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How Ethical Is Temu? Why We Rate the Brand ‘We Avoid’

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24 Apr, 2024

This post was originally published on Good on You

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Temu’s lack of transparency is a big red flag. Here’s why we rate the brand “We Avoid”, our lowest rating. This article is based on the Temu rating published in February 2024 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

Why is Temu so bad?

The growth of Temu—a marketplace founded by Chinese company PDD Holdings—has snowballed since its US launch in 2022 and subsequent expansion to Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in 2023. How? “Its appeal is clear. In the midst of rising inflation around the world, Temu has attracted customers through its seemingly limitless range and incredibly low prices,” explains the Guardian.

In an effort to connect with customers in the United States, the brand invested in commercial air time during the 2024 Super Bowl, buying three ads, which Business Insider estimates cost $7m each.

Temu might be a new name for many people in the fashion space, so here’s what you need to know: Temu sells everything from clothes to electronics and car parts. It says it’s “committed to offering the most affordable quality products to enable consumers and merchandise partners to fulfil their dreams in an inclusive environment.” It also says it’s dedicated to helping consumers “live their best lives” by connecting them with “millions of merchandise partners, manufacturers and brands.”

Everything about this and Temu raises a red flag. We must question the brand’s impact on the environment and animals, not to mention the people creating these products. In short, how ethical is Temu?

Millions of merchandise partners? Affordable products? An inclusive environment? Temu’s business model sounds similar to SHEIN’s (with which it’s currently in a legal battle)—the brand sells vast quantities of cheap products that are the opposite of sustainable.

And if you’re looking for information on the brand’s practices? Good luck, because they’re nowhere to be found. Temu doesn’t provide enough information about its business, impact, or sustainability efforts for our analysts to award it any points against our ratings methodology.

Environmental impact

On its very brief sustainability page, Temu says it has an “ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability”. Its proof? The brand is partnering with Trees for the Future to “plant trees across sub-Saharan Africa”, a project that has had “a transformative effect on the land and local communities, while also addressing global environmental concerns,” according to Temu. Not only does this sound like greenwashing, but it’s also very unlikely this sole strategy has any significant impact, especially as the responsibility falls to the shopper to choose to plant a tree at checkout.

And as we mentioned earlier, Temu is also responsible for promoting overconsumption and overproduction.

A congressional report estimated that packages from Temu and competitor Shein are likely responsible for roughly 600,000 packages shipped to the US on a daily basis under the de minis provision (a rule that means packages of $800 or less won’t be subject to import duties or required to provide information about the contents).

Temu has also been criticised for its constant discounting, promotional offers, referral schemes, and gamification of the shopping experience through its app, which all encourage users to keep purchasing and have been likened to online gambling.

Labour conditions

Temu does not share information about its labour practices, so it’s impossible to know if workers employed by its suppliers are treated and paid fairly. However, it is safe to assume that $5 garments aren’t priced high enough to cover the cost of living wages for the garment workers who made the item.

The brand says it prohibits forced labour, but there’s no explanation of how it enforces this across its thousands of suppliers. And in May 2023, a US congressional committee wrote to Temu requesting information about its compliance with the US anti-forced labour laws, after an investigation found that the company’s business model allowed it to avoid complying with US regulations blocking imports from China’s Xinjiang region, where there is a significant risk of human rights abuses. The report noted that Temu doesn’t have any audit processes in place to assess that risk.

Animal welfare

Like the rest of Temu’s practices, animal welfare is a similarly shady subject with little evidence of any policies to ensure the protection of creatures in and around Temu’s sellers’ supply chains.

Why ‘We Avoid’ Temu

It should come as no surprise that Temu received our lowest score of “We Avoid,” making it one of the worst-rated brands of 2023. The brand’s excessive product range and the potential for labour rights abuses in its supply chain are particularly concerning.

Temu’s lack of transparency means no one can know what is going on behind the scenes of the ultra fast fashion brand, and that’s bad news. Transparency—and publicly available information—are essential in holding brands accountable for their actions and helping consumers make more informed choices about which brands they buy from.

You have a right to know how the products you buy affect the issues you care about, so our recommendation is to steer clear of Temu.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Good swaps

In these articles we usually give you a handful of “Good” and “Great” alternatives. However, in the case of Temu, there isn’t really an alternative that we can recommend, because it’s simply not possible to find an ethically made t-shirt for $5. And few retailers offer as many products with as many discounts as Temu does.

However, there are some marketplaces and multi-brand e-commerce websites that specialise in more sustainable brands and products by carefully selecting what is featured, so you can still find what you need in one place, without the unethical practices of Temu.

Made Trade

Made Trade has a carefully curated collection that is categorised into one or more values—from Fair Trade to vegan, and People of Colour-owned to sustainable.

Shop the collection @ Made Trade.

Rêve en Vert

Rêve en Vert is a luxury retail platform for more sustainable and ethical goods—the plaftorm says it offers an invitation to engage in creating a better world, and to make choices that are in harmony with its natural balance.

Shop the collection @ Rêve en Vert.

Urbankissed

Urbankissed is a “slow and ethical marketplace”, featuring a range of clothing, jewellery, menswear, homeware, and beauty products selected for their sustainability.

Shop the collection @ Urbankissed.

Immaculate Vegan

Immaculate Vegan is a lifestyle platform and curated shop for conscious consumers seeking a more ethical and planet-friendly way of living. As its name suggests, the company specialises in vegan and cruelty-free products that are certified as such.

Shop the collection @ Immaculate Vegan.

wearwell

Wearwell was founded by two friends with a mission to revolutionise the fashion industry to work better for people and the planet. The marketplace makes it easy to find more ethical and sustainable clothes, shoes, accessories, and homewares, and support some of the brands making a positive impact on garment workers and the environment.

Shop the collection @ wearwell.

Earthkind

Earthkind is a multi-brand platform offering a one-stop destination for more sustainably made clothes and accessories. “We exist to introduce, support, and celebrate ethical labels, creators, and designers who share the same vision and are paving the way for the slow fashion movement,” it says.

Shop the collection @ Earthkind.

Cerqular

Cerqular’s mission is to make responsible shopping easily accessible and more affordable for all—on a single platform. To give everyone peace of mind, the retailer verifies every brand for their values, such as more sustainable, organic, recycled, carbon neutral, vegan, eco-friendly, or circular.

Start the collection @ Cerqular.

Vestiaire Collective

A peer-to-peer platform for buying and selling luxury items, Vestiaire Collective is a great place to discover second-hand fashion. Items are independently authenticated to ensure the described condition matches the actual item you receive.

Shop pre-owned fashion @ Vestiaire Collective.

The post How Ethical Is Temu? Why We Rate the Brand ‘We Avoid’ appeared first on Good On You.

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

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