“Five times too much lead.” Children’s shoes deemed toxic are being removed from the Shane website

Shane has had his share of bad publicity for several weeks. While environmental organization Stand.Earth’s recent Clean Energy Close Up 2024 report showed that Shane emitted more CO2 than Paraguay, a new investigation has embarrassed the Chinese company. Under the leadership of “Testachats” consumer protection association, 25 children’s clothes and shoes were tested for quality. We learned that out of 10 items tested, “at least one hazardous substance was found” and that the concentrations “well exceeded the levels allowed by European legislation” for a single pair of shoes. According to RTBF , Shane contacted Testachats to ask for details on their investigation before removing the shoes in question from his website pending an internal investigation.

Among the substances found in products tested by the association, we find endocrine disruptors including phthalates, a number of allergens such as nickel, and irritants such as dimethylformamide, quinoline and nonylphenol ethoxylates. “The latter are especially harmful to aquatic organisms, but over time they break down into another substance that disrupts the endocrine system,” the report of “Testachats” states.

“Totally irresponsible”

The investigation adds that the mentioned harmful substances significantly exceed the permitted amount. “Five times too much lead and a hundred times too much phthalates,” Testachats spokeswoman Julie Frere condemned, before adding that it was “completely irresponsible to offer such a product on the European market”. For this reason, the organization calls for the strengthening of the European REACH regulation (the abbreviation used to denote the Regulation for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemical Substances and the Restrictions Applied to Those Substances Editor’s Note;), particularly related to endocrine disruptors, which may have consequences for children’s health.

In accordance with our security protocols, we have immediately removed the product from sale while we conduct an internal investigation

Shane:

Pursuing natural…

While Shane insists he’s taking the matter “very seriously,” it’s not the first time he’s been the target of this type of investigation. In November 2022, it was the NGO Greenpeace that accused the Chinese giant of violating European regulations by using chemicals in its products that are as dangerous to health as they are to the environment. The report found that 15% of the products tested contained chemicals higher than those allowed at the European level. To curb the problem, the National Assembly on March 14 passed a first reading of measures to punish fast fashion, making France “the first country in the world to legislate to limit the excesses of fast fashion,” welcomed Environment Minister Christophe Bechu. Transition.