The Chinese “fast fashion” giant SheIn offers “470,000 models available in real time” on its site, “astronomical” volumes and not commensurate with traditional brands, with “disastrous” environmental and social impacts, according to an analysis of the NGO Friends of the Earth in a report published Thursday.
The association analyzed daily during the month of May the “new clothing items marketed” by SheIn and deduced that more than 7,200 new models were added on average per day and this, up to 10,800, with an average lifespan of 65 days on site. Over the same period, H
The brand claimed in May to be an “on-demand” manufacturer, “able to measure (it) very finely”, which makes it possible to “drastically” reduce unsold products and therefore the production of waste, according to Peter Pernot-Day, responsible for strategy and public affairs, in an interview with AFP. This theory holds if “the number of models added each day (isn’t) so disproportionate”, counter-argues Les Amis de la Terre, which has calculated SheIn’s production at one million garments per day, the equivalent from 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted.
“In 2050, the textile sector would even emit 26% of global GHG emissions (greenhouse gases, editor’s note) if current consumption trends continue”, estimated Ademe in 2022. “It is necessary to tackle to the very system of overproduction, by limiting the volumes of products put on sale”, in coherence with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, recommends Les Amis de la Terre. Founded in 2012 in China and based in Singapore, SheIn quickly conquered the global “fast-fashion” market, based on the rapid renewal of collections at very low prices, and only sells online, targeting a young clientele s drinking on social networks.
Accused of forced labor, incitement to overconsumption, singled out for the environmental impact of its products and not very transparent about its production, the brand has drawn the wrath of environmental and human rights defenders.
