Tag:labor
Shein’s IPO: Stitching Profits with Controversy
In late 2023, fast-fashion retailer Shein filed to go public in the U.S. markets, which has been delayed because of tensions between the U.S. and China. On June 3, 2024, , which was predicted due to the delay in the U.S. markets. Although the company is well known its clothing prices and its value reported at $66 billion in 2023, the company faces controversy due to its ties to China, negative environmental impact, and alleged forced labor practices.
U.S. Makes Forced Labor a “Top-Tier” Compliance Issue as Chinese Government Continues to Commit Human Rights Violations
China has long persecuted individuals in their Xinjiang region, mostly Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims. Specifically, the Chinese government has a long history of forcing Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims to do manual labor. These human rights violations prompted President Biden to sign the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law late last year. On June 21, 2022, the UFLPA went into effect, blocking the importation of goods made from forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China. The law has four main functions. It employs both an enforcement strategy and a diplomatic strategy, it applies a presumption that all goods from the Xinjiang region are barred, and it has required sanctions. Although the United States had previously restricted imports from the Xinjiang region under the Trump administration, this is the furthest step forward the US government has taken to eliminate imports from the region all together.
Compliance in the Garment Industry: A Closer Look Into Bangladesh’s Factories
Compliance with labor laws is a major component of effectively and efficiently conducting business in the garment industry. Although there are a variety of areas, such as wage and hour compliance and disability compliance, human rights compliance issues are becoming increasingly prominent in recent times—especially in Bangladesh. The garment industry in Bangladesh came under international scrutiny in 2013 after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building, ultimately killing over 1,100 workers. This incident is considered to be one of the worst industrial disasters to ever occur and exposed many serious hazards that were occurring in Bangladeshi factories. Subsequently, some of the largest brands shifted to implement better conditions for workers.