Greenpeace continues to find even more chemicals in Shein clothing

Shein clothing nonetheless comprises hazardous chemicals in extra of European Union limits, in accordance to a brand new Greenpeace report printed on Thursday.

“Of the 56 garments analysed, 18 contained hazardous chemicals, some of which far exceeded the limits set by EU regulation,” Greenpeace Germany stated in a press release, as soon as once more condemning the fast-fashion trade. The NGO famous that seven merchandise—jackets—exceeded PFAS limits by up to 3,300 instances the EU thresholds underneath REACH. Fourteen merchandise exceeded phthalate limits, together with six by 100 instances or more than the bounds set by REACH.

In clothing bought on the Chinese e-commerce platform Shein, the NGO detected the presence of phthalates (plasticisers) and PFAS, brokers used for water and stain repellency and thought of “forever chemicals”.

These probably poisonous substances have been linked to a variety of sicknesses, together with cancers, reproductive issues and progress impairments in youngsters, in addition to a weakened immune system, the NGO says.

They enter the physique by way of the pores and skin and by way of inhalation of fibres, Greenpeace provides, noting that youngsters’s clothing was additionally examined.

“There is a risk that children put them in their mouths or play with them, or even swallow them…,” defined Ulrike Siemers, director of the Bremen Environmental Institute, which analysed the clothes, in a video posted on the Greenpeace web site.

Through washing, these substances additionally find yourself in rivers, soils and the meals chain.

The NGO had already warned in 2022 in regards to the presence of harmful chemicals in Shein merchandise. At the time, Greenpeace exams recognized seven of the 47 Shein merchandise examined as problematic.

“Shein embodies an unhealthy system of overproduction, greed and pollution of the planet,” accused Moritz Jäger-Roschko of Greenpeace Germany. With 363 million visits a month, Shein.com is the most-visited vogue website in the world, in accordance to the NGO, which factors out that that is more than the mixed visitors to the websites of Nike, Myntra and H&M.

Asked by AFP, the platform stated that, as a “precautionary measure”, it was eradicating from sale worldwide any objects it “can identify”.

Shein issued an identical response on the finish of October, after the German shopper organisation Stiftung Warentest had already warned about harmful substances contained in merchandise bought on the Chinese platforms Temu and Shein, resembling child play mats and jewelry.

In the primary half of 2025, Shein extensively publicised its investments in monitoring its subcontractors. The firm launched a producing restricted substances listing (MRSL) in 2024 and stated it had carried out more than two million exams and excluded 260 of its hundreds of suppliers for non-compliance.

“Our results suggest that these measures are not effective. Shein products still contain hazardous chemicals in excess of EU limits. Some items reported in previous tests reappear in almost identical form, with the same hazardous substances,” Greenpeace defined in its report. “Shein removes individual items once they have been exposed, replacing them with near-identical clones, perhaps even from the same supplier. Given the sheer breadth of its product range and its vast network of suppliers, Shein appears unable to control the chemicals used in the products sold on its platform.”

More than a easy lack of oversight, the NGO argues that the Singapore-based firm is just not essentially structured to meet European necessities.

“The company exploits a loophole in European chemical regulation: as sellers on the platform ship directly to consumers within the EU, Shein can circumvent REACH obligations. The company knows that it risks no real consequences for selling non-compliant products, putting profit before the safety of people and the planet,” asserted Greenpeace.

For a number of months now, Asian on-line gross sales platforms have confronted an offensive from environmental and human-rights associations, European corporations and the authorities, ensuing in investigations, colossal fines and proposed laws to curb their progress.

The European Commission has acknowledged that it’ll suggest laws subsequent yr to treatment these issues.

Last week, EU member states additionally agreed to abolish the responsibility exemption on low-value orders from corporations resembling Shein.

With AFP