PDD Holdings Inc. (Temu) — Ethics Grade F

PDD Holdings Inc. (Temu) receives an overall ethics grade of F (12/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Technology. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 5
• privacy: 10
• consumer: 20
• environment: 15
• humanRights: 10

Documented incidents (3)

• Uyghur Forced Labor Concerns (high, 2023) — A US Congressional report found Temu does not have a system to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, posing a high risk of forced labor in its supply chains. The company operates without the same audit requirements as traditional retailers.
• Pinduoduo Malware Discovery (high, 2023) — Google suspended Temu's sister app Pinduoduo after versions of the software were found to contain sophisticated malware that could bypass user security settings and monitor other apps. Analysts raised concerns that Temu shares similar data collection frameworks.
• Toxic Chemicals in Products (high, 2024) — South Korean authorities found that several children's items and clothing sold on Temu contained toxic substances and lead exceeding legal limits by over 200 times. The company lack oversight for third-party sellers on the platform.

Documented good deeds

• Smart Agriculture Competition — The parent company PDD Holdings launched initiatives to digitize Chinese farming, helping small farmers reach a wider market through technology.

Ethical alternatives

• ThredUp — Second-hand marketplace that reduces manufacturing waste through circular economy.