The UK’s cross-party Business and Trade Committee has scheduled an inquiry session on 7 January 2025, targeting online fast fashion retailer Shein and global e-commerce platform Temu.
The committee will investigate these companies regarding the treatment of workers within their supply chains, according to A Reuters a report.
This scrutiny comes at a critical time for Shein, which is currently aspiring to secure a place on the London Stock Exchange. Shen’s roots go back to China. However, it has since moved its headquarters to Singapore.
The investigation by the committee, led by Liam Byrne, a former Labor minister, extends beyond examining proposed employment rights legislation. The broader aim is to protect against the leakage of substandard labor standards into the UK market, with particular attention to allegations of forced labour.
Shein’s General Counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Yinan Zhou, has been called to testify before the committee.
Likewise, Temu representatives Stephen Heary, senior legal counsel, and Leonard Kleiner, senior compliance director, are expected to give evidence, according to the report.
Both companies have been criticized for endorsing inappropriate working conditions in Chinese factories that manufacture their products. Claims of forced labor within their supply networks have also surfaced.
In response to these allegations, both companies publicly denounced forced labor.
In December 2024, The Vietnamese government suspended activities From Temu and Shein as the companies failed to comply with the Southeast Asian country’s regulatory requirements for registering e-commerce services.
The ‘UK Parliamentary Committee to Question Sheen and Timo’ was originally created and published by Retail Insight Networkwhich is a trademark of GlobalData.
The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute advice on which you should rely, and we make no representation or warranty, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.