Greenpeace Report: Toxic Substances in Shein Clothing Despite Repeated Warnings

New research conducted by Greenpeace casts a shadow on the business model of Shein, the world's largest representative of the ultra-fast fashion industry. Out of 47 tested clothing products purchased in five European countries, including Germany and Switzerland, as many as 15 contained chemical substances in concentrations unacceptable under EU law. The most striking results concern children's clothing and jackets, in which PFAS were detected exceeding standards by over a hundredfold. Greenpeace warns that ignoring chemical regulations has become part of the producer's cost-optimization strategy. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were invented in the 1940s and gained popularity due to their hydrophobic properties. For decades, they have been the subject of scientific debate regarding their accumulation in living organisms, which has led to the tightening of regulations under the EU's REACH regulation. In February 2026, tests were repeated, confirming that Shein had not removed the toxic batches from sale, despite official warning notices sent by environmentalists last year. In women's trousers, phthalates were detected, constituting nearly 20 percent of the product's total weight, while the safety limit is set at 0.1 percent. Shein representatives downplay the issue, claiming the company operates in accordance with local market regulations, but they have not provided evidence of their own quality tests that would challenge the findings of independent laboratories collaborating with Greenpeace. „Unternehmen wie Shein ignorieren die Regeln bewusst, um die Kosten niedrig und das Produktionstempo hoch zu halten. Die Verbraucher zahlen dafür mit ihrer Gesundheit.” (Companies like Shein deliberately ignore the rules to keep costs low and production speed high. Consumers pay for this with their health.) — Manfred Santen This situation intensifies the debate over the future of cheap textile production and the need to introduce stricter penalties for entities outside the EU that flood the European market with millions of cheap courier shipments. Experts point out that without systemic changes in customs control, the fight against toxic clothing will be ineffective. Fast fashion is a clothing production model based on rapidly copying trends from runways and mass-producing low-quality garments. Shein revolutionized this sector by introducing thousands of new designs daily thanks to advanced data analysis algorithms. Due to repeated incidents, consumer organizations and Greenpeace are calling on governments to immediately ban the use of PFAS in the entire textile industry. There are also calls for a revision of procedures for admitting goods from e-commerce platforms for sale within the Community. The lack of response from supervisory bodies could lead to permanent environmental degradation and an increase in lifestyle diseases linked to exposure to chemicals. Shein, despite its global headquarters in Singapore, still operates primarily based on a Chinese supply chain, which makes it difficult to enforce European environmental standards directly with producers.