A senior lawyer representing Shein repeatedly refused to say whether the company sold products containing cotton from China, prompting one lawmaker to call his testimony “ridiculous.”
Yinan Zhu, general counsel for the fast-fashion giant, confirmed that its suppliers made products domestically, but did not say whether they used Chinese cotton.
Companies sourcing clothing, cotton and other products from northwest China’s Xinjiang region have come under pressure following allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses. the man.
Charlie Maynard, a lawmaker on the Business and Commerce Committee, accused Ms. Zhu of “obfuscation.”
Shein has grown rapidly since its founding in 2008 and was one of many online companies to boom during pandemic lockdowns.
Its rapid rise has helped the company grow from a little-known brand to one of the world’s largest fast fashion retailers, shipping its products to customers in 150 countries, and it is currently considering listing its shares at the London Stock Exchange.
But the company, founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore, has been criticized for its labor practices, including allegations of forced labor in supply chains. Shein denied this.
Fashion retailers around the world have come under pressure following allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses against people from China’s Uyghur Muslim minority. Beijing authorities have always denied these allegations.
Some major brands, including H&M, Nike, Burberry and Adidas, have removed products using Xinjiang cotton, sparking a backlash in China and corporate boycotts.
Ms Zhu, Shein’s general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), told MPs that the company does not own any factories or manufacturing facilities, but works with an extensive network of suppliers, mainly in China, but also in Turkey and Brazil.
When asked repeatedly whether the products contained Chinese cotton, she refused to answer and asked if she could write to the commission after the hearing.
She added that Shein complies with the “laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.”
But Liberal Democrat MP Maynard denounced Ms Zhu’s comments and accused her of “willfully obfuscating”.
“I don’t think you respect the committee at all. I’m on your website and I see about twenty products that are all cotton… and yet you tell our president that you can’t tell if Shein sells all the products made in China, which are made of cotton – I find that completely ridiculous,” he said.
“You mention all the other points of the compass, but you don’t mention western China, you don’t mention Xinjiang at all. This is willful ignorance.”
Ms. Zhu responded by saying she was “doing my best” and “giving answers to the best of my ability,” prompting Maynard to respond, “That’s simply not true.”
Liam Byrne, chairman of the committee, said that for a company which sells goods worth £1 billion to consumers and which was considering listing in the UK, the committee had been “quite horrified by lack of evidence” provided by Ms. Zhu.
“You have given us almost no confidence in the integrity of your supply chains, you can’t even tell us what your products are made from, you can’t even tell us much about the conditions under which the “Workers have to work, and the reluctance to answer basic questions frankly borders on contempt for the committee,” he said.
