Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to ban all advertising from the fashion giant Shein on London’s transport network, amid concerns over the firm’s human rights record.
The clothes company, founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore, has been criticised over its environmental impact and working practices, which include allegations of forced labour in supply chains.
Shein denies this, saying it “strictly prohibits forced labour in its supply chain globally”.
In a letter to the mayor on Thursday, the London Assembly’s Green group leader Caroline Russell said that by accepting advertising revenue from the company for posters across the Tube network, Transport for London (TfL) was putting “profits before human rights and dignity”.
The assembly member’s concerns were raised in the same week that the campaign group Stop Uyghur Genocide launched a judicial review to prevent Shein’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) listing on the London Stock Exchange.
“As you will be aware, Shein was one of the companies questioned on labour standards in their supply chain by Parliament’s business and trade committee in early January,” Ms Russell told Sir Sadiq.
“The Shein EMEA General Counsel, Yinan Zhu, did not respond to any of the committee’s many questions about the company using cotton sourced from China, specifically from the Xinjiang region, which is notorious for the forced labour of the minority Muslim Uyghur people.
“Yinan Zhu also refused to answer questions on Shein supply chains or labour standards, something the committee condemned as ‘wilful ignorance’. Concluding the session, chair Liam Byrne MP said: ‘The committee has been pretty horrified by the lack of evidence that you [Shein] have provided today, you've given us almost zero confidence in the integrity of your supply chains.’”
In written evidence to MPs, Shein later said it only allows cotton from approved regions, which do not include China, for its products sold in the U.S., its biggest market, as part of its compliance with the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, which prohibits the importing of products made in Xinjiang.
However, according to the news agency Reuters, Shein did not specify whether its restrictions on cotton sources applied to products sold in other markets, such as the UK. The retailer does not prohibit the use of Chinese cotton in its products where such use would not breach relevant laws and regulations, it said.
In 2024, Shein also admitted it had found two cases of child labour in its supply chain in the previous year. The firm said it had temporarily suspended orders from the suppliers involved and did not resume business with them until they had stepped up efforts to tackle the issue.
Ms Russell told the mayor: “Shein should not be allowed to advertise on the TfL network, when there are serious - and public - questions being raised about such appalling human rights abuses in connection with its working practices. I am shocked that the adverts were even permitted, and it suggests that TfL has no ethical safeguards in place when accepting campaigns.
“I ask you to immediately ban these adverts that promote a company with such a disgraceful record and a complete lack of transparency about its business practices.”
Aside from concerns over human rights, the assembly member also said Shein was a “fast fashion” brand which “encourages throwaway culture and ultimately ends up as landfill”.
The mayor’s office and TfL have been approached for comment.
A Shein spokeswoman said: “Shein takes supply chain risks extremely seriously and strictly prohibits forced labour in its supply chain globally. Shein complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries in which it operates, including the Modern Slavery Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act in the UK.”
In response to Ms Russell’s complaint about the “throwaway culture” encouraged by “fast fashion”, Shein’s spokeswoman added: “There is a common misperception that affordable prices must mean low quality.
“Thanks to our on-demand model, we aim to reduce waste and inefficiency in the production process and pass these cost savings on to our consumers, allowing us to offer great style and quality at accessible prices. We want our customers to keep their Shein products in use for as long as possible.
“We conduct testing to ensure our products meet our product quality standards and continually look for ways to improve product longevity. Our user surveys show that more than two thirds of Shein customers report that they wear their Shein clothes as often or more often than those from other brands.”
