PDD Holdings

US lawmakers are warning of an "extremely high risk" that products sold on the Chinese online shopping site Temu have been made with forced labour. The claims arise from an ongoing investigation into compliance with a 2021 US law that bars the import of goods made using forced Uyghur labour. The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors.
Source: BBC (2023)

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 6/100 in the Retailing category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated Nov 18, 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)

The 2023 Digital Inclusion Benchmark ranks 200 companies on their responsibility to advance a more inclusive digital society. The companies were assessed using four measurement areas: access, skills, use and innovation. This company ranked #175/200, with a total score of 11.6/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2023)

Pinduoduo appears on the Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy list, published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The 2022 Notorious Markets List identifies 39 online markets and 33 physical markets that are reported to engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.
Source: USTR (2022)

In a detailed investigation, CNN spoke to half a dozen cybersecurity teams from Asia, Europe and the United States about the presence of malware on the Pinduoduo app that exploited vulnerabilities in Android operating systems. While many apps collect vast troves of user data, sometimes without explicit consent, experts say e-commerce giant Pinduoduo has taken violations of privacy and data security to the next level. It can bypass users' cell phone security to monitor activities on other apps, check notifications, read private messages and change settings.
Source: CNN (2023)

This company is 15% owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent, which has several criticisms and an overall Shop Ethical rating of 'F'.
Source: Shop Ethical (2023)