Shein

Shein uses majority virgin synthetic materials in its products, with polyester making up over 75% of its fiber portfolio. It also uses other high-impact materials, like viscose, conventional contton, spandex, and polyamides. While it does have a target to transition 31% of its polyester to recycled sources by 2030, Commons would like to see a more ambitious goal.

As of 2023, 41 of their suppliers had or were in the process of installing on-site solar. With over 5800 suppliers, however, these efforts still represent a minimal percentage of energy usage. Over half of the energy used in Shein's direct corporate operations is sourced from renewables.

Shein's packaging is not plastic-free, and it has made limited efforts to incorporate GRS-recycled plastic into their materials. While it has begun to use EV and alternative fuel vans for delivery in Europe, these efforts represent an emissions savings of <1% when compared to their full emissions from transportation.

Commons could not find evidence that Shein provides repair services or eco-friendly care instructions for their products.

Shein does not have a formal take back program. They have launched a platform called SHEIN Exchange that supports peer-to-peer sale of pre-owned Shein items. However in 2023, only ~115,000 items were listed on the platform, a minimal fraction when compared to Shein's overall sales.

Shein is an ultra-fast fashion brand that releases numerous new styles daily, encouraging overconsumption.

Shein does not mention the environmental cost of fashion and encourages overconsumption.

Shein has both a sustainability page and an annual sustainability report. While its latest sustainability report does include targets related to materials, energy use, packaging, and emissions, Commons would like to see a more ambitious and transparent strategy that addresses the core drivers of its impact.

Shein measures and publicly reports their emissions, which were last reported for 2023 and were verified by a third party. The main drivers of their emission are from purchased goods and services (such as fabrics and sewing) and transportation (between factories and to customers). However, Shein has one of the largest footprints in the fashion industry.

Shein has a medium-term emissions reduction goal of 25% by 2030, as compared to their 2023 emissions. While it claims this goal is science-based, the goal is not yet approved by SBTi. Despite this goal, it's emissions grew ~80% between 2022 and 2023. Commons did not find evidence that Shein offsets its emissions.

Commons could not find evidence that Shein pubicly shares a list of its supply chain partners, though they report having around 5,800 contract manufacturers. Shein has a Supplier Code of Conduct that applies to its production partners and some of its sourcing partners. It restricts subcontracting, disallows forced labor, and protects the right to collective bargaining, though recent investigative reports have raised serious concerns about its enforcement. Commons found no evidence of protections for a living wage.