The Green Guide How sustainable is Shein - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Fashion The Green Guide How sustainable is Shein By Jessica Carroll - June 19, 2022 How sustainable is your wardrobe? This is a column by Jessica Carroll that challenges fashion’s eco credentials. This week, she asks the question: how sustainable is Shein? Jeans, £18.49, Shein Materials These jeans – by fast-fashion brand Shein – were made in China from a mix of cotton, elastane and polyester. none of these fabrics can be easily separated, meaning the jeans will end up in landfill. The quality is poor so these won’t last long either. Suppliers Shein only scored 1/100 in campaign group Fashion Revolution’s 2021 Fashion Transparency Index, meaning the company is seriously secretive about its business practices. After going undercover at Shein’s factories last year, watchdog group Public Eye accused the company of violating Chinese labour laws. As well as barred windows and no emergency exits, it reported that in some factories staff worked up to 75-hour weeks. Packaging Unsurprisingly for a company that releases around 2,800 new pieces a week, sustainability isn’t a priority for Shein. The jeans arrived in a non-recyclable plastic mailing bag and a resealable plastic garment bag. But at least most councils can recycle the plastic it’s produced from. The extra mile The company started Shein X in 2021, a programme to help independent designers launch their own brands through its site. It’s positive but also ironic considering Shein has been accused of stealing designs from small brands and artists without permission or payment. Carbon footprint Like much of Shein’s stock, these jeans were flown to the UK from China. In fact, thanks to its ultra fast-fashion business model, the company always has a cargo plane on standby. Verdict Yes, these jeans are super cheap, but at what cost to the planet and Shein’s workers? Our rating: 0 stars out of 5. READ MORE from the The Green Guide Fashion director: Shelly Vella RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Rochelle Humes has launched a gorgeous new edit with Next Shop the YOU Magazine Instagram YOU picks the best new-in buys from M& S Popular in Fashion Laura Jackson has teamed up with Next for the chicest knitwear January 22, 2020 Holly Willoughby’ s birthday dress is another Zara bargain February 10, 2020 The Instagram-famous & Other Stories wool blazer is back in stock August 31, 2022 Lorraine just wore Emma Willis’ Next collection from head to toe March 17, 2020 The prettiest spring dresses under £100 March 1, 2022 Everyone is buying Holly’ s gorgeous gingham Oasis dress May 14, 2020 13 bargain dresses to buy in ASOS’ s extra 20 per cent June 10, 2020 This £20 H& M dress is set to be the social media June 26, 2020 Stacey Solomon x Primark is back for a third collection with July 20, 2020 Searches for this perfect heatwave summer top style are up 5000% August 10, 2020 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved