Temu reportedly says it’s your fault if you buy goods from the site that were made with forced labor

• Online retailer Temu relies on its customers to report when products are made with forced labor.
• Temu prohibits suppliers from using forced labor, but relies on external reporting to enforce that policy.
• Lawmakers said there is an extremely high risk that Temu’s supply chains are contaminated with forced labor.

Temu thinks it’s a shopper’s responsibility to know if they purchase a product manufactured with forced labor, lawmakers said.

A new report by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found inadequate scrutiny of Temu and Shein “all but guarantees” that some products are made with forced labor.

The investigation of four fast-fashion companies found that most shipments from online retailers Temu and Shein to the US fall under a “de minimis” provision. This exempts the companies from paying tariffs on products with a retail value less than $800, if they are shipped directly to individual customers. 

Temu and Shein are likely responsible for more than 30% of all packages shipped to the United States every day under the “de minimis” provision, the report stated. And since the companies aren’t paying tariffs, US Customs and Border Protection receive very limited information about what’s inside those packages. 

That makes it difficult to know whether the companies are following the Certa Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which prohibits international imports manufactured by forced labor, particularly in the Xinjiang region of China. 

Temu’s response in the report stated that the UFPLA and trade prohibitions do not directly apply to its business because it is an online platform operator, not the product importer. 

And while Temu’s code of conduct prohibits suppliers from using forced labor, it does not prohibit them from sourcing products based on a specific region, which includes the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The company also does not conduct audits and instead puts the onus on others to spot and report any wrongdoing. 

According to the report, Temu says it relies on consumers as well as sellers and regulators to report any violations of its policies. 

However, Temu told lawmakers it hasn’t received any complaints about forced labor practices. This is likely because listings on Temu don’t provide enough information about the product’s materials or manufacturer for American shoppers to identify items that violate the company’s rules.

The 2023 Global Slavery Index found that modern slavery conditions have increased 25% in the last five years. Global supply chains run by G20 countries have contributed to this surge because of the heightened demand for products that are commonly produced by forced labor, such as electronics, clothing, and palm oil.

The investigation concluded that, “American consumers should know that there is an extremely high risk that Temu’s supply chains are contaminated with forced labor.” 

Temu did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.