SHEIN sustainability score: 15/100
Better than 18% of Apparel (Fast Fashion)
Significant gaps starts at 16. The highest score on SINK is 71.
SHEIN is a Chinese-owned fast-fashion e-commerce platform founded in 2008, headquartered in Singapore, with over 7,000 suppliers primarily in China. Known for ultra-low-cost clothing with rapid inventory turnover—thousands of new styles weekly.
More about SHEIN
The company operates a peer-to-peer resale platform (SHEIN Exchange) and serves over 300 million users globally, positioning itself as the world's largest online-only fast-fashion retailer by order volume.
Founded 2008Head office SingaporeStaff ~16,000Revenue ~$38B (FY2024, widely reported; private - unaudited)Website ↗
SHEIN's absolute emissions roughly tripled in two years, from 9.17 Mt in 2022 to 26.20 Mt in 2024, while it claimed climate targets. Scope 3 dominates at 99%+ of footprint and increased 170% in two years. Italian and French regulators fined the company for greenwashing. Systemic nature damage from 81.5% synthetic fibres with no mitigation strategy.
SHEIN scores 15/100 (Critical concern) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified July 2026.
That places SHEIN 1016th of 1,023 companies scored, and 15th of 18 in Apparel (Fast Fashion).
What is SHEIN doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Targets & Commitments (4/10, 4/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (0/10, 1/10).
Where SHEIN lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling.
- Its effect on natureShow it knows its main risks to nature.
- How it uses materials and handles wasteShow active waste reduction, reuse or repair.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations4/10No full Scope 1 and 2 figures worked out to the GHG Protocol.
- Emissions from its supply chain3/10No assessment of where its supply-chain emissions come from.
- Whether its emissions are falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy is3/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature1/10No evidence it knows its main risks to nature.
- How it uses materials and handles waste2/10No active waste reduction, reuse or repair shown.
- Its effect on water2/10No monitoring of water use, or no measures to reduce it.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports4/10No dedicated sustainability role, board oversight or public report.
- Its record on controversies2/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is SHEIN's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas SHEIN's score changed?
SHEIN's score has been reviewed 4 times and currently stands where it started, at 15.
- 15 → 155 November 2026
Correction, 5 November 2026: the summary said emissions rose 57% in two years. Its own figures, 9.17 Mt in 2022 and 26.20 Mt in 2024, show they roughly tripled. Score unchanged.
- 16 → 15-125 July 2026
Rescore 16→15: 2026-07-25 batch re-derivation (entity note, dead-URL fix, corrected sources)
- 15 → 16+131 May 2026
Rescore to 16 (prior state; per-question detail superseded by 2026-07-25 re-derivation)
- Scored 158 February 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is SHEIN's score based on?
12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
8% of them were published by SHEIN itself; the rest come from independent sources.
11 of 12 sources are independent of the company.
“about 51% of our directly sourced printed fabrics were produced using Digital Thermal Transfer Printing... saving 550,000 cubic metres of water”
“SHEIN received failing marks in all categories except the one relating to climate commitments and transparency.”
“Statements by Shein about its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030... were even contradicted by an actual increase in Shein's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024.”
“In 2024, the data were fully externally audited for the first time and verified by Bureau Veritas.”
“Its Scope 1 fossil fuel combustion emissions increased by 94.3%”
“Supply chain emissions represented the largest share... at 11,201,419 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e), a 9.7% jump”
“Shein's 2024 sustainability report indicated that the company generated 26,201,440 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2024, a 23.1% increase”
“They rose from 9.17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂e) in 2022 to 16.68 Mt CO₂e in 2023. That's an 81% increase in just one year.”
“Fast fashion leader SHEIN declared the highest ratio of synthetic to natural fibres, with four fifths (81%) of its vast material output made from fossil sources.”
“This fine follows a €40 million penalty from France's consumer authority earlier this year over deceptive discounting and environmental claims.”
“Shein has faced allegations of sourcing cotton from farms linked to state-imposed forced labour”
“Instead of offering transparent answers, Zhu repeatedly avoided confirming or denying the company's use of Xinjiang cotton.”
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How does SHEIN compare with other apparel (fast fashion) companies?
Where SHEIN sits among apparel (fast fashion) peers.
Among the 18 major apparel (fast fashion) brands we've scored, SHEIN sits 15th of 18.
Who scores higher in Apparel (Fast Fashion)?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above SHEIN.
Balenciaga has no brand-level sustainability reporting.
See the breakdown →Boohoo operates a linear fast-fashion model with minimal sustainability substance.
See the breakdown →Matalan publishes no emissions data, no science-based targets, and no standalone sustainability report.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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