Fast fashion giant Shein revealed in its 2023 sustainability report that it found two instances of child labor at its suppliers last year. The discovery comes as the company intensifies audits of its manufacturers in China, addressing concerns over its low-cost business model while preparing for a potential public offering.

In the report released on Thursday, Shein stated that it had suspended orders from the suppliers involved until they implemented stricter measures, including verifying workers’ identity documents. The company emphasized that both cases were “resolved swiftly,” with corrective actions such as terminating the underage workers’ contracts, arranging medical checkups, and facilitating their return to their families or guardians.

Following the incidents, Shein tightened its supplier policy in October 2022, introducing a zero-tolerance approach to severe breaches, which it termed “Immediate Termination Violations.” Under the new policy, suppliers found employing minors would face an immediate termination of their contracts with Shein. Previously, suppliers were given 30 days to address such issues before the company severed ties.

Annabella Ng, Senior Director of Global Government Relations at Shein in Singapore, explained that the updated supply chain policy was developed in response to feedback from regulators and suppliers. The company had not previously disclosed the number of child labor cases, only reporting the percentage of audits that identified minors. Violations were found in 1.8% of supplier audits in 2021, 0.3% in 2022, and 0.1% in 2023.

“We remain vigilant in guarding against such violations going forward, and in line with current policies, will terminate any noncompliant suppliers,” Shein stated in the report.

Shein, known for its rapid growth selling affordable fashion items online, conducted 3,990 audits in 2023, a significant increase from 2,812 in 2022 and 664 in 2021. The company employed third-party agencies such as Bureau Veritas, Intertek, and SGS for 92% of its audits last year, with a goal of reaching 100% third-party audits.

The report also highlighted a surge in emissions, with Shein’s carbon footprint from product transportation more than doubling in 2023 to 6.35 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The company has started sourcing products from suppliers in Turkey and Brazil to reduce transport emissions, saving 49,578 tonnes of CO2 equivalent last year by shifting from air to sea and land freight.

Shein’s 2023 sustainability report is expected to be scrutinized by potential investors as the company prepares for a possible initial public offering (IPO). The company filed for an IPO in London in early June, and CEO Sky Xu noted that improving supply chain governance and managing carbon emissions are critical areas for Shein.

The report also mentioned the establishment of a board-level sustainability committee in July 2022, including the CEO, executive chairman, and three investor representatives. When asked if the committee was formed to enhance governance in anticipation of the IPO, Ng declined to comment on IPO-related matters but emphasized Shein’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts.

Good web design has visual weight, is optimized for various devices, and has content that is prioritized for the medium. The most important elements of a web page should have more visual weight to “naturally attract” a visitor’s attention.

Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesn’t meet users’ expectations, the back button is clicked and the search process is continued.

A good website should be easy to navigate

Not all websites are made equal. Some websites are simple, logical, and easy to use. Others are a messy hodgepodge of pages and links.

Without website navigation, your visitors can’t figure out how to find your blog, your email signup page, your product listings, pricing, contact information, or help docs.

Quick and easy access to the content they’re after is more important for your website users than a… visually-stunning design.

Creating visual rhythms in your layouts

In design, rhythm is created by simply repeating elements in predictable patterns. This repetition is a natural thing that occurs everywhere in our world. As people, we are driven everyday by predictable, timed events.

One of the best ways to use repetition and rhythm in web design is in the site’s navigation menu. A consistent, easy-to-follow pattern—in color, layout, etc. Gives users an intuitive roadmap to everything you want to share on your site.

• Direct the Eye With Leading Lines
• Balance Out Your Elements
• Use Elements That Complement Each Other
• Be clear about your “focal points” and where you place them

Diving into UX and UI design

UX and UI: Two terms that are often used interchangeably, but actually mean very different things. So what exactly is the difference?

UX design refers to the term “user experience design”, while UI stands for “user interface design”. Both elements are crucial to a product and work closely together. But despite their relationship, the roles themselves are quite different.

Breaking down the barriers

Design is not the end-all solution to all of the worlds problems — but with the right thinking and application, it can definitely be a good beginning to start tackling them.

Good web design has visual weight, is optimized for various devices, and has content that is prioritized for the medium. The most important elements of a web page should have more visual weight to “naturally attract” a visitor’s attention.

Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesn’t meet users’ expectations, the back button is clicked and the search process is continued.

A good website should be easy to navigate

Not all websites are made equal. Some websites are simple, logical, and easy to use. Others are a messy hodgepodge of pages and links.

Without website navigation, your visitors can’t figure out how to find your blog, your email signup page, your product listings, pricing, contact information, or help docs.

Quick and easy access to the content they’re after is more important for your website users than a… visually-stunning design.

Creating visual rhythms in your layouts

In design, rhythm is created by simply repeating elements in predictable patterns. This repetition is a natural thing that occurs everywhere in our world. As people, we are driven everyday by predictable, timed events.

One of the best ways to use repetition and rhythm in web design is in the site’s navigation menu. A consistent, easy-to-follow pattern—in color, layout, etc. Gives users an intuitive roadmap to everything you want to share on your site.

• Direct the Eye With Leading Lines
• Balance Out Your Elements
• Use Elements That Complement Each Other
• Be clear about your “focal points” and where you place them

Diving into UX and UI design

UX and UI: Two terms that are often used interchangeably, but actually mean very different things. So what exactly is the difference?

UX design refers to the term “user experience design”, while UI stands for “user interface design”. Both elements are crucial to a product and work closely together. But despite their relationship, the roles themselves are quite different.

Breaking down the barriers

Design is not the end-all solution to all of the worlds problems — but with the right thinking and application, it can definitely be a good beginning to start tackling them.