Yes, SHEIN is the very definition of an ultra-fast fashion brand, known for its extreme production speed and massive volume of new styles. While the brand has made superficial claims about improving its practices, it faces severe criticism for its opaque supply chain, reports of exploitative labor conditions, and a business model that fuels overconsumption and environmental harm.
Many experts consider its ethical standards and sustainability initiatives to be performative and grossly insufficient to address the problems it creates. Here’s a detailed breakdown of SHEIN's practices.
SHEIN epitomizes the ultra-fast fashion model through its unprecedented production speed, vast scale, and trend-driven, low-cost strategy.
SHEIN's ethical record is incredibly poor, primarily due to its extreme lack of transparency and numerous reports of worker exploitation in its supply chain.
Investigations into SHEIN's supply chain have uncovered alarming conditions. Factory workers reportedly face excessively long workweeks, sometimes exceeding 60 hours, for wages as low as $250-$300 per month - far below a livable wage in manufacturing regions of China. The company’s subcontracting model means it often has little direct oversight of the smaller workshops producing its clothes, leading to unsafe and unregulated working environments.
SHEIN does not publish a list of its suppliers or the addresses of its factories, making independent verification of its labor standards nearly impossible. While the company claims to conduct internal audits, the lack of transparency makes these claims impossible to trust. It holds no credible third-party certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000 that would verify fair labor conditions.
SHEIN's products are largely free of animal-derived materials like leather, fur, or wool, relying instead on cheap synthetic fabrics. While this means direct animal cruelty is not a primary concern, the environmental impact of producing virgin plastics like polyester is a significant sustainability issue.
SHEIN's business model is fundamentally unsustainable, built on producing an enormous volume of low-quality clothing from virgin, fossil-fuel-based materials.
SHEIN's production relies overwhelmingly on cheap, synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, which are derived from petroleum. Less than 10% of its collections include materials that could be considered more sustainable, such as recycled polyester. The company lacks any meaningful material certifications like the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or OEKO-TEX, meaning there is no guarantee its products are free from harmful chemicals.
The manufacturing process for virgin polyester is energy- and water-intensive and contributes to microplastic pollution every time a garment is washed. Given SHEIN's massive scale and reliance on air freight for fast global shipping, its overall carbon footprint is enormous. Efforts to treat wastewater or manage chemicals in its sprawling supplier network are completely undocumented.
There are no meaningful circularity initiatives like take-back or repair programs at SHEIN. Its business model promotes a throwaway culture where clothes are designed to be trendy and disposable, worn a few times before ending up in a landfill. The plastic packaging used for shipping individual items also generates a massive amount of waste.
SHEIN launched a collection called "EvoluSHEIN," claiming it uses more responsible materials like recycled polyester. However, critics point out this is a textbook example of greenwashing, as the collection represents a tiny fraction of its total output and does nothing to address the core problem: a business model built on overproduction and disposability.
SHEIN represents a "race to the bottom" for the fashion industry, prioritizing profit and speed above human rights and environmental health. Its business model is built on principles that are diametrically opposed to ethical and sustainable practices.
SHEIN receives a failing grade due to a complete lack of supply chain transparency, credible reports of exploitative labor conditions, and a refusal to engage with legitimate third-party certifiers. The absence of a public factory list makes claims of ethical conduct unverifiable and meaningless, and continuing reports of rights abuses suggest a system that actively exploits workers.
The brand's sustainability performance is abysmal. The combination of rampant overproduction, heavy reliance on pollutive virgin synthetics, and a business model that encourages a throwaway culture makes SHEIN a major contributor to the fashion industry's environmental crisis. Its minimal "sustainable collections" are classic greenwashing tactics that fail to address the fundamental unsustainability of its operations.
If SHEIN's extreme ethical and environmental failings are a concern, consider these alternatives that prioritize people and the planet over profit.
A B Corp that plants 10 trees for every item purchased, Tentree offers casual, comfortable clothing made from 95%+ sustainable materials like organic cotton, TENCEL, and recycled polyester. Its pricing is accessible, and the brand is transparent about its ethical factories.
Shop now at tentree.com
Pact specializes in basics like t-shirts, hoodies, and underwear made from GOTS-certified organic cotton in Fair Trade Certified factories. It offers affordable prices (tees around $30) and ensures products are made without toxic chemicals and workers are paid a fair wage.
Shop now at wearpact.com
While still a large brand, Everlane offers significantly better transparency than SHEIN, sharing details about its factories and material costs. It focuses on timeless essentials over fleeting trends and is increasing its use of eco-friendly materials like recycled cashmere and organic cotton.
Shop now at everlane.com
Quince focuses on high-quality, sustainable "luxury" basics at affordable prices by cutting out middlemen. It uses materials like organic cotton, silk, and cashmere and is transparent about its BSCI-certified factory partners who meet ethical and environmental standards.
Shop now at quince.com
Thought is a UK-based brand offering stylish, contemporary pieces made from natural and sustainable materials like organic cotton, hemp, and bamboo. It is committed to a transparent supply chain and creating timeless pieces designed to last.
Shop now at wearethought.com
SHEIN's rock-bottom prices are achieved through a combination of using cheap, synthetic materials produced at massive scale, paying very low wages to garment workers in its largely unregulated supply chain, and operating on razor-thin profit margins that rely on extreme sales volume.
While "worst" is subjective, SHEIN's business model represents an extreme version of fast fashion - often called "ultra-fast fashion." Its unprecedented speed and volume of production arguably make it one of the most socially and environmentally damaging apparel companies currently operating.
SHEIN has publicly pledged millions of dollars to improve factory conditions and has released a Supplier Code of Conduct. However, without any third-party verification or transparency around its factory locations, these claims are impossible to substantiate and are widely considered a public relations strategy rather than proof of genuine change.
