SHEIN, a prominent online fast-fashion retailer, has assured UK lawmakers that it does not use cotton from China’s Xinjiang region for products sold in the United States. This move addresses concerns related to allegations of forced labor and human rights violations in the Xinjiang area, where the Chinese government has been accused of mistreating Uyghur Muslims. The company’s general counsel for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Yinan Zhu, confirmed in written testimony that cotton for US products is sourced only from approved regions like India, Brazil, Australia, the US, and some Middle Eastern, African, European, and Southeast Asian nations.
However, SHEIN did not clarify whether similar cotton sourcing restrictions apply to other markets, including the UK, where the company is planning an initial public offering. This lack of clarity may raise questions about the consistency of SHEIN’s sourcing practices across different regions.
