Yesterday, Tuesday, November 14, 2023, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in France announced that it had initiated proceedings against the Chinese ultra-fast fashion company Shein to ensure its compliance with international rules and French laws, in particular the duty of care.
The procedure was initiated on June 20 by MPs, including Dominique Potier, MP for Meurthe-et-Moselle, and Boris Vallaud, MP for Landes, and is based on the investigations and research of NGOs, associations, journalists and political representatives. These investigated Shein’s economic activities.
“We indeed believe that the manufacturing and supply chain of the products that Shein distributes in France do not respect human rights, the environment and the interests of consumers,” summarized Paris Good Fashion on LinkedIn. The association brings together industry players, brands, designers and consumers to advocate for sustainable fashion.
On November 14, the OECD’s national contact point in France issued a positive opinion on this matter and committed to verifying the correct application of its “Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises”, as well as compliance with international regulations, French law and in particular the Act to the duty of care.
This was pushed forward in 2017 by Potier and socialist MPs and requires French-based multinational companies to prevent serious human rights and environmental violations by their subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers worldwide. This French innovation has inspired an EU directive that is due to be adopted in the coming weeks.