Shein Sold Goods Made by Children in China
Shein audits in 2023 uncovered two contract manufacturers that were hiring children 15 years old or younger in China, the company reported, and the companies let those workers go, paid their outstanding wages, and facilitated a return to their parents or legal guardians. "SHEIN also ensured the contract manufacturers strengthened their processes for screening new hires, such as checking and maintaining records of all employees’ IDs. Following appropriate remediation, the contract manufacturers were permitted to resume business," the report said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
The sustainability report said Shein didn't uncover any instances of forced labor.
Although the Department of Labor produces a report on "Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor," which includes a list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor, as the Congressional Research Services noted, that report has "traditionally been used to increase awareness rather than to inform specific CBP actions." Goods made with forced labor cannot be imported into the U.S.; if the conditions of work for that child met the International Labor Organization's indicators of forced labor, then the same law would apply.