SHEIN FACES UK HEARING TODAY – Fast-fashion online retailer will be questioned about the rights of workers in its supply chain
Fast-fashion online retailer Shein, which is hoping to list in London, faces a UK hearing today, where a British parliamentary committee plans to question the firm, founded in China in 2008, about the rights of workers in its supply chain.
The committee, chaired by former Labour minister Liam Byrne, is examining the government’s flagship employment rights bill in the context of protections for British workers. But it is also looking at how to ensure adequate protection against importing poor labour standards, including concerns over forced labour.
Shein’s general counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Yinan Zhu, has been called to be a witness, an update on the committee website showed.
The cross-party Business and Trade Committee will also question Temu, the global online marketplace owned by Chinese e-commerce firm PDD Holdings PDD.O, as part of an inquiry into employment rights opened in October.
Shein has previously said it is committed to respecting human rights and has a zero-tolerance policy on forced labour. Temu has also said it strictly prohibits forced labour.
Shein was founded in China but is now headquartered in Singapore.
Having grown rapidly in the U.S., Europe and the UK, it is awaiting regulatory approval from British and Chinese authorities for a London initial public offering after filing papers with Britain’s market regulator in early June.
