A lawyer for Shein has refused to answer whether the company sells products containing cotton from China and more specifically the region of Xinjiang, where China has been accused of subjecting members of the Uyghur ethnic group to forced labour.
Clothing retailer Shein has been aiming to float the company on the London Stock Market this coming year, but is still awaiting regulatory approval from both British and Chinese authorities.
Speaking at the Business and Trade Committee, Yinan Zhu, general counsel at Shein in London, was asked several times whether the company uses cotton supplied from China.
Ms. Zhu repeatedly opted not to answer the same question, saying: “For detailed operational information and other aspects, I am not able to assist. I will have to write back to the committee afterwards.”
MPs had summoned the company, along with McDonald’s, Tesco and Temu, to discuss labour rights concerns and committee chairman Liam Byrne stated they were “horrified by the lack of evidence” provided by Shein on the day and accused the company of bordering on “contempt”.
Ms. Zhu was also asked whether the company believed there was forced labour in more general terms in Xinjiang, but refused to answer, stating it wasn’t their place to have a “geopolitical debate”. Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard accused her “wilful ignorance”.
Pressed further on Shein’s supply chain and worker conditions, Ms. Zhu replied: “Obviously we comply with laws and regulations everywhere we do business in the role. And we have supplier code of conducts, we have robust systems and procedures in place and policies in place.
“We also have very strong enforcement measures in place to ensure we adhere to these standards that are expected in our supply chain.”
Mr. Byrne challenged that response by putting to Ms Zhu: “You can’t tell me definitely today, whether the products you sell today contain any cotton from Xinjiang?” In response, Ms. Zhu laughed as she apologised before again replying that she will have to write to the committee afterwards.
“You’ve given us almost zero confidence in the integrity of your supply chains. You can’t even tell us what your products are made from. You can’t tell us much about the conditions which workers have to work in,” Mr. Byrne continued.
“The reluctance to answer basic questions has frankly bordered on contempt of the committee.”
In 2022 Shein vowed to improve suppy chain standards after acknowledging two sites breached local regulations for worker conditions, while last year they said they had discovered two counts of child labour in its supply chain, per a BBC report.
Additional reporting by PA
