced labour violations are grounds for immediate termination of contracts.

The two cases were uncovered during the first three quarters of 2023 and none were found in the last quarter of the year.

Earlier this year, in May, Shein was under fire once again after a report revealed workers for some of its suppliers are still working 75-hour weeks, despite promises to improve working conditions.

At the time, a spokesperson for Shein told TheIndustry.fashion: "This small sample size should be seen in the context of our comprehensive ongoing process to continually improve our supply chain, which involves engaging with thousands of suppliers and workers within the supply chain."

This news comes as the company attempts to steer away from criticisms as it prepares for a potential IPO on the London Stock Exchange.

The potential float has brought the retailer and its controversial business practices into the limelight. The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that a series of criticisms from UK politicians, press and investors had rattled some in the upper echelons of the Chinese government. The publication also revealed the British Fashion Council’s concerns over the float. The BFC said the listing was a "significant concern" to the industry and that "questions remain" about its business practices.