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Highly criticized for its heavy impact on the environment, the brand of ultra fast fashion Shein is the subject of a new report highlighting the presence of “dangerous chemicals” in some of its clothes. All at levels “exceeding up to 100 times the limits set by the European regulation on chemicals (REACH)”, alert Greenpeace at the origin of this investigation.
The non-governmental organization for the protection of the environment Greenpeace is throwing a new stone in the pond, in a context where fast fashion continues to be singled out for its propensity to encourage overconsumption, and to generate mountains of waste. A new report from Greenpeace Germanycarried out on the basis of tests carried out on around forty items sold by Shein, denounces the presence of “dangerous chemicals” in some of the clothing and accessories offered by the Chinese giant.
Exactly 47 products – clothing and accessories for adults and children – were purchased on the brand’s e-shop in several countries, including Germany and Austria, as well as in a pop-up store installed in Munich, before being analyzed in an independent laboratory. According to the NGO, seven products (15%) contained “hazardous chemicals exceeding the limits set by the European Chemicals Regulation (REACH)“. And no less than fifteen products (32%) contained “dangerous chemicals in worrying quantities”, adds Greenpeace Germany.
“The EU must enforce its environmental and consumer protection laws, including for online traders, and significantly strengthen REACH. Because the chemicals that are potentially carcinogenic in Germany when wearing a textile are even more so for the workers of the Shein factories in China. Hazardous chemicals must be prohibited by law in all textile production“, warns Viola Wohlgemuth, resource protection expert at Greenpeace.
In detail, the report mentions levels of phthalates above 100,000 mg/kg observed in boots and shoes, whereas they should not exceed 1,000 mg/kg according to the limits set by REACH. Greenpeace specifies that exceptional levels of phthalates, up to 685,000 mg/kg, were discovered in black snow boots, i.e. 685 times higher than the limits set by European regulations.
Shein only sells its clothing online, directly to consumers. Based on the concept of fast fashion, the economic model of the Chinese brand goes even further by producing more and less expensively, with some 6,000 new items per day. Targeting 15-25 year olds with items displayed on average around 10 euros, and even less, Shein exploded with the advent of TikTok to reach a turnover of around 16 billion dollars in 2021, against 10 billion dollars in 2020, according to Bloomberg. A model widely criticized for its impact on the environment, as well as for the working conditions imposed on its employees.