Shein Targets 2.5 Million Safety and Quality Tests—Will This Effort Be Enough for EU?

On Thursday, 29 May 2025, Shein announced that it will ramp up its efforts to test the safety and quality of its product. This new initiative followed the European Union's warning against the fast-fashion retailer.

Recently, the EU officials urged Shein to comply with Europe's consumer protection laws. But, will the retail giant's new effort be enough to satisfy the EU's concerns?

Shein to Conduct Millions of Safety and Quality Tests

To address the EU's concerns regarding dangerous and unsafe products sold online, Shein said it will test the quality and safety of 2.5 million products. This is higher compared to the quality and safety tests it conducted in 2024, which were only 2 million.

To make this possible, the retail giant is ready to spend £11 million ($15 million) on compliance initiatives. This could be a huge move since Shein gets most of its supplies from Chinese factories. Aside from its own-branded clothes, the fast-fashion firm also has a marketplace for sellers of gadgets, toys, and homeware, serving 150 countries.

This May, the EU's CPC (Consumer Protection Co-operation) warned Shein that its retail practices violate Europe's consumer law. To avoid fines, the EU network gave the fast-fashion firm one month to respond to the accusations against it, as reported by Reuters.

EU Accuses Shein of Violating Laws

In February, the European Commission warned Shein and Chinese online marketplace Temu, saying that they would be fined for selling unsafe and dangerous products.

'Under certain conditions, marketplaces can also be held liable for the sale of non-compliant or dangerous products. They are exempted from liability for the illegal behaviour of the sellers, but subject to certain conditions,' said the EU.

The Commission explained that the cheap, unsafe products imported by Temu and Shein create unfair competition, which affects EU sellers who are strictly following EU rules.

Aside from tons of cheap products, Shein is also accused of the following:

• Pressuring consumers to make complete purchases through false purchase deadlines and other deceiving tactics.
• Offering fake discounts by showing price reductions that aren't really based on the original prices.
• Displaying misleading or incomplete information about consumer legal rights, such as returning goods and refunds.
• Using deceptive product labels, such as special features that are really required by law.
• Providing deceptive sustainability benefits of products.
• Hiding contact details so consumers can't easily reach Shein for complaints.

EU's CPC said that if Shein fails to address the mentioned concerns, national authorities will enforce strict measures to ensure compliance.