The court filing alleges that copyright infringement is central to Shein's business model and that the company passes the blame onto third-party vendors. They say that the company stole their designs and sold them as products on its site. In July, a group of designers filed a federal lawsuit against Shein that alleges copyright infringement and racketeering.

Temu is a subsidiary of a Chinese commerce company. It alleges that Shein violated antitrust laws by intimidating manufacturers not to work with the Boston-based company, Reuters reported. Now Temu is fighting back with its own lawsuit against Shein, filed last week. Shein recently sued Twitter to release data about the accounts in question. In December, Shein's parent company sued its e-commerce rival, Temu, alleging that Temu created fake accounts on Twitter under Shein's name and trademark. Shein has had a fair share of court drama lately. In May, US spending on Temu was 20% higher than on Shein, Bloomberg reported. H&M produces a meager 4,414 new styles in comparison.

It also says it uses digital printing methods that use less water and attempts to sell unsold inventory before donating it.īut some critics say these efforts pale in comparison to the company's output of an estimated 314,877 new styles per year, according to a Business of Fashion article, which used data from retail analytics firm Edited. On its website, Shein says that its digital supply chain limits excess inventory and reduces waste. It's come under fire for producing extremely high volumes of garments, which reports say contribute to overcrowded landfills and 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.Īccording to its 2021 Sustainability and Social Impact Report, Shein uses The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for its sustainability efforts and social impact. The company is known for its secrecy and lack of supply chain transparency. Fast fashion contributes between 2% and 8% of the world's carbon emissions, the United Nations found in 2018.Īlong with Shein's colossal success, comes mounting criticism. The heap is so large that satellites can easily spot it. Women search for unused clothes in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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