In today’s bustling digital marketplace, where convenience meets temptation, liesTemu, an online shopping platform promising jaw-dropping deals. In a slew of multimillion-dollar Super Bowl ads, the app touted the catchphrase “shop like a billionaire.” Behind the excitement of celebrity romances and back-to-back Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victories, this China-based marketplace is infiltrating American life right before our eyes.
Tragically, people are buying what Temu is selling. Last year, Temu was named thetop free appin the United States. Similar to fast fashion giant Shein, Temu’s low prices cater to a culture of instant gratification and overindulgence. Disturbingly, the House Select Committee on China found that30% of packagesthat entered the U.S. in 2022 were from either Temu or Shein.
Unfortunately, their popularity is just the beginning of what these two platforms have in common. Fast fashion devours resources and spits out garments at breakneck speed. Temu, with its lightning-fast turnover, fuels this cycle. The allure of cheap clothes blinds many to the environmental toll: excessive water usage, toxic dyes, microplastics, and mountains of discarded textiles. Thefashion industry is responsiblefor approximately 10% of global carbon emissions, with textile dyeing being the second largest polluter of clean water globally.
All of this is a high price to pay for products that end up in landfills just as quickly as they end up in our shopping carts. Beyond the visible environmental impact lies another hidden health danger: chemicals.Reports reveal elevated levels of lead, PFAS, and phthalates in fast fashion items. Temu’s products, like those of its peers, harbor these toxins. In fact, Health Canada revealed that a Shein children’s jacket containedmore than 20 timesthe allowable amount of lead for children’s products. Beneath the allure of a $1 necklace is the true price we pay for affordability: our health.
With Temu touting such low prices, some may wonder how the company could even afford $15 million in Super Bowl spots. The answer is as simple as it is evil: forced labor.
While Temu has dismissed concerns that it uses forced or child labor, there’sevidencethat its operations in theXinjiangregion of China take advantage of the oppressedUyghurminority.With no mechanism to ensure compliance with theUyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Temu’s parent company, PDD Holdings, dances on the edge of compliance, relying on a dubious system to monitor suppliers.
Although less important than the human rights violations, the shopping experience that Temu promises also doesn’t actually exist. A 2022Timearticle showed Temu has been reported to the Better Business Bureau 30 times for incorrect products, canceled orders, and delayed shipping. Temu is not accredited by the BBB, and the pictures advertised often are not what show up on the doorstep.Very few legitimate companiespartner with Temu — those dirt-cheap AirPod duplicates are in no way affiliated with Apple.
Finally, Temu’s hunger extends beyond the consumer’s wallet. The app collects personal data — including name, address, phone number, and even social media profiles. It peers into the phone’s operating system, IP address, browsing history, and more. Temu’s permissions read like a dystopian novel, and we sacrifice our privacy for cheap convenience items.
The U.S. must be a thought leader on the world stage, and we are failing to do that if we’re actively legitimizing businesses that violate not only our core principles but our laws. The Chinese Communist Party is a malevolent actor on a variety of fronts —frombuying American farmlandto stealingintellectual propertyto settingdeceptive environmental goalsto dominating manufacturing withimmoral practices.
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Allowing CCP-affiliated companies to dominate U.S. marketplaces is a grave mistake for our people and our planet. The race for cheaper, faster products is making our society more wasteful and glosses over the harmful effects of this type of commerce.
The future of online shopping cannot continue to be dominated by insidious actors such as the CCP. The U.S. and our allies must stand up to poor business practices and the blatant lack of concern for people and the environment we call home. In 2024, we have the resources to produce products with high labor and environmental standards. There’s no reason for us to outsource these services to an enemy.
Danielle Butcher Franz is the CEO of the American Conservation Coalition. Follow her on X@DanielleBFranz.
