Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Shein, the popular online store for fast-fashion products, on Monday over possible unethical labor practices and unsafe products.
The investigation will determine whether Shein violates Texas law through its supply chain and manufacturing practices, use of toxic or hazardous materials, and possibly misleading information provided to consumers on product safety and ethical sourcing. The investigation will also examine the company’s data collection and privacy practices, which may pose risks to millions of consumers.
“Safe, non-toxic material and products are another key ingredient to the Make America Healthy Again movement,” Paxton wrote in a news release. “Any company that cuts corners on labor standards or product safety, especially those operating in foreign nations like China, will be held accountable.
“Texans deserve to know that the companies they buy from are ethical, safe, transparent, and not exploiting workers or selling harmful products. I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to flood America and jeopardize our health.”
Paxton was moved to open the investigation after his office cited several reports that have raised “serious concerns about its reliance on forced labor, the use of unsafe product materials, and deceptive marketing practices.”
The Texas attorney general’s investigation follows the repeated calls of Republican lawmakers to investigate Shein and affiliated Chinese-based fashion conglomerates.
Reuters reviewed a letter written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Monday that urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into Shein and another similar online marketplace, Temu.
“These companies now stock massive inventories in U.S. warehouses and distribution centers,” Cotton wrote. “Their goods are no longer slipping through ports. They are sitting on American soil under U.S. jurisdiction.”
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Cotton’s letter is a renewed effort to open an investigation into the company.
In 2024, Cotton wrote a similar letter to then-President Joe Biden, urging him to open an investigation into the online marketplaces over their alleged misconduct.
“Temu is getting away with intellectual property theft, unfair competition, and use of slave labor by flooding the American market with more than a million packages a week, ” the senator wrote.