PDD Holdings
E-commerce
Pinduoduo was founded in China in 2015 and grew quickly to become one of China’s largest online marketplaces. In 2023 the company rebranded to PDD Holdings, creating a parent company for Pinduoduo and Temu, its international e-commerce effort. Starting in September 2022, Temu has launched across North America, Europe and Australasia and is growing rapidly. Most of the products you see on Temu are directly shipped from Chinese suppliers and factories.

Overall

Owned CHN
Rating F
About the Ratings
PDD Holdings Inc
CHN
Tencent Holdings Ltd
owns 15% of PDD Holdings Inc
CHN
Conglomerate
Tencent is mindbogglingly huge, being one the world's largest companies in each and all of the following areas: video games, technology, social media, venture capital and investment.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Apr 2025)
PDD Holdings Inc
Criticism
Forced labour in China
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)
1/20 in Social Benchmark
The 2024 Social Benchmark assesses the world's 2,000 most influential companies on their responsibility in meeting society's fundamental expectations towards three measurement areas: respecting human rights, providing decent work, and acting ethically. This company was assessed in 2023 and received a score of 1/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
0/100 in Ethical Fashion Report
Baptist World Aid Australia's '2024 Ethical Fashion Report' assessed 120 companies on their efforts to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation in their supply chains, as well as protect the environment from the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. Assessment criteria fall into five main categories: policy & governance, tracing & risk, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability. This company ranked in the bottom 20%, with a score of 0/100.
4% in Gender Benchmark
In 2023 and 2024, the World Benchmarking Alliance assessed 2,000 companies on their efforts to drive gender equality and women's empowerment across their entire value chain. Companies are assessed on governance and strategy, representation, compensation and benefits, health and well-being, and violence and harassment. This company scored 4 out of 100. The average score was 15.3 and the highest score was 51.
11.6% in Digital Inclusion Benchmark
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.
Selling counterfeit goods
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)
Malware accusations
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)
Part owned by Tencent, which has criticisms
This company is 15% owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent, which has several criticisms and an overall Shop Ethical rating of 'F'.
Information
Breaching advertising codes
This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2024 Ad Standards upheld complaints about an internet ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The internet ad featured an image of a woman on all fours with her buttocks facing the camera, wearing a g-string swimsuit. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified.
CSR claims
This company has Corporate Social Responsibility claims on its website, particularly in the area of working with farmers to sell their produce through the Pinduoduo platform.
Medium ESG Risk
Sustainalytics, a top ESG research firm, evaluates environmental, social, and governance risks for over 16,000 companies. Its ESG Risk Rating reflects how much risk a company faces in its industry and how well it manages those risks. The final score includes both unmanaged and unmanageable risks, and companies are rated on a scale from negligible (0-10) to severe (40+). This company received an ESG Risk Rating of 29, placing it in the "medium risk" category (retrieved April 2025).
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Company Details

Type:
Public company
Founded:
2015
Revenue:
20 billion USD (2023)

Contact Details

Address:
Shanghai, China
Website:
en.pinduoduo.com/group

Products / Brands

PDD Holdings
Temu E-commerce