This story was originally appeared in grain for grinding and part of it is Climate Desk Collaboration.
In 2023, fast-fashion giant Shein was everywhere. Airplanes around the world carried tiny packages of its ultra-cheap clothes. Thousands of suppliers to millions of customer mailboxes in 150 countries. “#Sheenhall” videos from influencers advertised the company’s trendy styles on social media, sparking a response Billions of views,
At every step, data was created, collected, and analyzed. To manage all this information, the fast fashion industry has begun to adopt emerging AI technologies. Shein uses proprietary machine-learning applications — essentially, pattern-recognition algorithms — to measure customer preferences in real time and predict demand, which it then services with an ultra-fast supply chain.
As AI has made the business of creating affordable, trend-ready clothing grow faster than ever, Shein is one of the brands that are leading the way in this space. Increasing pressure To become even more sustainable, the company has pledged to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.
But climate advocates and researchers say the company’s lightning-fast manufacturing practices and online-only business model are inherently emissions-heavy — and that its use of AI software to catalyze these operations could increase its emissions. Those concerns were further exacerbated by Shein’s 3rd Annual Sustainability ReportThe report released late last month showed the company is set to nearly double its carbon dioxide emissions between 2022 and 2023.
“AI enables fast fashion to become the ultra-fast fashion industry, with Shein and Temu being the leading leaders of that,” said Sage Lanier, executive director of the climate nonprofit Sustainable and Just Future. “They literally could not exist without AI.” (Temu is a fast-growing ecommerce giant that has a marketplace of accessories that competes with Shein.) Varieties, prices and sales,
In the 12 years since Shein’s founding, it has become known for its uniquely prolific manufacturing, having reportedly generated over USD 200 million in sales. $30 billion of revenue for the company in 2023. Although estimates vary, a new Sheen design could take at least 10 days to become apparel, and up to 10,000 items are added to the site every day. The company reportedly offers a variety of 600,000 items Available for sale at any time, with the average price being around $10. (Shein declined to confirm or deny these alleged numbers.) A market analysis found that 44 percent of Generation Z-ers in the United States purchase something for at least $10. one item Every month from Shein
That scale means a huge environmental impact. According to the company’s sustainability report, Shein emitted 16.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2023 — more than four coal power plants put together. get out in a yearThe company has also come under criticism textile wasteHigh Level Microplastic Pollutionand exploitative labor practices. According to the report, polyester — a synthetic fabric known to release microplastics into the environment — makes up 76 percent of all clothing, and only 6 percent of that polyester is recycled.
