Fast fashion meets artificial intelligence — sounds like a match made in trend-chasing heaven, right? Enter Shein, the digital darling that’s revolutionising your wardrobe at lightning speed. But behind those $10 price tags and viral TikTok hauls, there’s a bigger cost at play — one that’s measured in carbon emissions, microplastics, and questionable labour practices. The question is, can AI save the planet while still delivering the latest must-have crop top? Let’s unravel the threads of Shein’s carbon emissions, one stitch at a time.

In 2023, Shein was a fashion sensation. From TikTok #SheinHauls to endless product drops, the fast-fashion giant had established itself as the go-to brand for trendy and ultra-cheap clothing. With millions of packages crisscrossing the globe daily, Shein’s business model is nothing short of mind-boggling in scale. Yet, while it prides itself on innovation, especially its use of artificial intelligence (AI), there’s a growing question in the air: Can fast fashion ever truly be sustainable?

Fast Fashion on Steroids

Shein’s success is deeply rooted in its use of AI. According to the company, its proprietary machine-learning algorithms identify customer preferences in real time and predict demand. That way, the brand can create new designs and push them to market faster than any traditional fashion house could ever dream of. Need the latest Y2K-inspired crop top? Shein’s got you — possibly within 10 days.

And there’s no shortage of options. The company boasts a whopping 600,000 items on its site at any given time, adding 10,000 new pieces daily, with prices averaging around $10. That scale might sound like a shopper’s paradise, but it translates into a nightmare for the planet.

AI: Friend or Foe?

While Shein claims its AI helps reduce waste by producing only what’s needed — stocking a mere 100 to 200 units per design — critics aren’t convinced. Environmentalists argue that the sheer volume of items, paired with ultra-fast production and low-quality materials, makes the model unsustainable at its core. In fact, Shein’s own sustainability report shows the company’s carbon emissions nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, ballooning to 16.7 million metric tons — equivalent to the output of four coal power plants in a year​.

So, while AI might trim down inventory waste, the overall impact is still heavy. As Sage Lenier, the executive director of the climate nonprofit Sustainable and Just Future, puts it, “AI enables fast fashion to become the ultra-fast fashion industry”. It is quite literally, efficiency on steroids. But the environmental cost is staggering.

Polyester: The Fabric of Our Lives (And Oceans)

Adding to the problem is Shein’s material of choice: polyester. A staggering 76% of Shein’s fabrics are made of this synthetic textile, which is notorious for shedding microplastics into the environment. Even worse, only 6% of that polyester is recycled​. This means millions of Shein garments contribute to both landfill overflow and microplastic pollution in oceans.

Not only is Shein flooding the planet with cheap clothes, but the company has also faced criticism for its labour practices. Despite promises to improve conditions, factory workers at Shein’s suppliers are still clocking 75-hour weeks. With over 3,000 suppliers, 71% received a grade of C or lower on the company’s internal score scale​. It’s an ugly truth hidden beneath those $10 price tags.

Shipping: Not Just Fashionably Fast, but Carbon-Heavy

Shein’s impact doesn’t stop at production. A massive portion of its carbon footprint comes from transportation. The company relies heavily on air shipping, a carbon-intensive practice, with 38% of its emissions stemming from flying packages around the world. Unlike other fashion brands that bulk ship by sea, Shein sends items individually packaged by air — and in 2023, that added up to around 900,000 shipments to the U.S. per day.

To its credit, Shein has started using more cargo ships and increased its warehouse storage in the U.S. to cut down on air freight. But it’s still a long road to making meaningful changes in its logistical operations.

The Real Problem: Growth vs. Sustainability

In its defence, Shein claims that growth and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive, insisting that its business model isn’t at odds with reducing environmental impact. However, industry experts point out that the company’s emissions are rising at nearly twice the rate of its revenue. For comparison, while Zara’s emissions increased by half of its revenue growth, Shein’s emissions far outpaced its financial gains​. The maths just doesn’t add up.

Sheng Lu, a professor of fashion and apparel studies, notes that Shein’s reliance on AI isn’t the core issue. “AI has wide applications in the fashion industry. It’s not necessarily that AI is bad,” he explains. The problem lies in Shein’s business model itself — one that encourages rapid consumption and disposable fashion​.

What’s Next for Shein?

Shein has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 25% by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. Lofty goals, but if the company continues its growth trajectory without fundamentally changing its business practices, those promises will be difficult to keep. Even with AI fine-tuning its operations, the sheer volume of production, reliance on polyester, and emissions-heavy shipping practices make true sustainability seem like a far-off dream.

AI might be helping Shein stay on top of trends, but at what cost? It’s clear that for Shein — and fast fashion at large — to become genuinely sustainable, innovation will need to go beyond just predicting what’s next in style. It must also account for what’s next for the planet.

The question remains: Can Shein, the darling of ultra-fast fashion, slow down long enough to make a meaningful environmental impact? Or will AI simply continue to drive the cycle of consumption at an even faster pace? One thing’s for sure — this story is far from over.

This article is based on information from an article by Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, originally published on Grist as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

FEATURED IMAGE by Ron Lach