1 in 4 buying fast-fashion from Temu

Groundbreaking research into fast-fashion buying finds 1-in-4 New Zealanders surveyed had recently purchased from Temu – equating to over 1 million of us shopping at Temu, and a potential 550,000 shopping at Shein.

The survey was undertaken by Horizon Research for Tearfund.

The survey took place in July 2024 with a sample of 1,049 participants, demographically weighted to match the New Zealand adult population. The survey had a maximum margin of error, at a 95% confidence level, of ±3% overall.

Buying new clothes:

Asked: "How many items of new clothing have you purchased for yourself from any of these fashion companies in the past 3 months?" the survey found 28% of respondents had purchased at least 1 item from Temu, and 14% from Shein.

More clothes than we need:

When asked  "Thinking about the number of clothes you personally have; do you think you have more or fewer than you need?", 49% of respondents said they have more (or much more) clothes than they need.

Concern over ethical and envrironmental practices:

Respondents were also asked: "How concerned or unconcerned are you about the ethical or environmental practices of fast-fashion companies?". 53% of respondents said they were concerned (or very concerned). 

Tearfund says it is concerned about the huge number of sales being made by fast fashion companies because:

• “ Our expertise and decade of research tells us that when items are sold this cheap, someone else is often paying the price.  
• “Temu scored 0 and Shein 20 out of 100 in Baptist World Aid’s newly released Ethical Fashion Report. 
• “The best thing we can do as consumers? Help reduce demand and advocate for the Government and large companies to take more responsibility for tackling exploitation."