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.
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 Jul 2024)
Praise
Criticism
Information
PDD Holdings Inc
Praise
Information
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.
6/100 S&P Global ESG Score
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)
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'.
Source: Shop Ethical
(2023)
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.
Source: company website
(2023)
Company Details
Type:
Public company
Founded:
2015
Revenue:
20 billion USD
(2023)
Contact Details
Products / Brands
PDD Holdings
Temu
E-commerce