More shoppers have been calling out fast-fashion giants like Shein due to ethical concerns, including forced labor, environmental impacts, and product safety issues.
The latter was brought to the attention of a Shein fan when they came across a study that found some articles of clothing from the company contained high levels of lead.
What happened?
In a post in the r/Shein subreddit, the shopper explained that they are a self-proclaimed "super fan" of the company, but their opinion quickly changed after stumbling upon research by CBC Marketplace — a Canadian investigative consumer program — that discovered elevated lead levels in several items.
Scientists from the University of Toronto analyzed 38 samples of clothing and accessories sold by Shein and found that 20% contained concerning amounts of lead, PFAS (forever chemicals), and phthalates.
"People should be shocked," Miriam Diamond, an environmental chemist and professor at the UofT, who oversaw the lab testing, told CBC.
"I'm scared now, I don't know what to do with my SHEIN clothes and apparently just washing them does nothing," the OP said in the post.
"This is super concerning and definitely worth looking more into! lead poisoning is no joke," one person commented.
"To be honest what do you expect from such an extreme form of fast fashion?" another said.
Someone else clarified the findings, writing, "It's about 2 products, a toddler's jacket and a purse that SHEIN pulled after these reports." The study found that the jacket had 20 times the allowable limit of lead, and the purse contained "more than five times the threshold," according to CBC.
Why is lead in Shein clothing concerning?
While CBC stated that Shein stopped selling the purse and jacket and demanded that the supplier fix the issue, it's still concerning that the items were made available on the app without adequate testing. Lead exposure poses risks to both consumers and workers, as it can cause headaches, gastrointestinal problems, developmental delays, and even cancer in the long term.
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Set strict regulations 🚫 "If the final product isn't safe for me, it's definitely not safe for the workers that are handling these chemicals to make it," Diamond said.
Fast-fashion giants such as Shein have already come under scrutiny for their exploitative labor practices, low-quality clothing that deteriorates after just a few washes, and the significant environmental impact. According to Earth.org, the fast fashion industry produces around 100 billion articles of clothing annually, and roughly 101 million tons end up in landfills.
While some used clothing is shipped to countries such as Ghana, where it's intended to be sold as secondhand clothing, around 40% of these imports are not in good enough condition for resale, per AP News. And since poorer nations often lack adequate recycling facilities, much of this clothing is discarded in informal trash dumps and burned, polluting the environment and creating hazardous conditions for nearby communities.
What's being done to hold fast-fashion giants accountable?
As awareness grows about the poor quality of many fast-fashion items, more research is being done to identify harmful chemicals in products sold by retailers such as Shein. A recent investigation by South Korean authorities revealed that several Shein and Temu products, including sandals, caps, and nail polish, contained shockingly high levels of phthalates, lead, and dioxane.
While fast-fashion retailers should adopt better standards to ensure their products are safe for people to wear, consumers can save money and help the planet by shopping at thrift stores or even patching up old clothes if they don't need serious repairs. With so many options for high-quality, sustainable clothing nowadays, it's easier than ever to turn down fast fashion without breaking the bank.
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