Recently, global fast-fashion giant Shein has once again come under fire. In addition to accusations from consumers that its products frequently contain toxic chemicals, leading to allergic reactions and even more severe health issues, the French antitrust authority has fined the company 40 million euros, uncovering its business tactics of “false discounts”. As Shein’s extreme “ultra-fast fashion” model faces multiple challenges in terms of environmental concerns, health, and business ethics, the company is entering a deep crisis of trust.
One customer’s firsthand experience after trying on a Shein dress speaks volumes. “Yesterday, I tried on a Shein dress and then had an allergic reaction. I had to go to the hospital. It was terrible!” This incident sheds light on the potential health hazards hidden in Shein’s clothing.
In recent years, despite its rapid global popularity due to extremely low prices, with annual revenue reaching $30 billion in 2022, the China-based online fast fashion retail giant, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Singapore, has faced persistent accusations of “toxic clothing” behind its rapid expansion.
From Europe to North America, consumer videos on social media are filled with allegations of the toxicity of Shein clothing: wearing their products has led to itching, red marks on the neck, widespread rashes, and even spots appearing on the body, among other allergic reactions. 24-year-old French student Nori Charles is a case in point. She purchased a Shein dress for only 10 euros, and after wearing it overnight, she developed large spots on her back, diagnosed by a dermatologist as due to excessive lead content in the garment. This “hellish life” experience has raised significant doubts among consumers about the safety of Shein products.
While renowned global fashion brands like Zara, H&M, Levi’s, Mango, Uniqlo, and Temu have faced criticism for clothing containing harmful chemicals, the French newspaper Liberation points out that Shein is particularly concerning in several aspects: its clothing contains significant amounts of toxic substances, production speed is extremely fast and uncontrolled, lacks transparency entirely, and its social and environmental practices are highly controversial.
Frejof Michaelson, the head of public relations at the French consumer association UFC-Que Choisir, expressed helplessness, highlighting a larger regulatory dilemma. Customs authorities are simply unable to control the tens of millions of products passing through Europe annually, indicating that current regulatory frameworks are inadequate. He urged the European Union to hold platforms accountable for product safety.
He believes that the current regulatory frameworks are inadequate. “There is a lack of platform regulation. The EU should propose a new framework that holds platforms accountable for product safety.”
Shein’s products, like those of other fast-fashion brands, are mostly made of plastic fibers such as polyester and nylon, making them of poor quality and easily damaged, considered disposable consumables that can be quickly discarded.
In 2022, an independent study by Greenpeace Germany confirmed these concerns. They purchased 47 samples from Shein’s European website, and found that 7 (15%) of the items contained harmful chemicals exceeding EU standards, with 5 exceeding the limits by over 100%. Specifically, high levels of phthalates (plasticizers) were detected in shoes, and formaldehyde, a carcinogen, was found in girls’ dresses, both exceeding EU regulations. Moritz Jäger-Roschko, an activist from German Greenpeace, lamented that Shein had failed to follow recommendations to join the international ZDHC initiative that encourages the fashion industry to eliminate harmful chemicals.
Apart from product safety issues, Shein’s pricing strategy has also been a frequent source of controversy.
In 2024, French parliamentarians proposed imposing fines on fast-fashion brands of up to 50% of the item’s highest selling price to curb excessive consumption and environmental pollution caused by launching thousands of new products daily. After nearly a year-long investigation, the French antitrust authority recently levied a record 40 million-euro fine on Infinite Style E-Commerce Co., Ltd., responsible for Shein’s brand sales, for “deceptive business practices”, including misleading discounts. The company has accepted the penalty.
According to reports from the French consumer protection and competition oversight authorities cited by Reuters, Shein misled consumers regarding discount information, violating French regulations that require reference prices to be the lowest within 30 days before the discount. The investigation found that Shein engaged in practices of initially raising prices before introducing discounts, leading to 11% of the so-called discount promotions actually being price increases, 57% having no price reduction, and 19% showing discounts that were not as significant as advertised. This practice of “big discounts and continuous promotions” effectively plays on consumers’ impulse to find bargains, leading them to believe they are getting huge discounts.
Since entering the French market in 2015, Shein’s astonishing growth has made it a typical representative of the downside of “ultra-fast fashion”. Apart from product safety and their business tactics, the considerable pollution the company generates for the environment has also faced widespread criticism from all sectors.
Although Shein claims in its advertisements to use recycled sustainable materials, the reality is far from its promotional claims. Statistics show that nearly 60% of Shein’s women’s wear items are made of polyester fibers, with only 237 out of a total of 55,000 women’s wear items using recycled polyester fibers. Additionally, a significant portion of the raw materials for products come from petroleum-derived sources such as nylon and acrylic.
What’s more concerning is the amount of oil consumed by the global fashion industry is equivalent to Spain’s annual usage. Garments made of polyester fibers release microplastics during the washing process, accounting for 35% of ocean microplastic pollution. Shein mass produces cheap disposable clothing that tends to deteriorate after a few months of use. Due to their low cost, the expense of returning such items to circulation might even exceed the cost, leading to a likelihood that most returned items end up in landfills directly, exacerbating resource waste and land pollution.
Shein introduces approximately 6,000 new designs daily, with each kilogram of clothing fibers requiring 100 to 150 liters of water. This means that nearly 150,000 liters of water are used daily for producing clothing, only to end up as garments that will be discarded into landfills months later. In April 2022, a joint investigation by a Chinese research team and Greenpeace organizations in Africa and Germany revealed that the handling methods used by most fast fashion companies for the production of cheap clothing impact negatively on the environment, including burning with open flames, dumping along riverbanks, or being discharged into the sea, posing grave risks to the environment and human health.
Apart from the above controversies, Shein has also been criticized for poor labor conditions and copying designs from independent designers.
This fast fashion giant, which has dominated the market by offering extremely low prices and constantly updated styles, has now become the focus of global consumers, government agencies, and environmental organizations, facing a difficult road ahead.