SHEIN is a Chinese-owned fast-fashion e-commerce platform founded in 2008, headquartered in Singapore, with over 7,000 suppliers primarily in China.
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SHEIN's absolute emissions rose 57% in two years while claiming climate targets. Scope 3 dominates at 99%+ of footprint and increased 170% in two years. Italian and French regulators fined the company for greenwashing. Systemic nature damage from 81.5% synthetic fibres with no mitigation strategy.
SHEIN scores 15/100 (Critical concern) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified July 2026.
That places SHEIN joint 837th of 847 companies scored, and 16th of 21 in Apparel (Fast Fashion).
Where SHEIN sits among apparel (fast fashion) peers.
Among the 21 major apparel (fast fashion) brands we've scored, SHEIN sits 16th of 21.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
No absolute reduction in any year or scope.
No phase-out commitments for fossil-fuel-based materials.
However, thousands of new styles weekly drive overproduction; Scope 3 goods manufacturing emissions up 9.7% in 2024.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Targets & Commitments (4/10, 4/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 1/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above SHEIN.
ASOS is a fast-fashion retailer with minimal climate progress and severe greenwashing issues.
See the breakdown →Boohoo operates a linear fast-fashion model with minimal sustainability substance.
See the breakdown →Matalan publishes no emissions data, no science-based targets, and no standalone sustainability report.
See the breakdown →SHEIN's score has been reviewed 3 times and currently stands where it started, at 15.
Rescore 16→15: 2026-07-25 batch re-derivation (entity note, dead-URL fix, corrected sources)
Rescore to 16 (prior state; per-question detail superseded by 2026-07-25 re-derivation)
Initial score at platform launch
The formula and all 12 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
11 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
“about 51% of our directly sourced printed fabrics were produced using Digital Thermal Transfer Printing... saving 550,000 cubic metres of water”
“SHEIN received failing marks in all categories except the one relating to climate commitments and transparency.”
“Statements by Shein about its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030... were even contradicted by an actual increase in Shein's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024.”
“In 2024, the data were fully externally audited for the first time and verified by Bureau Veritas.”
“Its Scope 1 fossil fuel combustion emissions increased by 94.3%”
“Supply chain emissions represented the largest share... at 11,201,419 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e), a 9.7% jump”
“Shein's 2024 sustainability report indicated that the company generated 26,201,440 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2024, a 23.1% increase”
“They rose from 9.17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂e) in 2022 to 16.68 Mt CO₂e in 2023. That's an 81% increase in just one year.”
“Fast fashion leader SHEIN declared the highest ratio of synthetic to natural fibres, with four fifths (81%) of its vast material output made from fossil sources.”
“This fine follows a €40 million penalty from France's consumer authority earlier this year over deceptive discounting and environmental claims.”
“Shein has faced allegations of sourcing cotton from farms linked to state-imposed forced labour”
“Instead of offering transparent answers, Zhu repeatedly avoided confirming or denying the company's use of Xinjiang cotton.”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
SHEIN is a Chinese-owned fast-fashion e-commerce platform founded in 2008, headquartered in Singapore, with over 7,000 suppliers primarily in China. Known for ultra-low-cost clothing with rapid inventory turnover—thousands of new styles weekly. The company operates a peer-to-peer resale platform (SHEIN Exchange) and serves over 300 million users globally, positioning itself as the world's largest online-only fast-fashion retailer by order volume.
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