The environmental organization Greenpeace accuses the Chinese fashion retailer Shein of continuing to sell harmful products in the EU despite appropriate information.
“Shein’s audacity is shocking. In front of the EU Parliament, the company promises to protect consumers – but in reality, Shein simply continues to sell heavily contaminated products,” says Moritz Jäger-Roschko, Greenpeace expert on circular economy. “Shein ignores our warnings and legal limits and condones damage to people and the environment. This behavior is grossly negligent.”
According to Greenpeace, the organization had already informed the Chinese in November 2025 about products contaminated with dangerous chemicals, which were then withdrawn from sale. However, identical or very similar products were still resold, as an analysis by the Bremen Environmental Institute on behalf of Greenpeace showed in January of this year. In 25 of 31 items of clothing tested, limit values of the European Chemicals Regulation were exceeded, sometimes to an extreme extent.
According to Greenpeace, substances have been detected that are associated with diseases such as cancer, reproductive disorders and growth disorders in children as well as a weakening of the immune system.
Shein promises improvement
When asked, Shein did not deny the allegations, but vowed to improve. All products identified in the new report were removed immediately after being informed of the findings, a Shein spokesperson said. They are also carrying out their own tests and have taken measures to improve their own protective measures.
“We are addressing concerns about our processes for handling such cases and recognize that this process highlights areas where our controls can be further strengthened,” the Shein spokesperson continued.
