- Paul Escalona
Shein is becoming one of the most popular clothing brands among young people, especially due to the great diffusion of its garments on social networks. Big tiktokers and instagramers wear the firm's products in their publications, which has caused the name of the company to spread like wildfire among the followers of these influencers.
However, all that glitters is not gold, and it is that the rumors of possible labor abuses of its employees seem to be becoming reality. According to a report by the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye, workers at six factories in Guangzhou work 75 hours a week .
David Hachfeld, an NGO worker, said there was "enormous pressure" on staff to change clothes quickly, according to BBC News.
Three daily shifts and one day off per month
Public Eye researchers visited 17 factories supplying the Chinese multinational near its headquarters in Guangzhou. They found that the employees they interviewed worked three shifts a day , often with only one day off per month.
This type of labor abuse is very common in China, but that does not mean that the laws of the Asian country, which establish a 40-hour work week, are being violated. In fact, according to the NGO, the workers in the factories that supply Shein are paid per garment produced, which encourages them to work long hours. A situation that occurs above all among immigrants .
"Upon learning of the report, we request a copy immediately. When we receive and review it, we will initiate an investigation. We have a strict Code of Conduct for suppliers that includes health and safety policies and complies with local laws. If a non-compliance is identified, We will take immediate action," they claimed from Shein.
Rise of 'fast fashion'
These types of practices have their origin in a change in the consumption trend. During the last decade, changes in consumer habits are causing a change in the way companies address them.
For a long time, people bought an item of clothing to satisfy a need that could last for years. To do this, durable products were manufactured and made with better materials, which increased the price. As there was no such great demand, it was manufactured in smaller quantities .
Today, the trend is reversed. Consumers demand cheap clothes that adapt to the fashion of the season and that they can throw away when the year is over. This forces companies to produce massively and with lower quality materials. Leaving aside how unsustainable this production model is, as the UN has already mentioned on more than one occasion, this process requires a large amount of labor , which is why on many occasions production is transferred to countries of the control organisms are less strict with abusive labor practices.
"You can't get clothes that cheap and that are made in good working conditions. Until we really know where our clothes come from, we can't find these problems," Victoria Bellandini, a fashion professor at Lincoln University, told the BBC. News.
"The big brands say they control their suppliers, but much of their production is sent to cheaper factories, which means there is a general lack of transparency behind industry standards, " the expert concludes.
