SHEIN continues to push more responsible and circular production practices, both within the organization and for the overall industry, to positively contribute to the resilience of nature and the empowerment of local communities. We believe that it is our responsibility to drive this transformation through our on-demand production model, starting from the SHEIN-brand products we design. We call this “evoluSHEIN by Design” – SHEIN’s product initiative aimed at accelerating the use of preferred materials and scaling responsible manufacturing processes.
“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
Through evoluSHEIN by Design, SHEIN is testing new, sustainably focused materials, technologies and production processes, and providing a launchpad for scaling sustainable product innovation, as well as education for our designers.
With evoluSHEIN by Design, we draw special attention to the materials we choose for our products and packaging:
- We use preferred materials with a lower carbon footprint, such as recycled polyester in place of virgin polyester fibers.
- We collaborate with organizations such as Canopy to source wood-derived materials like viscose from suppliers that do not endanger vital ancient forests.
- We find creative ways to give repurposed life to the industry’s textile surplus – Through our partnership with Queen of Raw, SHEIN rescues fabrics left over by other fashion brands that were destined for landfill or incineration, and transforms them for our collections to optimize and conserve raw resources. Read more here.
evoluSHEIN by Design also aims to transform our manufacturing practices in social and environmental compliance, with the goal of holistically mitigating climate change risks to actively benefit the planet and people:
- Shipping products in packaging containing more sustainable content, such as recycled PET.
- Encouraging the conservation of water and energy resources, such as increasing adoption of low-impact production techniques that includes digital thermal transfer printing technology.
- Seeking to utilize more facilities powered by renewable energy.
To qualify for the label evoluSHEIN by Design, garments must meet our evoluSHEIN Standard, which covers approved materials and processes that will help limit the environmental impact of our products and take us toward a more sustainable, circular and traceable model.
- To comply with our standards, garments must consist of >30% preferred materials – i.e. recycled polyester, forest-safe viscose, rescued deadstock – and be produced with suppliers that have received high social compliance verification through third-party audits. Garment production facilities must achieve an A or B rating on their SRS Audit or be certified to a third-party standard that requires the facility to meet social compliance criteria (ex: SA8000, GRS).
evoluSHEIN by Design also contributes to SHEIN’s sustainability roadmap, evoluSHEIN. This overarching framework, comprising three key pillars – equitable empowerment, collective resilience and waste-less innovation – builds on and further guides the company on its sustainability journey by addressing the most critical social and environmental challenges facing the fashion industry today. It includes programs addressing topics such as responsible sourcing to decarbonization, resource efficiency, building circular systems and accelerating sustainable solutions.
We have set targets that drive our operational teams and supply chain partners to reduce the environmental footprint of our products and facilities, which include:
- Source 50% of SHEIN branded products through the evoluSHEIN initiative by 2030.
- Source 100% forest-safe viscose and paper-based packaging by 2025
- Ensure all packaging contains 50% preferred materials by 2030
- Become global leader in rescuing industry’s excess inventory
As part of our shift towards more sustainable materials, SHEIN recently announced the launch of evoluSHEIN x Anitta as the first product collaboration under evoluSHEIN by Design. The collection features limited-edition pieces showcasing creative ways to give repurposed life to rescued fabrics, recycled materials and forest-safe fibers, ultimately helping lower the environmental impact of its products and reduce textile waste. The rescued fabrics were sourced through SHEIN’s partnership with Queen of Raw, leveraging their flagship software, Materia MX. Launching this collaboration together under our evoluSHEIN by Design initiative is an opportunity to encourage alternative and informed fashion choices for our customers looking for a more sustainable way to express themselves through fashion and brings them along on our evoluSHEIN journey as we continue to evolve SHEIN for the future.
