According to the international environmental organization GreenPeace, recent chemical management investigations have revealed the frequent presence of excessive chemical substances in randomly selected products from a rapidly growing fast fashion brand. These chemicals pose risks to consumer health and indicate a disregard for environmental and social responsibility.

The European environmental organization is calling for stronger enforcement measures.

■ Fast fashion giants are violating EU chemical regulations.

The investigation team randomly purchased 47 items from the brand's official website and offline stores across several Western European countries. These items included clothing and shoes for men, women, and infants. Testing revealed that 15% of the products not only contained harmful chemicals but also exceeded the regulatory limits set by the EU. For instance, some shoes contained excessive levels of phthalates, and certain children's dresses had high levels of formaldehyde. These findings violate EU environmental regulations on chemical management, and according to EU regulations, the brand may face penalties, product recalls, or even bans. This could result in significant economic losses and damage to the brand's reputation in the market.

The production model has fundamental flaws.

■ Safety in fast fashion deserves attention.

The business model of fast fashion relies on offering inexpensive and quickly updated products. The fast production and consumption cycle stimulates frequent turnover and fast-paced consumption, ensuring economic benefits throughout the supply chain. However, this approach often neglects the potential environmental and health consequences. The constant production and promotion of fast fashion garments that are quickly discarded after a short-lived trend may seem cost-effective and trendy on the surface, but it carries significant environmental costs and long-term, difficult-to-measure impacts on human health.

According to data from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a significant amount of petroleum is used each year to produce synthetic fibers commonly used in fast fashion, such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, and spandex. These fabrics offer desirable properties like elasticity, wrinkle resistance, and water repellency, but their production requires a considerable amount of energy and they are not easily biodegradable. The waste generated from their production, as well as the release of toxic substances, can contaminate soil, groundwater, and landfills, posing a threat to the ecological environment.

As the fast fashion industry expands its reach, it may mean that products that do not comply with chemical management laws and regulations are being delivered to unsuspecting consumers who place their trust in these brands. In 2021, environmental chemists at the University of Toronto conducted tests on infant clothing from certain fast fashion brands and found that the lead content was nearly 20 times higher than the safe levels set by the Canadian Department of Health. Lead can cause detrimental health effects on the brain, heart, kidneys, and reproductive system.

——Miriam Diamond（Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Toronto）

"The use of hazardous chemicals is fundamental to the fast fashion business model, which is in direct contrast to a sustainable and environmentally friendly economic model. The presence of garments containing hazardous chemicals saturates the European market, posing risks to consumer health and violating relevant regulations. It is necessary to establish binding legislation to prevent this."

——Viola Wohlgemuth（Greenpeace is an advocate for toxic substances and the circular economy）