Multiple groups of United States congressmen have sought reassurances from clothing giant Shein, Adidas, and other companies facing allegations that their products contain forced Chinese labor or material from places where such conditions reportedly exist.
On Tuesday, a group of senators wrote to the CEOs of Adidas, Nike, Shein, and the Chinese shopping app Temu asking about their supply chains.
The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party highlighted witness testimony that indicated Nike and Adidas were obtaining goods from China’s Xinjiang region, potentially in violation of United States law.
The letters read, “We would like to offer Nike and Adidas an opportunity to respond to these serious allegations and provide information regarding compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act”.
The committee also contacted Temu and Shein, asking their executives to explain how they ensure that their supply chains comply with US law.
The letters to companies were sent just a day after a bipartisan group of US lawmakers urged securities regulators to require Shein to swear that company does not use coerced Chinese labor as a condition of a public offering.
Two dozen members of the House of Representatives requested the head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission to take action, citing accusations that the fast-growing inexpensive apparel company used cotton from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
In a May 1 letter, they said, “Shein is aggressively raising capital and plans to execute an IPO before the end of this calendar year”.
The letter further stated, “We request that you set forth regulations and mandate Shein to certify via independent verification that the company does not use Uyghur forced labor as a condition of being registered to issue securities in the United States”.
According to human rights organizations, China’s Muslim-majority Uyghurs are subjected to widespread incarceration in forced labor camps and are prohibited from displaying their culture.
Beijing claims that the ethnic minority is not being persecuted and that any security measures in their northwestern region of Xinjiang are a reaction to a terrorism threat.
Virginia Democrat Jennifer Wexton and Tennessee Republican John Rose organized the letter, which was signed by 24 House members.
According to Shein’s spokesperson, the company has no suppliers in the Xinjiang Region, and that it has zero tolerance for forced labor.
The spokesperson said, “We take visibility across our entire supply chain seriously, and we are committed to respecting human rights and adhering to local laws in each market we operate in”.
“Our suppliers must follow a strict code of conduct that is aligned with the International Labor Organization’s core conventions”, the spokesperson added.
Shein, which was founded in China in 2008 and is now based in Singapore, has been dubbed an example of fast fashion, as it markets its products through TikTok and other online platforms.
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