Ultra-Fast-Fashion from Shein and Temu: Up to 4,000 Times More Environmental Toxins Than Allowed
Regarding the toxins, according to the announcement on Wednesday, seven products have massively exceeded several legal limits. These include forever chemicals (PFAS), plasticizers (phthalates), and heavy metals (lead). PFAS are long-lasting, toxic, accumulate in the body, and are potentially harmful to reproduction. Plasticizers, in turn, act like hormones and can also impair reproductive ability, it was said. PFAS were detected in four out of 20 clothing items. In the women's windbreaker from Temu, the limit was exceeded by 4,154 times. Three tested pairs of shoes contain significant amounts of plasticizers. The shoes from Shein also contain lead, according to the report.
Shein and Temu: 85 Percent of Examined Items Made of Plastic
The environmental NGO and AK Upper Austria also pointed out that the total of 20 ultra-fast-fashion objects mainly consist of plastic, which then causes an increasing waste problem in the destination country Austria. "Ultra-fast-fashion is polluting our planet, heating the earth, and making people sick," said Anna Leitner, resource spokesperson for Global 2000, regarding the overall issue with fast fashion. The material itself: 85 percent of the examined items are made of PVC, polyester, spandex, or ethylene-vinyl acetate and are therefore petroleum products. With every wash and also during disposal, microplastics are created, which accumulate in the environment and humans.
The waste mountain is certainly in constant growth, especially in Austria. According to the information, around 23 kilograms of clothing end up in the trash per year - almost twice as much as the EU average. Additionally, the production of textiles requires extremely many resources. A high consumption of water and energy, the use of bleaching agents, or the use of monocultures and pesticides were mentioned. Therefore, clothing should actually be used as long as possible to protect the environment and not waste valuable resources: "The government must quickly put an end to this dangerous trend and ban disposable fashion," Leitner demanded. The only effective solution against the textile waste flood is to reduce the production of clothing. An anti-fast-fashion law should include measures against overproduction, a ban on advertising on social media, and the reduction of duty-free limits, it was finally demanded.
(APA/Red.)
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