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Does Shein Use Banned Xinjiang Cotton? US Senators Want to Know

  • Lawmakers seek information on retail giant’s supplier policies
  • Letter to CEO cites prior Bloomberg report on laboratory tests
Clothes displayed at the Shein Tokyo showroom in Tokyo, Japan. Shein opened its first physical storefront in 2022. 

Clothes displayed at the Shein Tokyo showroom in Tokyo, Japan. Shein opened its first physical storefront in 2022. 

Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg

Updated on

Three US senators have written to the chief executive officer of Shein, China’s largest private online retailer, demanding information on whether the fast-fashion company sources cotton tied to forced labor.

In a letter dated Thursday, Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democrats Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island sought details about the company’s procurement process and its links to Xinjiang, a region of China whose products are banned for import into the US by federal law. That law designates goods from the region to be products of forced labor — a designation the Chinese government has disputed. The letter requested a response within 30 days.