We are committed to using materials with a lower environmental impact that meet high quality and safety standards to protect both people and the planet.
evoluSHEIN BY DESIGN
In 2022, SHEIN launched evoluSHEIN by Design, our product initiative aimed at promoting the use of preferred materials (e.g. recycled polyester, rescued deadstock fabrics) and responsible manufacturing processes. Through this initiative, SHEIN is testing new, more sustainable materials, technologies and production processes, and providing a launchpad for scaling sustainable product innovation and education for our designers. Garments sold through this initiative must consist of at least 30% preferred materials and be produced by suppliers who have achieved an above average rating on our SHEIN Responsible Sourcing (SRS) Audits.
With evoluSHEIN by Design, we aim to promote responsible materials and manufacturing methods:
- We use recycled materials, such as recycled polyester.
- We aim to source wood-derived fibers like viscose that do not come from ancient and endangered forests, from suppliers scored by organizations like Canopy.
- We find creative ways to repurpose rescued fabrics destined for landfill or incineration – left over by other fashion brands..
- evoluSHEIN by Design products use packaging comprising at least 50% preferred materials, such as recycled PE.
“The evoluSHEIN by Design initiative supports our advancement to a more circular system, starting with the design of our products. Our ambition is to continue measuring and mitigating the environmental impact of our products while collaborating with other industry leaders to propel the circular textile economy forward. This is also an opportunity to promote alternative and informed fashion choices in a way that is engaging for our customers and brings them along on our evoluSHEIN journey as we continue to evolve SHEIN for the future.”
Caitrin Watson, Director of Sustainability at SHEIN
Preferred Material Sourcing
As part of our preferred materials strategy, we are currently focusing on transitioning from virgin polyester to recycled polyester and utilizing other preferred materials such as forest-safe viscose and rescued deadstock fabrics from other brands that otherwise would have gone to waste. We aim to do this through investments and partnerships with leading organizations.
Polyester: Polyester accounts for the majority of SHEIN’s fiber portfolio, making the transition to recycled polyester a significant aspect of our decarbonization initiative. To meet our targets, we have a plan to transition 31% of the polyester used for SHEIN-branded products to recycled polyester by 2030. We are doing this by incorporating more recycled polyester (rPET) into our fiber portfolio through our evoluSHEIN collections.
Viscose: We believe that man-made cellulosic materials have great potential as a preferred fiber. In 2022, we became CanopyStyle signatories, and in the same year, we achieved our target of sourcing 45% of our viscose fabrics from Canopy-compliant suppliers. In 2023, we sourced 60% of our viscose fabrics from Canopy-approved suppliers. This includes utilizing 6,800 kg of Lenzing TENCEL™ Modal fabrics (27) — each of which contain at least 30% Lenzing TENCEL™ Modal fibers — in the creation of SHEIN garments in 2023.
Rescued Materials: In 2022, SHEIN partnered with Queen of Raw to begin sourcing high-quality excess deadstock fabric from other brands. These surplus materials, which were destined for landfills or incinerators, now have a chance to be used and worn. In 2023, 19,927 meters of high-quality deadstock materials were rescued through this partnership. Materials included fabrics comprising polyester, recycled polyester, spandex, nylon and rayon.
Preferred Materials: SHEIN is also a member of Textile Exchange, a global non-profit organization that develops and oversees industry standards for preferred fibers and materials across the fashion and textile sectors. As we incorporate more responsible fibers into our products, we look to Textile Exchange for guidance on best practices for reducing the impact of raw materials.
Packaging
SHEIN is committed to increasing our use of sustainable packaging alternatives. We are increasing our use of post-consumer waste content and reducing single-use plastics in our product packaging with the goal of having 50% of preferred materials in all our packaging by 2030. Since August 2022, nearly all express delivery packages procured for goods shipped to Europe have comprised 50% Global Recycled Standard (GRS)-certified recycled polyethylene (PE) plastic. In addition, all garment polybags procured for goods under our evoluSHEIN by Design initiative and MOTF and Cozy Cub sub-brands have been designed to use 100% GRS-certified recycled PE plastic. In 2023, we started to use thinner garment polybags for our SHEIN-branded products.
This comprised over 60% of our garment polybags for SHEIN-branded products in 2023. We are also using FSC-certified paper-based packaging for two of our sub-brands.
Overall, the proportion of packaging procured that contained at least 50% preferred materials increased from 4.1% in 2022 to 16.2% in 2023.
Keeping in line with the specific regulatory requirements of each country we serve, SHEIN also ensures our packaging is properly labeled to help customers responsibly dispose of it. For example, all packaging bags are marked with the plastic type to support better waste separation. We have also included additional logos to support recycling efforts in line with regulations: the French Triman logo, Spanish Green Dot and Italian environmental label.
SHEIN has also joined the Canopy Pack4Good commitment to increase the use of recycled and forest-safe content in packaging.
Product QUality & Safety
Quality and Durability
SHEIN adopts rigorous targets for the continual improvement of apparel product quality, drawing on standardized testing and customer feedback to guide our efforts.
We have established internal standards for material factors like tear strength, pilling and color fastness, and require our textile suppliers to submit updated quality test reports for these factors.
Chemical Safety
At SHEIN, we are building compliance control processes that uphold chemical and physical safety standards.
SHEIN maintains a Restricted Substances List (RSL) that imposes restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that takes guidance from international standards and regulations including but not restricted to:
- The Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group.
- Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).
- The Stockholm Convention and Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
- Other relevant national and regional regulations.
In 2023, SHEIN updated its RSL for materials so that it remains up to date with revised PFAS regulations. We also developed and launched a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) for materials used in manufacturing, compiling prohibited chemical substances that are often used in dyes, additives and finishing agents.