A member of Congress who co-sponsored a law banning products from China’s Xinjiang region is asking a Department of Homeland Security task force to investigate fast-fashion retailer SHEIN and potentially ban it from the US.
SHEIN may be listed as a violator of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) and its products may be prohibited from entering the US if proven to be in violation of the legislation. According to a person familiar with the company’s operations, its US revenues are now on course to reach US $ 10 billion this year.
The letter, signed by Jennifer Wexton of the Virginia Democratic Party and obtained by Bloomberg News, is sent to the multi-agency Forced Labour Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), which is presided over by DHS and has the authority to impose sanctions on businesses and forbid them from marketing items created using forced labour in the US. Wexton referenced research conducted by Bloomberg last year that revealed SHEIN was utilising cotton from Xinjiang, as well as the business’ own admission that 2 per cent of its cotton originates from that area.
“I believe it is wholly appropriate and imperative for FLETF to initiate an investigation of SHEIN for potential violations of the UFLPA,” Wexton wrote in the letter.
As SHEIN’s presence in the US has increased, politicians from both parties have voiced worries about forced labour, highlighting the necessity for the company to enhance its reputation in Washington if it is to move forward with its preparations for an offering.
