Shein has stepped up audits of manufacturers in China and adopted a new policy regarding serious infringements by suppliers.
Fast fashion retailer Shein detected two cases of child labor among its suppliers last year, according to its 2023 sustainability report, released on Thursday.
As a result, the company said it had suspended orders from suppliers who employed children under the age of 16, only returning to them after they had strengthened their processes, including checking the workers’ identification documents.
The cases found were ‘resolved quickly’, according to the report quoted by Reuters, with corrective measures. These measures, it notes, included ending the contracts of underage workers, organizing medical examinations and facilitating repatriation to parents or guardians in case of need.
It should be noted that the retailer has stepped up audits of manufacturers in China to mitigate criticism of its low-cost business model. The supplier policy was strengthened in October last year, after the discovery of these child labor cases, and it was defined that any serious infraction would result in the immediate termination of the company’s relationship with the supplier. Previously, suppliers had 30 days to resolve the problem, failing which Shein would cut ties.
Reuters points out that the company has never disclosed the number of cases of child labor detected, referring only to the percentage of audits that found minors in the workplace. In 2021, this violation was found in 1.8 per cent of supplier audits, in 2022 in 0.3 per cent of audits and in 2023 in 0.1 per cent of audits.
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