Dubai Telegraph - Shein says US tariff hit won't stop fast-fashion flood

EUR -
AED 4.011471
AFN 76.929235
ALL 99.449011
AMD 426.595758
ANG 1.96388
AOA 996.122496
ARS 1161.990645
AUD 1.725496
AWG 1.96603
AZN 1.861143
BAM 1.955781
BBD 2.200178
BDT 132.398683
BGN 1.961476
BHD 0.410796
BIF 3228.767893
BMD 1.092239
BND 1.454386
BOB 7.529925
BRL 6.275574
BSD 1.089689
BTN 94.716058
BWP 14.845852
BYN 3.566065
BYR 21407.887117
BZD 2.188778
CAD 1.57135
CDF 3141.280158
CHF 0.964175
CLF 0.026459
CLP 1015.359903
CNY 7.905464
CNH 7.90727
COP 4495.055301
CRC 544.394586
CUC 1.092239
CUP 28.944337
CVE 110.263904
CZK 25.119866
DJF 194.03807
DKK 7.491017
DOP 68.519319
DZD 145.393554
EGP 55.123452
ERN 16.383587
ETB 143.124177
FJD 2.502364
FKP 0.8444
GBP 0.843917
GEL 3.031007
GGP 0.8444
GHS 16.867235
GIP 0.8444
GMD 78.085537
GNF 9472.013248
GTQ 8.415231
GYD 228.262047
HKD 8.489718
HNL 27.99804
HRK 7.564634
HTG 145.351809
HUF 400.63251
IDR 17860.013334
ILS 3.980393
IMP 0.8444
INR 94.96875
IQD 1431.168473
IRR 45877.18966
ISK 146.352962
JEP 0.8444
JMD 170.538727
JOD 0.774441
JPY 162.342823
KES 141.666418
KGS 95.516323
KHR 4370.088132
KMF 493.437974
KPW 983.02534
KRW 1585.105785
KWD 0.337283
KYD 0.895648
KZT 547.429799
LAK 23650.246625
LBP 98550.258128
LKR 323.640547
LRD 217.54004
LSL 19.844679
LTL 3.225099
LVL 0.660685
LYD 5.256939
MAD 10.582743
MDL 19.432342
MGA 5106.557504
MKD 61.579901
MMK 2293.438222
MNT 3793.542138
MOP 8.745059
MRU 43.655636
MUR 49.096886
MVR 16.885929
MWK 1893.281199
MXN 21.773842
MYR 4.856596
MZN 69.438548
NAD 19.844679
NGN 1690.362665
NIO 40.003339
NOK 11.621866
NPR 152.021226
NZD 1.900803
OMR 0.420512
PAB 1.092239
PEN 3.995778
PGK 4.428558
PHP 62.551715
PKR 305.931957
PLN 4.192489
PYG 8723.826347
QAR 3.976159
RON 4.996017
RSD 117.660592
RUB 93.39153
RWF 1534.461096
SAR 4.096304
SBD 9.283802
SCR 16.31603
SDG 654.309979
SEK 11.07276
SGD 1.457552
SHP 0.858328
SLE 24.936225
SLL 22903.7098
SOS 624.531126
SRD 39.642451
STD 22607.144948
SVC 9.557496
SYP 14201.135104
SZL 19.844679
THB 36.597423
TJS 11.897003
TMT 3.829768
TND 3.361929
TOP 2.62555
TRY 40.011891
TTD 7.436826
TWD 36.015878
TZS 2874.356319
UAH 45.488348
UGX 4003.686699
USD 1.092239
UYU 46.57462
UZS 14141.55797
VES 71.89413
VND 27857.616208
VUV 134.299464
WST 3.07847
XAF 657.917299
XAG 0.03233
XAU 0.000366
XCD 2.949086
XDR 0.819698
XOF 657.917299
XPF 119.331742
YER 269.521504
ZAR 19.857567
ZMK 9831.466852
ZMW 31.402503
ZWL 351.700557
  • SCS

    0.2000

    10.99

    +1.82%

  • NGG

    0.8900

    63.21

    +1.41%

  • RIO

    1.8400

    63.04

    +2.92%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    39.49

    +0.66%

  • BCC

    2.9700

    99.35

    +2.99%

  • JRI

    0.0335

    12.83

    +0.26%

  • AZN

    1.0900

    77.6

    +1.4%

  • CMSC

    0.0500

    23.22

    +0.22%

  • CMSD

    0.1500

    23.35

    +0.64%

  • RYCEF

    0.0500

    10.4

    +0.48%

  • BCE

    -0.1990

    23.47

    -0.85%

  • RBGPF

    66.0200

    66.02

    +100%

  • VOD

    0.0500

    9.55

    +0.52%

  • RELX

    1.1200

    48.93

    +2.29%

  • BP

    1.0200

    33.39

    +3.05%

  • BTI

    -0.0200

    41.36

    -0.05%

Shein says US tariff hit won't stop fast-fashion flood
Shein says US tariff hit won't stop fast-fashion flood / Photo: JOEL SAGET - AFP

Shein says US tariff hit won't stop fast-fashion flood

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will not eject fast-fashion juggernaut Shein from the US market, its executive chairman Donald Tang has told AFP.

Text size:

The head of the online platform, which has come in for scrutiny over its environmental footprint and allegations of human rights violations, also insisted that the company does not use forced labour.

- 'Customers not affected' -

"We're not focusing on customs policy," Tang said about the new US import levies, speaking during a visit to France this week.

"We will find a way to deliver the goods," he added, saying that Shein's "business model" had seen the company through other global trade upsets like the coronavirus pandemic.

This time, however, China is directly in Washington's crosshairs, with 20-percent additional tariffs levied on products imported from the country.

The Trump administration has also cast doubt on whether imported packages worth less than $800 will continue to enjoy duty-free status.

Shein -- a firm founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore -- and Temu have for years surfed on that practice to send tens of billions of dollars worth of product into the US from their network of Chinese factories.

Tang said that whatever happens, "we will do our best to make sure the customers' interest and customers' experience is not affected" -- without detailing any specifics.

- 'No forced labour' -

Like other major players in the textile sector, Shein has come in for regular allegations of exploiting members of the Uighur minority in the cotton fields and factories of the northwestern Chinese region Xinjiang.

"The policy is zero tolerance" on forced labour, Tang told AFP. "We don't tolerate it at all, no questions asked."

He added that the company had a code of conduct "totally, 100 percent aligned with the International Labour Organization Convention" that it required suppliers to sign.

And once deals are in place, "we have international renowned auditors come into the factories with unannounced visits," Tang said.

David Hachfeld of campaign group Public Eye, which has published an investigation into Shein, said the group's measures had not been enough.

"In manufacturing, 75 hours a week was typical for most workers," Hachfeld said, with "one and a half free days per month".

Amnesty International has also called for Shein to be more transparent.

Any company with operations in Xinjiang should set up human rights checks, the campaign group has argued.

"If Shein has not ndertaken this crucial step, it should pause its operations in Xinjiang," Amnesty told AFP by email.

"Conversely, if the company is confident it has eliminated such risks, it should publicly disclose how this has been verified".

- Market flotation -

Many investors expect Shein to float on a major global stock market sometime this year, with London seen as the most likely venue.

But Tang was not giving away any hints about the plans -- beyond saying that a listing would reinforce trust.

"We wanted to embrace the universal mechanism for accountability and transparency, to have transparency as a requirement, not optionality," he told AFP, hoping to stoke "public trust, which is crucial for our long-term growth".

The head of the British Parliament's Business and Trade Committee said in January he and other members were "horrified" by Shein's lack of transparency about where its products come from.

Tang said that the company has since responded to MPs' questions.

The brand recently announced it will pump 200 million euros ($220 million) into European circular-economy and recycling projects, in a bid to polish its image.

"We have been meeting different companies in Paris and other cities in France and talking to the technology leaders" in the sector, Tang said -- without naming the prospective partners.

Shein will likely face a hard sell when it comes to European environmental groups.

Friends of the Earth calculated in 2023 that Shein's operations -- which it said add around 7,200 new items for sale per day on average -- emit "between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide" every 24 hours.

The European Union and individual countries including France are already weighing regulations to limit waste from fast-fashion giants.

H.El-Qemzy--DT