Shein

Is Shein an ethical and sustainable fashion brand?

Shein, an online fast fashion brand based in China and owned by ZOETOP Business Co Ltd, is given a low Ethical Rating by The Good Shopping Guide. Unfortunately, this brand receives a low Good Shopping Guide Ethical Score in our Ethical Fashion Retailers Ratings Table and has not yet met our minimum Ethical Benchmark. This brand has several areas to improve upon before it would likely qualify for our Ethical Accreditation.

In what areas does Shein perform poorly for its ethics and sustainability?

Shein has become one of the most well-known fast fashion brands out there today. (Find out more information about fast fashion in our article on Ethical Fashion.) With Shein hauls on social media, and incredibly low retail prices, Shein is popular for its quick trend cycles and cheap clothes! Because of this business model, Shein scores poorly for our Human Rights and People criteria.

One instance of this substandard respect for People is a plagiarism criticism from 2022. Shein was charged with stealing a clothing pattern from an independent designer, Emma Warren. Emma Warren criticised the retailer and said it was “stealing” her designs and reselling the designs for less than half the price that she was.

Shein also ranks incredibly poorly on both The Fashion Transparency Index and the Good On You rating table.

In what areas does Shein perform well?

Shein has not been found to make any Political Donations. Shein gets a middle rating for its Code of Conduct; whilst it is published, it lacks detail. This is worrying for a fast fashion company with such low prices.

How can the Shein brand improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide’s score results from 15 ethical criteria in relation to Shein. To reach our Ethical Benchmark and qualify for our Ethical Accreditation, Shein has several issues to deal with, including its respect for Human Rights and welfare.

If your fashion brand values ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation? Increase customer and investor confidence and stand out from the greenwash.