Fast fashion giant Shein has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, including alleged labour law violations and the environmental impact of its operations.
It has been accused of paying workers too little to maintain the low prices of its clothes which are advertised heavily through social media ads and clothing haul videos.
However, the Chinese online brand’s global head of sustainability Adam Whinston attempted to debunk such claims in an interview with CNA podcast Climate Conversations, saying instead that the firm pays its workers an above-average wage and uses a model that reduces waste.
“The low prices that we offer do not come from paying workers less. In fact, quite the opposite,” he said.
“What we've found, from our own research into the manufacturers that are producing Shein garments (is) that these workers are being paid above the industry prevailing wage in the locale where that factory is located.”
He attributed the low prices to the reduction in waste instead.
“It's because we've eliminated a lot of the waste involved in the traditional model that our products are more affordable to our customers,” he said, pointing to getting rid of wasted related to overproduction, trimmings and transportation.
The lack of a physical footprint for the firm - which would have required thousands of stores around the world to amount to its size - also means that savings from overheads are passed on to customers, he said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sus...mination-adam-whinston-sustainability-3935846
