Read the Initial Assessment published 8 August 2024: English | French | Dutch
On 1 December 2023, a group of parliamentarian individuals submitted a specific instance to the Belgian NCP alleging that SHEIN, a Singapore-based global online fashion retailer, had not observed the Concepts and Principles (Chapter I), General Policies (Chapter II), Disclosure (Chapter III), Human Rights (Chapter IV), Employment and Industrial Relations (Chapter V), Environment (Chapter VI), and Consumer Interests (Chapter VIII) provisions of the Guidelines. Specifically, issues raised concern Shein's business model, which is based on a constant renewal of collections and very low prices, which raises concerns about the quality of the garments, their environmental impact and working conditions in the production and logistics chain. A similar complaint was submitted to the French NCP in October 2023.
On 8 August 2024, the Belgian NCP published an initial assessment deciding to partially accept the case for further examination, noting that the submitters requested sanctions be issued where necessary, which falls outside of the scope of the NCP function. The NCP made an offer of good offices, which both parties have accepted.