Environmental Impact
Jada Herrera
“Shein’s rapid use of virgin polyester and large consumption of oil churns out the same amount of CO2 as approximately 180 coal-fired power plants, according to Synthetics Anonymous 2.0, a report published on fashion sustainability. As a result, the company leaves about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year in its trail—a number that falls well below the 45% target to reduce global carbon emissions by 2030, which the U.N. has said is necessary for fashion companies to implement to help limit global warming.”
Shein is arguably the biggest fast fashion website at the moment and a sustainable person’s worst nightmare! Its biggest selling point is the low pricing of clothes that are shipped worldwide and catering to women in their teens and 20s. Users can find almost anything trending on the website, and multiple alternatives to any clothing item. Thousands of people post their large Shein hauls on TikTok, encouraging audience members to buy from the trendy, cheap shop. Shein, however, is far from ethical both morally and environmentally. Even though there is little transparency about their environmental policy, Shein earned 10 billion dollars in 2020 making them one of the largest retailers in fashion. This industry contributes to 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of carbon emissions. While we have no intention of shaming users who frequent the online store, we found their work ethics are downright unacceptable. The next time you decide to make a purchase from Shein, consider these following facts:
Workers receive a base salary of 4,000 yuan per month (roughly $556) to make 500 pieces of clothing per day and that their first month’s pay is withheld from them
Workers receive the equivalent of four cents per clothing item made.
Workers work up to 18-hour days and are given only one day off a month.
Workers are penalized 2/3s of their daily wage if they make a mistake on a clothing item.
Workers are working in unsafe workshops lacking safety protocols like windows and emergency exits.
The circumstances Shein employees face is simply unacceptable. While it may not be TikTok’s fault directly, users need to be aware of the impact they have on fashion trend cycles. The bigger the demand we make, the bigger the supply required for production which results in unethical decisions being made by companies in hopes of keeping up with the latest trends. More information about alternative clothing can be found in our clothing section.
“TikTok boasts 1 billion Monthly Active Users, with an average daily use of 45.8 minutes – emitting 2.63g CO2e per minute of use. At the conservative end of the spectrum – counting a third of monthly users as daily uses – this would produce 40,151 tonnes CO2e per day.”
“To put this in perspective, it’s estimated that a seat on a flight from London to New York and back can require up to 1.7 tonnes of CO2. So both Facebook and TikTok emit more CO2e each year than it would take to fly the entire population of London to New York and back.”
– Toby McInnis, Bankless Times
When expensive products like Dior lip oil go viral, it’s not as easily attainable because not everyone can afford to spend $40 on lip-gloss. As a result, thousands of videos are created recommending similar items, or “dupes”, that are much cheaper than the original item. What users don’t know, however, is that most dupes are often made unethically with unsustainable products. Not only are users selling out name-branded products that aren’t always sustainable, but users are also selling cheap alternatives that are even worse for the environment. What is the reasoning? Is it curiosity about what’s currently trending, or is it simply just greed? We cannot afford to keep creating landfills of clothing that are equivalent to plastic waste. We cannot afford to keep selling out makeup and skincare products that aren’t cruelty free and become less cruelty free as more production is needed. There are so many eco-friendly alternatives to makeup, skincare, and clothing that won’t hurt your pockets or the environment!