Shein has invested more than $42 million in upgrading manufacturing facilities and expanding worker-focused initiatives as part of a multi-year effort to strengthen its supplier network.
The company’s Supplier Community Empowerment Program (SCEP), launched in 2023, is designed to enhance manufacturing capabilities, improve working conditions and provide broader support for factory workers and their families.
Since the program began, more than 200 supplier factories — spanning roughly 5.6 million square feet — have undergone renovations and operational upgrades.
The redesigned facilities follow Shein’s model factory template, which emphasizes optimized production layouts, improved material flow and flexible production spaces intended to increase efficiency and adaptability.
Shein also operates the Center of Innovation for Garment Manufacturing, a research and training hub focused on modernizing apparel production.
The center develops lean manufacturing applications, new tools and technology-driven systems that can be deployed across supplier sites.
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In 2025, the center conducted approximately 300 vocational and technical training and certification sessions, reaching more than 13,000 participants.
It introduced 10 new production tools aimed at streamlining sewing operations and improving the handling of specialized garments, bringing the total number of tools developed to more than 180.
Beyond factory upgrades, SCEP includes worker assistance programs.
The Spotlight program, introduced in 2021, provides financial aid to supplier employees facing temporary hardship, covering expenses such as school fees and medical bills.
In 2025, more than 37,000 workers accessed the program through a QR-code-enabled digital application system placed inside participating factories.
By year-end, the company said the program had distributed more than $800,000 in grants to 816 families.
Shein has also committed to establishing on-site childcare centers at supplier factories.
The facilities, which provide free childcare and learning spaces near workplaces, are intended to reduce financial and time burdens for workers with young children.
As of the end of 2025, 30 centers were operating, serving more than 1,000 children.
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