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.

Commons could not find information on this brand's energy use. Shein sources and manufactures its materials globally, which is standard practice in the fashion industry.

Its eco-friendly packaging materials include other (add detail). It encourages choosing overnight shipping, which increases the emissions impact of purchases. It uses Air Freight in customer deliveries, which increases the emissions impact of purchases. Shein is working to reduce the impact of shipping emissions by

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 a fast fashion brand. It has frequent new releases and limited editions.

Shein does not mention the environmental cost of fashion, and encourages overconsumption. Commons is currently evaluating its marketing emails.

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.

Shein does not publish information about its supply chain partners. It has a supplier code of conduct, which includes provisions audits of partners, allowing collective bargaining.