The fast-fashion Chinese brand Shein shared that as it increases its examination of the manufacturers of the clothing it sells, it discovered two instances of child labour in its supply chain last year.
The company claims that it temporarily halted orders from the concerned suppliers and didn't start doing business with them again until they made more of an effort to resolve the matter.
Shein is reportedly preparing to sell shares on the stock market, as revealed in its 2023 sustainability report.
The working conditions at factories in its supply chain have drawn criticism for the corporation.
"Both cases were resolved swiftly, with remediation steps including terminating contracts with underage employees, ensuring the payment of any outstanding wages, arranging medical checkups and facilitating repatriation to parents/legal guardians as needed," Shein said.
The statement added, "Following appropriate remediation, the contract manufacturers were permitted to resume business."
Shein said that its supplier policies had since been strengthened.
Any infractions pertaining to forced labour or child labour are now grounds for contract termination immediately under the new regulations.
The two cases, according to the firm, were discovered in the first nine months of 2023; none were discovered in the final quarter of the same year.
It occurs as the business prepares to possibly list its shares for public sale.
