The hum of sewing machines is a constant in parts of Guangzhou, a thriving port on the Pearl River in southern China.
It rattles through the open windows of factories from morning until late at night, as they finish the t-shirts, shorts, blouses, pants and swimwear that will be shipped to fill wardrobes in more than 150 countries.
This is the sound of Panyu, the neighbourhood known as the “Shein village”, a warren of factories that power the world’s largest fast fashion retailer.
“If there are 31 days in a month, I will work 31 days,” one worker told the BBC.
Most said they only have one day off a month.
The BBC spent several days here: we visited 10 factories, spoke to four owners and more than 20 workers. We also spent time at labour markets and textile suppliers.
We found that the beating heart of this empire is a workforce sitting behind sewing machines for around 75 hours a week in contravention of Chinese labour laws.
These hours are not unusual in Guangzhou, an industrial hub for rural workers in search of a higher income; or in China, which has long been the world’s unrivalled factory.
But they add to a growing list of questions about Shein, once a little-known Chinese-founded company that has become a global behemoth in just over five years.
Still privately-owned, it is estimated to be worth about £36bn ($60bn) and is now eyeing a listing on the London Stock Exchange.
Its meteoric rise, however, has been dogged with controversy about its treatment of workers and allegations of forced labour.
Last year it admitted to finding children working in its factories in China.
The company declined to be interviewed but told the BBC in a statement that “Shein is committed to ensuring the fair and dignified treatment of all workers within our supply chain” and is investing tens of millions of dollars in strengthening governance and compliance”.
It added: “We strive to set the highest standards for pay and we require that all supply chain partners adhere to our code of conduct. Furthermore, Shein works with auditors to ensure compliance.”
Shein’s success lies in volume – the inventory online runs into the hundreds of thousands – and deep discounts: £10 dresses, £6 sweaters, prices that hover below £8 on average.
Revenue has soared, outstripping the likes of H&M, Zara and the UK’s Primark. The cut-price sales are driven by places like the Shein village, home to some 5,000 factories, most of them Shein suppliers.
The buildings have been hollowed out to make way for sewing machines, rolls of fabric and bags brimming with cloth scraps. The doors to their basements are always open for the seemingly endless cycle of deliveries and collections.
As the day passes, the shelves fill up with warehouse-bound, clear plastic bags labelled with a now-distinctive five-letter noun.
But even past 22:00, the sewing machines – and the people hunched over them – don’t stop as more fabric arrives, in trucks so full that bolts of colour sometimes tumble onto the factory floor.
“We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day,” says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. “On Sundays we work around three hours less.”
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein’s supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order – some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract – and the chinos are an option.
“We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high,” she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
“We get paid per piece,” she explains. “It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.”
Examining the stitching on the chinos is crucial for making that decision. All around her, workers are calculating how much they will get paid to make each piece of clothing and how many they can make in an hour.
The alleys of Panyu function as labour markets, filling up in the mornings as workers and scooters rush past the breakfast dumpling cart, the cups of steaming soybean milk and the hopeful farmer selling chicken and duck eggs.
Standard working hours appear to be from 08:00 to well past 22:00, the BBC found.
This is consistent with a report from the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye, which was based on interviews with 13 textile workers at factories producing clothes for Shein.
They found that a number of staff were working excessive overtime. It noted the basic wage without overtime was 2,400 yuan (£265; $327) – below the 6,512 yuan the Asia Floor Wage Alliance says is needed for a “living wage”. But the workers we spoke to managed to earn anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan a month.
“These hours are not unusual, but it’s clear that it’s illegal and it violates basic human rights,” said David Hachfield from the group. “It’s an extreme form of exploitation and this needs to be visible.”
The average working week should not exceed 44 hours, according to Chinese labour laws, which also state that employers should ensure workers have at least one rest day a week. If an employer wants to extend these hours, it should be for special reasons.
While Shein’s headquarters are now in Singapore, there is no denying the majority of its products are made in China.
And Shein’s success has drawn the attention of Washington, which is increasingly wary of Chinese firms.
In June, Donald Trump’s pick for US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he had “grave ethics concerns” about Shein’s “deep ties to the People’s Republic of China”: “Slave labour, sweatshops, and trade tricks are the dirty secrets behind Shein’s success,” he wrote.
Not everyone would agree with Rubio’s choice of words to describe the conditions at Shein’s suppliers. But rights groups say that the long working hours, which have become a way of life for many in Guangzhou, are unfair and exploitative.
The machines dictate the rhythm of the day.
They pause for lunch and dinner when the workers, metal plates and chopsticks in hand, file into the canteen to buy food. If there is no more space to sit, they stand in the street.
“I’ve been working in these factories for more than 40 years,” said one woman who spent just 20 minutes eating her meal. This was just another day for her.
Inside, the factories we visit are not cramped. There is enough light and industrial-sized fans have been brought in to keep workers cool. Huge posters urge staff to report underage workers – likely a response to finding two cases of child labour in the supply chain last year.
The BBC understands that the company is keeping a closer eye on its suppliers ahead of plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange.
“This is about their reputation,” says Sheng Lu, a professor in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware. “If Shein can successfully achieve an IPO then it means they are recognised as a decent company. But if they are to keep the confidence of investors, they have to take some responsibility.”
One of the biggest challenges Shein faces is accusations that it sources cotton from China’s Xinjiang region.
Once touted as among the world’s best fabric, Xinjiang’s cotton has fallen out of favour after allegations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority – a charge that Beijing has consistently denied.
The only way to get around this criticism is to be more transparent, Prof Sheng says.
“Unless you fully release your factory list, unless you make your supply chain more transparent to the public, then I think it’s going to be very challenging for Shein.”
A major advantage, he adds, is that Shein’s supply chain is in China: “Very few countries have a complete supply chain. China has this – and nobody can compete.”
Aspiring rivals like Vietnam and Bangladesh import raw materials from China to make clothes. But Chinese factories rely entirely on local sources for everything, from fabric to zippers and buttons. So it’s easy to make a variety of garments, and they are able to do it quickly.
That especially works for Shein whose algorithm determines orders. If shoppers repeatedly click on a certain dress, or spend longer looking at a wool sweater, the firms knows to ask factories to make more – and fast.
For workers in Guangzhou, this can be a challenge.
“Shein has its pros and cons,” one factory owner told us. “The good thing is the order is eventually big, but profit is low and it’s fixed.”
Shein, given its size and influence, is a hard bargainer. So factory owners have to cut costs elsewhere, often resulting in lower staff wages.
“Before Shein, we produced and sold clothes on our own,” said an owner of three factories. “We could estimate the cost, decide the price and calculate the profit. Now Shein controls the price, and you have to think about ways to reduce the cost.”
When orders peak, however, it’s a bonanza. The company ships around one million packages a day on average, according to data from ShipMatrix, a logistics consultancy firm.
“Shein is a pillar of the fashion industry,” said Guo Qing E, a Shein supplier.
“I started when Shein started. I witnessed its rise. To be honest, Shein is an awesome company in China. I think it will become stronger, because it pays on time. This is where it is most trustworthy.
“If payment for our goods is due on the 15th, no matter whether it’s millions or tens of millions, the money will be paid on time.”
Shein, with its gruelling hours and sometimes lower wages, may not be a source of comfort to all its workers. But it is a source of pride for some.
“This is the contribution we Chinese people can make to the world,” said a 33- year-old supervisor from Guangdong, who didn’t want to give her name.
It’s dark outside and workers are filing back into factories after their dinner for the final stretch. She admits the hours are long, but “we get on well with each other. We are like a family”.
Hours later, after many workers head home for the night, the lights in several buildings stay on.
Some people work until midnight, one factory owner told us. They want to earn more money, he said.
After all, in London, Chicago, Singapore, Dubai and so many other places, someone is hunting for their next bargain.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Hello, para pengemar slots Pernah denger istilah “raja slot? Kalau belum, siap-siap jatuh hati dengan program ini. raja slot adalah mesin slot yang sering kasih kemenangan. Yup, mesin-mesin ini bisa disebut sebagai jagoannya buat bawa pulang hasil. but, gimana sih caranya jumpain slot gaco yang tepat? Tenang Bro, kita bahas tenang saja di sini
Game tergaco waktu ini satu-satunya berada Indonesia yaitu yang menyediakan ROI tertinggi
Daftarkanlah hanya di :
Informasi mengenai KING SLOT, Segera Daftar Bersama king selot terbaik dan terpercaya no satu di Indonesia. Boleh mendaftar melalui sini king slot serta memberikan hasil kembali yang paling tinggi saat sekarang ini hanyalah KING SLOT atau Raja slot paling gacor, gilak dan gaco saat sekarang di Indonesia melalui program return tinggi di kingselot serta pg king slot
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
situs slot terbaru
situs slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
slot terbaru
slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
adipatislot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama adipatislot88.org
akartoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama akartoto88.biz
allototo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama allototo88.com
alototo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama alototo88.com
an77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama an77.biz
an88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama an88.net
grandhyatt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama grandhyatt88.com
awan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama awan88.org
banteng88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama banteng88.biz
banteng96 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama banteng96.com
bibir66 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibir66.com
bibir88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibir88.biz
bocor888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bocor888.biz
boswin888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama boswin888.asia
canda88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama canda88.org
candatoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama candatoto.net
cinta888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cinta888.biz
dalang88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dalang88.info
dalang96 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dalang96.org
dinojp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dinojp88.com
dragon22 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dragon22.asia
eyangslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama eyangslot88.biz
f77bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama f77bet.net
f88bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama f88bet.asia
haha88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama haha88.asia
heroslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama heroslot888.info
hiwin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hiwin88.org
hoki222 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hoki222.biz
hot99 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hot99.info
hotliga88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hotliga88.com
hut88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hut88.info
inajp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama inajp88.net
istanaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama istanaslot88.biz
jawatogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jawatogel88.com
jayatogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jayatogel88.info
jengkol88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jengkol88.info
jeniustoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jeniustoto88.org
kakakslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kakakslot888.net
kakaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kakaslot88.biz
keltoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keltoto88.com
kera33 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kera33.com
kera88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kera88.biz
keraktelor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keraktelor.org
kuliner88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kuliner88.org
lengkatoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lengkatoto88.com
lexitoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lexitoto88.net
mahkotajitu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mahkotajitu88.com
maincuan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama maincuan88.com
menangbet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama menangbet88.asia
menutogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama menutogel88.com
merdeka88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama merdeka88.biz
merdekatoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama merdekatoto88.info
metrototo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama metrototo.biz
miegacoan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama miegacoan.biz
ml88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ml88.net
monas777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama monas777.info
monas88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama monas88.biz
moris88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama moris88.org
nastartoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nastartoto88.com
newslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama newslot888.biz
ngopibet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ngopibet88.org
omset88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama omset88.com
pajaktoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pajaktoto88.biz
pc77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pc77.net
pc88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pc88.biz
pin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pin88.asia
pintoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pintoto.info
pmg888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pmg888.biz
pohon88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pohon88.biz
pulsa77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pulsa77.biz
pulsa88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pulsa88.biz
puma888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama puma888.info
pusakajitu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pusakajitu88.com
qqhok88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama qqhok88.org
rapi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rapi88.info
rt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rt88.info
rupiahtoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rupiahtoto88.asia
s88bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama s88bet.org
serba88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama serba88.biz
sibukslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sibukslot88.com
sinardunia888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sinardunia888.com
sinartogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sinartogel88.biz
sloki888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sloki888.info
slotplay88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama slotplay88.biz
sp77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sp77.biz
sp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sp88.org
sparta888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sparta888.co
sukaslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sukaslot888.info
sule999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sule999.net
sultanjp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sultanjp88.com
teluk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teluk88.biz
teluk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teluk88.info
tikitoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tikitoto88.org
togelsumo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama togelsumo88.com
ultra77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ultra77.biz
userslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama userslot88.biz
uya88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uya88.biz
uyatoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uyatoto.com
vegasslot777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vegasslot777.asia
vegasslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vegasslot88.asia
wajik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wajik88.asia