Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Online marketplace selling low-cost goods mostly from China.
Temu scored 0/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 0/100 in 2026). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksUnconfirmed reports of forced labour are listed below. They don't affect the grade.
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 0/100 (2026)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From press and retailer reports; Temu doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Temu is a marketplace: clothing sold on it is made by thousands of third-party sellers and factories, overwhelmingly in China, and Temu publishes no supplier list or factory locations. Its voluntary modern slavery statement for 2025 relies on seller terms, sanctions screening and removing flagged products, with no social audits, living wage commitment or reported cases. It scored 0/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, as in 2024, and a US congressional committee found in 2023 that it had no system to keep forced-labour goods off the platform.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Scored 0 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 0 in 2024. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Whaleco Australia lodges a voluntary joint modern slavery statement for Temu; the 2025 statement names no supplier countries, audits or cases found. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | US House Select Committee on the CCP found in 2023 that Temu had no audits or UFLPA compliance system and an extremely high forced labour risk. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A 2023 interim report by the US House Select Committee on the CCP found an 'extremely high risk' that goods made with Uyghur forced labour reach shoppers through Temu, noting it ran no audits, had no system to comply with the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and did not bar sellers from offering Xinjiang-made goods (House Select Committee, 2023). Source
- A 2023 analysis by Ultra Information Solutions, reported by Bloomberg, linked at least 10 items sold on Temu, including sandals, to sellers based in Xinjiang, some near detention camps (Bloomberg via Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, 2023). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 2024 Ethical Fashion Report reveals Temu and Shein fall short (BHRRC) · search the archive · Temu scored 0/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report; average 31; lack of transparency cited
- PDD Holdings Inc - Baptist World Aid Good Shopping Guide · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: scored 0/100 (average 31.5)
- Select Committee releases interim findings on Shein, Temu forced labor (US House) · search the archive · June 2023: Temu conducts no audits, has no UFLPA compliance system and does not bar sellers from selling Xinjiang-made goods
- Temu 'extremely high risk' of forced labour (Business of Fashion) · search the archive · Temu says it does not make products and relies on a supplier code of conduct banning forced labour
- Temu scores zero on ethical fashion scorecard (Money magazine) · search the archive · Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report gave Temu 0 out of 100
- Shein rival selling Xinjiang-linked products in the US, analysis finds · search the archive · 2023 Ultra Information Solutions analysis linked at least 10 Temu items, incl. sandals, to Xinjiang sellers
Published by Temu or its owner
- Temu (Whaleco) Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Joint statement for Whaleco entities incl. Australia; screening and monitoring only; no countries, audits or cases disclosed
Company details
- Headquarters
- Ireland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Temu ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/temu, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Temu.