By Charlie Sawyer
Published May 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reading time: 2 minutes
While SHEIN’s previous persecution has predominantly come from netizens and slow fashion activists, the company is now facing serious heat from a much higher power.
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Shein is in the firing line once again—a shock to absolutely no-one. According to multiple reportsthe fast fashion brand is being investigated by the European Union (EU) after the international body accused the company of deceiving customers with “fake discounts and misleading information.” Currently, the EU is threatening to impose fines on SHEIN in a month if the brand doesn’t show real change and proactivity in regards to amending these issues.
From highly deceptive influencer brand trips in an attempt to rebrand its image, to ethical violations that are so vast it would be hard to dissect them all in one single article, Shein is a notoriously problematic company.
I feel like people don’t know a big reason I hate Shein is that they literally stole my photo, put It on a shirt, and never told me until It was brought to my attention. To avoid issues they paid me and removed the shirt. They literally steal the designs and faces of black ppl pic.twitter.com/Cjv2jViVoJ
– Aerin (@fromaerin) February 18, 2024
shein was found to have over 18x the allotted amount of lead in their clothing. lead exposure can lead to mood disorders, reduced sperm count/abnormal sperm activity, & even miscarriage/stillbirth in pregnant women
– Canla (@shinaamari) August 14, 2022
@twinscott Shein and Temu are breaking records for the levels of toxic substances found in their items #shein #ago #fastfashion #toxic
However, while the brand’s previous persecution has predominantly come from netizens and slow fashion activists, the company is now facing serious heat from a much higher power.
Indeed, given the fact that public criticism doesn’t actually seem to be having any kind of impact on the China-based brand’s success, it’s about time a stronger force took charge.
According to the BBCthe European Commission has asserted that SHEIN is currently in breach of EU law. Specifically, the enforcer found “a broad range of practices with which consumers are confronted while shopping on Shein that are in breach of EU law.”
As previously mentioned, these breaches include misleading information (particularly in relation to sustainability practices), and deceptive product labels.
We are calling on SHEIN to respect EU consumer laws:
⚠️ Fake discounts
⚠️ Pressure tactics
⚠️ Misleading sustainability claims
⚠️ Deceptive product labels
⚠️ Hidden contact info
⚠️Deceptive product labels
⚠️Misleading reviews🕐 SHEIN has 1 month to reply#consumerProtection
— EU Consumer Affairs (@EU_Consumer) May 26, 2025
EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath told the BBC: “It’s now for Shein to step up, respect the rules and bring its practices fully in line with EU consumer standards.”
“All companies reaching out to EU consumers must play by our rules. Today’s action sends a clear message: we will not shy away from holding e-commerce platforms to account, regardless of where they are based,” McGrath continued.
EU consumer protection laws are not optional – they must be applied in all cases.
We will not shy away from holding e-commerce platforms to account.
It’s for @SHEIN_Official to step up and bring its practices fully in line with 🇪🇺 consumer standards.
— Michael McGrath (@EUCssrMcGrath) May 26, 2025
A statement from the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC), an international network tasked with protecting consumers’ interests in the EU, read: “If Shein fails to address the concerns raised by the CPC Network, national authorities can take enforcement measures to ensure compliance. This includes the possibility to impose fines based on Shein’s annual turnover in the EU Member States concerned.”
It was only a few months ago, in January 2025, that the BBC released a scathing report on SHEIN, one that exposed the brutal working conditions for its employees working in factories in China.
The workforce who were interviewed by the news outlet revealed that they typically would work 75 hour weeks, all in a bid to increase their earnings—an issue that can be directly linked to their horrifically low wages.
It’s yet to be determined whether or not SHEIN will fully comply with the EU’s demands. The fact that the fast fashion brand has managed to dodge accountability for so long makes it hard to believe that it will now be jumping in anticipation to make positive changes. However, if it doesn’t, this very well could be the end of one of the biggest strongholds in the e-commerce industry.
A month isn’t a very long time to undo years of problems.
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