Workers at some suppliers of Chinese fast fashion giant Shein are still working 75-hour weeks, despite the company having promised to improve conditions, reveals an investigative report by Swiss group Public Eye.
The report, a follow-up to work carried out in 2021, when an investigation by this group indicated that several employees at six sites in Guangzhou, in southeast China, were working excessive overtime, is based on interviews with 13 workers from six factories in China that supply Shein. Excessive overtime was still common for many workers.
Shein told the BBC that it was "working hard" to address the issues raised by the Public Eye report and that it had made "significant progress in improving conditions".
Shein has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2008 and was one of many companies with online sales that expanded during the covid-19 pandemic.
Its formula of offering a wide range of clothing at affordable prices - supported by campaigns on Instagram, TikTok and other social networks - has turned it into one of the world's largest sellers of fashion items.
The company relies on thousands of third-party suppliers as well as third-party manufacturers near its headquarters in Guangzhou, and can deliver a new item in weeks rather than months.
However, one worker who has been operating sewing machines for 20 years confessed something shocking to Public Eye: "I work every day from 8am to 10.30pm and take one day off a month. I can't afford any more days off because they're too expensive."
The 13 factory workers heard in the investigation were interviewed in the summer of 2023. They all worked at production sites to the west of the village of Nancun, in the Guangzhou area of southern China. Public Eye did not return to Nancun, the site of the original interviews, claiming that "the atmosphere was too risky" due to the media attention on its initial report.
The interviewees, aged between 23 and 60, said they worked an average of 12 hours a day - not including lunch and dinner breaks. In addition, they said that they usually work six to seven days a week. Shein's Code of Conduct for its suppliers states that workers should not work more than 60 hours a week, including overtime.
The workers also claimed that their salaries had hardly changed since the first investigation and ranged from 6,000 to 10,000 yuan a month. Public Eye claims that the workers' basic salary, after deduction of overtime pay, is 2,400 yuan. According to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, a minimum wage in China is around 6,512 yuan.
The brand acknowledged that this was a long-term problem when Public Eye first raised it in 2021. In its response to the latest report, Shein said that long working hours in the sector were a "common challenge that brands, manufacturers and other ecosystem players must jointly address".
It added that this was not a problem unique to Shein, but said it was "committed to doing our part to improve the situation in our own production chain".
Workers also mentioned an increase in the number of surveillance cameras in the factories and believe that the images are sent in real time to Shein so that regulations can be enforced.
Public Eye also observed children in the factories, teenagers packing items and a smoking ban that was not enforced.
Copying, environmental impact and "mafia-style intimidation tactics" have also left the Chinese company in dire straits.
In Japan and the US, the online clothing company is facing legal problems due to complaints from its competitors; in China, the government is already investigating the brand.
Japanese clothing store Uniqlo is suing the brand for allegedly copying one of its bags, dubbed 'Mary Poppins'. The lawsuit demands that Shein stop selling its product, which, according to Uniqlo, is very similar to its mini shoulder bag. It is an "inferior and illegal" copy, the Japanese company claimed.
At the same time, the Chinese government is conducting a review of the company's data handling and sharing practices, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Japanese clothing store Uniqlo is suing the brand for allegedly copying one of its bags, dubbed 'Mary Poppins'. The lawsuit demands that Shein stop selling its product, which, according to Uniqlo, is very similar to its mini shoulder bag. It is an "inferior and illegal" copy, the Japanese company claimed.
At the same time, the Chinese government is conducting a review of the company's data handling and sharing practices, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Japanese clothing store Uniqlo is suing the brand for allegedly copying one of its bags, dubbed 'Mary Poppins'. The lawsuit demands that Shein stop selling its product, which, according to Uniqlo, is very similar to its mini shoulder bag. It is an "inferior and illegal" copy, the Japanese company claimed.
At the same time, the Chinese government is conducting a review of the company's data handling and sharing practices, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Regarding intellectual property rights, the brand has been criticized for allegedly copying the work of little-known designers, a charge Shein denies.
Shein's response
In a statement to the BBC, Shein said it was investing tens of millions of dollars "in strengthening governance and compliance across the supply chain".
Shein told Public Eye that suppliers were obliged to ensure that they complied with local laws and regulations governing wages and working hours.
"When violations [of our governance policies] are found, we take firm action... [including] terminating the business relationship."
As for surveillance cameras, Shein told Public Eye that suppliers made their own decisions to install cameras in their facilities, and the company did not have access to footage from suppliers' security cameras.
Regarding children in factories, the company told Public Eye: "We do not tolerate child labor in any way. We treat any violations with the utmost severity."
The company acknowledged that some factory workers faced the challenge of balancing work and childcare, which "can lead workers to bring their children into the workplace".
