Shein, Temu’s Forced Labor Risks Detailed in Congressional Report

June 23, 2023 | Sourcing Journal | By Jasmin Malik Chua

Peter Irwin, senior program officer for advocacy and communications at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., said that the magnitude of Shein and Temu’s combined shipments. requires “immediate attention” from CBP and lawmakers.

The two companies, he told Sourcing Journal, are “highly exposed” to forced labor inputs from China. Despite their Western bases of operation, most, if not all, of their products are made in the country. Cotton-containing products are especially risky: Xinjiang contributes 90 percent of Chinese cotton, which in turn makes up one-fifth of the world’s total. Already, a Bloomberg investigation in November found traces of Xinjiang cotton in Shein garments purchased on separate occasions. The company didn’t refute this at the time, though it has since engaged forensics firm Oritain to validate cotton origins.

“This kind of direct-to-consumer model, whether purposeful or not, is ideally suited to circumvent existing laws meant to stop forced labor goods from entering the country,” Irwin said. “Other jurisdictions need to take note as well, especially those drafting or negotiating forced labor or due diligence legislation, like the EU, Canada and Australia.”

Read the full article: https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/labor/shein-temu-forced-labor-xinjiang-gallagher-krishnamoorthi-select-committee-ccp-441611/