China is both the world’s largest textile producer and consumer thanks in part to E-commerce powerhouses Shein and Temu. These companies have turned China into one of the world’s largest producers of fast fashion. But according to an article in the Associated Press, underneath the in-country production and purchase of mountains of cheap clothing hides the dirty laundry of environmental damage and labor exploitation.

Leading in EV production but failing in fashion

China has set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2026 and in the arena of electric cars and electric-powered public transportation, they are at the top of the class. But when it comes to promoting fashion sustainability, exploitation-free supply chains and recycling textiles, China gets a failing grade. According to government statistics, China is responsible for throwing away more than 26 million tons of clothes each year, most of which ends up in landfills. In addition, experts say one in five cotton garments globally are linked to Uyghur forced labor in China.

Claudia Bennett of the nonprofit Human Rights Foundation said:

“Many, many, many clothing brands are linked to Uyghur forced labor through cotton… (hiding) behind the lack of transparency in the supply chain.”

A report this year from Remake, an independent fashion watchdog that assesses major clothing companies on environmental, human rights and equitability practices, said the best-known global brands suffer from a lack of accountability when it comes to bad practices and exploitation in their supply chain. Fast fashion giant Shein has about 6,000 Chinese clothing factories under its label and scored just 6 out of a possible 150 points in the recent report. Even worse, Temu scored zero along with U.S. label SKIMS, co-founded by Kim Kardashian, and low-price brand Fashion Nova.

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