Fast-fashion retailer Shein has announced plans to significantly increase product safety testing in 2025, targeting 2.5 million tests compared to 2 million conducted in 2024, following warnings from European Union authorities over unsafe products on its platform.

The Chinese-owned company said it will invest $15 million in compliance initiatives this year, representing a 25 per cent increase in testing as it faces potential fines from EU consumer protection authorities.

The announcement comes after the EU's Consumer Protection Co-operation network and European Commission notified Shein on Monday of practices that allegedly infringe EU consumer law, giving the company one month to respond.

Shein, which sells own-brand clothing in 150 countries and operates a marketplace for third-party sellers of toys, gadgets and homeware, has expanded partnerships with 15 internationally-recognised testing agencies including Bureau Veritas, Intertek, QIMA, SGS and TÜV SÜD.

The company has implemented stricter controls on materials used in its products, requiring high-risk fabrics such as polyurethane to pass restricted substances list testing before approval. Since April 2025, all fabrics used in children's apparel must undergo additional chemical and flammability testing.

"Product safety is not an empty promise made to our customers. It is a consistent and sustained effort by Shein, as a responsible global company," said Chris Pan, global head of compliance at Shein. "As the breadth and depth of our product offerings grow, Shein is invested in building systems and partnerships that enhance the company's product compliance protocols."

Shein has also strengthened vendor requirements, mandating documentation submission for electronics, children's products, cosmetics and medical devices. By May 2025, the company will implement additional compliance measures for high-voltage electronic products, including verification of RoHS certification for the EU and FCC certification for the US.

The retailer said it has terminated partnerships with more than 540 sellers who failed to meet compliance requirements since launching its marketplace. Joy Jia, deputy director of SGS China E-commerce Team, said: "Our cooperation with Shein has been deepening year by year, covering quality testing of textiles, toys, and accessories."

The BBC estimates Shein offers around 600,000 different products on any given day, with items shipped directly from factories mostly in China to customers worldwide.

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