PARIS — France’s women’s ready-to-wear federation decried former French ministers signing on to Shein’s strategic committees intended to support its approach to social responsibility.
“This initiative, claimed as a step toward a more sustainable model, raises strong questions and deep indignation,” La Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin wrote in a statement released Monday.
On Dec. 6, the fast-fashion giant revealed it had set up an external ESG board, as well as regional strategic and corporate responsibility committees to advise Shein leadership. Among the advisers recruited to Shein were Christophe Castaner, a former Minister of the Interior and deputy, and Nicole Guedj, a former minister.
“The commitment of those public figures to a company whose environmental and social impacts are unanimously denounced constitutes an alarming signal at a time when concrete measures are expected to counter the excesses of ultra-fast fashion,” the federation wrote.
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On March 13, France’s lower house of parliament unanimously green-lighted a bill that seeks penalties on ultra-fast fashion with the goal of helping to offset its environmental impact. That bill is meant to go before France’s senate next, before becoming law. A date for the Senate vote has yet to be set.
“The French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-Wear strongly deplores the explicit or implicit support provided to Shein by former political leaders,” the federation stated. “This alignment demonstrates a clear attempt at greenwashing by this company, which is flooding the market with poor quality clothing and lobbying aimed at curbing ongoing legislative efforts.”
The federation called Shein “a threat to the economy, environment and jobs.”
“The facts are clear: Shein attracts more than 3 million users in France every day. The brand has 30 percent growth forecast for 2024, destroying thousands of jobs in the fashion sector in the process,” the federation wrote. “It releases unsustainable clothing onto the market, contributing to massive overconsumption and alarming pollution.”
The federation asked how Castaner and other political figures could “lend themselves to such an approach, when they are fully informed of the disastrous consequences of this economic model? A firm and collective response is necessary.”
The federation called for a large mobilization of players in the sector, citizens, and French and other European parliamentarians “to counter this attempt to sabotage the anti-ultra fast-fashion law and to promote brands that manufacture in virtuous social and environmental conditions.”
“We cannot let the interests of companies like Shein trample the efforts of an entire industry to adopt responsible practices,” said Yann Rivoallan, president of the federation, in the statement. “These shameful partnerships between politicians and a destructive giant must not influence or common future.”
Shein is eyeing an initial public offering in London, but is still awaiting regulatory approval after filing a preliminary prospectus in November 2023.
