FALCON POWERS – The results of tests conducted by the Belgian consumer protection organization “Testachats” on children’s clothing and shoes sold on the Shein e-commerce platform have raised serious concerns due to the presence of hazardous substances exceeding limits for children.
During the testing, 25 items of children’s clothing and shoes purchased from the Shein platform were analyzed, and it was found that ten of them contained at least one hazardous substance.
According to Belgian media reports, among these harmful substances discovered, the concentrations of lead and phthalates significantly exceeded the permissible levels under European legislation. According to Joëlle Verreyken, a spokesperson for Testachats, this excess poses a significant risk to children’s health, as these chemicals can cause endocrine disruption and other health issues.
Testachats also pointed out that some other tested items, such as water-resistant jackets, shirts, and swimwear, also contain hazardous substances such as nickel, quinoline, and dimethyl formamide, putting children at risk.
While some of these substances respect the legal limits allowed under European regulations, Testachats considers these rules to be too lenient and in need of more stringency to protect the safety of children. This report comes in the context of growing concerns about consumer safety online, as previous studies have shown similar violations in products sold on other platforms such as AliExpress, Wish, and Amazon.
Based on these results, Testachats calls on the authorities to tighten control over consumer safety and verify the compliance of products sold on e-commerce platforms with European standards. The organization also calls on e-commerce platforms to take responsibility and ensure consumer safety.
