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I’m writing to you as one of your constituents to ask you about your views regarding Shein’s application to list on the London Stock Exchange. 

I am concerned about this issue because Shein is an ultra-fast fashion brand renowned for exploiting workers, emitting vast amounts of carbon dioxide and avoiding tax. The company has even been accused of making use of forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province.

What is the evidence? 

• One Swiss NGO found that workers manufacturing Shein clothing were working 12 hour days, with one day off per month. When the NGO returned to the same supplier, a year after its initial investigation, it found that the workers were still working 75-hour weeks with no breaks. 
• Researchers at Bloomberg found that the cotton used in Shein clothing was sourced from the Xinjiang region of China, where the Chinese state has been accused of ‘horrific abuses’ against the Uyghur people.
• Shein clothing is made of cheap, fossil-fuel derived fabrics like polyester, the production of which requires 70 million barrels of oil each year. One calculation of Shein’s environmental impact revealed that its emissions had increased by more than 50% in 2023, and it now emits more than a small country like Paraguay.
• Shein’s business model - in which suppliers ship directly to consumers - mean it is able to avoid import and export taxes. 
  [Source: https://www.stopshein.com/about-shein/]

US legislators have attempted to block Shein’s application to list in New York. Now, the Say No to Shein campaign is fighting to block Shein from listing on the London Stock Exchange until a full investigation into their labour practices, environmental impact and tax arrangements has been concluded. 

As one of your constituents, I would like to know if you will commit to supporting such an investigation into Shein, and blocking the company from listing in London until this investigation has been completed. I would also like to ask you to sign and share the petition, and to raise this issue in Parliament. 

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,