Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday announced an investigation into Shein and whether the fast-fashion retailer violated state laws related to unethical labor practices and the sale of unsafe consumer products.
Paxton said that the investigation into Shein will determine whether the retailer’s supply chain and manufacturing practices violate Texas state laws about the use of toxic and hazardous materials, mislead consumers about product safety and mislead consumers about ethical sourcing.
It also plans to examine Shein’s data collection and privacy practices, which the attorney general’s office said could pose risks to millions of American consumers.
“Safe, non-toxic material and products are another key ingredient to the Make America Healthy Again movement,” Paxton said. “Any company that cuts corners on labor standards or product safety, especially those operating in foreign nations like China, will be held accountable.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the investigation into Shein. (Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)
“Texans deserve to know that the companies they buy from are ethical, safe, transparent, and not exploiting workers or selling harmful products,” he added. “I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to flood America and jeopardize our health.”
Paxton’s investigation of Shein comes after France’s consumer fraud agency found child-like sex dolls and illegal weapons available for sale on the retailer’s online platform.
Shein is a popular global fast-fashion retailer. (Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images)
France has sought to suspend Shein from doing business in the country for three months, and the European Commission has requested information from the company to determine whether it posed a “systemic risk” to European consumers.
Shein has said it banned sales of the sex dolls globally, and was cooperating with the European Commission’s request.
Shein is an online retailer but has experimented with brick-and-mortar pop-up stores. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Shein was founded in China and sources most of its products from the country, where it has several thousand suppliers, though it is headquartered in Singapore.
Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate and is expected to challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
The attorney general has investigated or sued several well-known companies over their marketing practices this year, including Procter & Gamble, Bristol Myers Squibb and Tylenol-maker Kenvue.
Reuters contributed to this report.