Fast fashion brand Shein is harmful to our environment in many ways

I’ve discussed Shein in the past when talking about brands to stay away from when thinking about sustainable fashion. So why am I bringing this specific brand up again?

It was recently published that Shein is now roughly valued at $100 billion, according to Bloomberg.

That is a lot for a brand that still uses fast fashion, is known for stealing artwork and uses few ethical means to make the clothing. That is just the tip of the iceberg when looking at this specific company.

First, there is a good reason why this brand is popular, mainly within our generation. They sell cheap clothing, which means it’s more accessible to people. There isn’t a point in shaming people to stop buying from Shein. It’s an easy option with the newest trends. However, I still think it’s important to know what the brand is doing and what we can do to prevent clothing waste.

As I mentioned previously, the $100 billion value has to come from somewhere. On social media, many people are posting massive Shein hauls with over 50 pieces of clothing just for the season. With hauls on both TikTok and YouTube, the brand is gaining traction amongst our generation. However, fast fashion brands seem to notice how vital sustainability is for our generation.

Shein, like many other fast fashion-based companies, is moving towards the promise of creating more sustainable clothing. However, the brand’s lack of transparency and seemingly minor changes toward using sustainable material draw a lot of skepticism. When looking at their dress choices, only about 31 of 54,289 of those dresses are made out of recycled or sustainable materials.

Clothing is not the only waste Shein produces. An easy place to start moving toward sustainability would be looking at the shipping bags they use. Most of the clothing comes in plastic, zip-locked bags that most likely get tossed out. This isn’t really the fault of the consumer since that is the packaging the clothing comes in. Typically, a consumer wouldn’t keep the bag. If you are looking for a creative idea to revise your Shein bags, TikTok user queenlightx, or Noor, created a waterproof jacket out of their Shein bags.

Now some of this does, in fact, fall on consumers. People doing season-based hauls are purchasing tons of clothes that will likely not be used next year. The clothes typically produced by fast fashion companies might not last for a long time. This trend and the idea of mass buying can lead to more clothes in landfills.

With fashion being the second main polluter globally, this isn’t the best mindset for buying clothes.

So, we are back to square one. Of course, I will not tell you to stop shopping at Shein. That’s your choice at the end of the day. However, I will still recommend some alternatives and things to keep in mind when shopping. This time, I will not focus on stores mainly because Shein is appealing to so many due to the low costs. It’s nearly impossible to match their low prices.

Here are some tips on what to do to prevent a larger production of fashion waste: first, shop second-hand or even trade clothes with friends. Just because you no longer need something doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t need it. Second, a simple solution is to buy less. It would start promoting a slower fashion system. And third, if you are able, purchase small from an eco-friendly business. Until next time.