Greenpeace accuses Shein of selling contaminated products in EU

The environmental organisation Greenpeace has accused Chinese fashion retailer Shein of continuing to sell harmful products in the EU despite warnings.

“Shein's audacity is shocking. The company promises to protect consumers before the EU Parliament, yet in reality, it continues to sell heavily contaminated products,” said Moritz Jäger-Roschko, a Greenpeace expert on the circular economy. “Shein is ignoring our warnings and legal limits, willingly accepting the damage to people and the environment. This behaviour is grossly negligent.”

According to Greenpeace, the organisation alerted the Chinese company to products contaminated with hazardous chemicals back in November 2025. These items were subsequently withdrawn from sale. However, an analysis by the Bremen Environmental Institute, commissioned by Greenpeace in January this year, revealed that identical or very similar products were still being sold. The study found that 25 out of 31 tested garments exceeded the limits of the European chemicals regulation, some to an extreme extent.

Greenpeace stated that substances were detected which are linked to illnesses such as cancer; reproductive and developmental disorders in children; and a weakening of the immune system.

Shein vows to improve

When asked, Shein did not deny the allegations, instead vowing to improve. A spokesperson for Shein stated that all products identified in the new report were immediately removed after the company was informed of the findings. The company is also conducting its own tests and has initiated measures to improve its safety protocols.

“We are addressing the concerns regarding our processes for handling such cases and acknowledge that this incident highlights areas where our controls can be further strengthened,” the Shein spokesperson continued.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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