2024-10-25 14:21 update: 2024-10-25, 14:24
Photo PAP/EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO
Several Polish universities have terminated their agreements with the fast fashion brand Shein to setup the Chinese retailer's showrooms on their campuses, following student protests against such cooperation.
Shein had previously announced on social media that it planned to open stationary showrooms as part of the 'Shein Cloud Car' tour on university campuses in five Polish cities. They include Warsaw, the southwestern city of Wroclaw, Poznan in the west, and Katowice and Krakow in the south.
The Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan announced on Friday that it did not consent to the opening of a Shein showroom on its campus, following the intervention of students who objected to the organisation of the event in a formal written appeal. In the letter, the students pointed to Shein's unethical practices and urged the university authorities to discontinue cooperation with the brand.
Following the intervention of students at the Jagiellonian University, the showroom in Krakow will also not be set up. "We strongly oppose the activities of companies whose reputation and conduct are inconsistent with ethical standards. Following our reaction, the university authorities made a decision whereby we can officially confirm that the stand will not appear on campus," the Board of the Jagiellonian University Student Government said in a statement.
The authorities of the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice said they also had decided to withdraw the consent granted to the MOVYTZA agency to organise a Shein stand.
This was echoed by the Academy of Physical Education in Wroclaw which wrote on the social media that "the Shein event will not take place on our campus."
Shein only managed to open its showroom on the campus of the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw on October 21.
Meanwhile, Marek Pawelczyk, the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, said that his university received an offer from Shein "to provide paid access to land on its campus, but did not accept it and did not enter into any agreement."
"The University of Technology firmly distances itself from its (the brand's - PAP) practices," he added.
In September, Deputy Minister of Development Ignacy Niemczycki said that products from Chinese sales platforms, randomly tested by Polish business organisations, often did not meet EU standards and should not be placed on the market. At a meeting in Brussels, six EU countries, including Poland, appealed to the European Commission to take action against the Chinese platforms Temu and Shein, which offer goods that do not comply with EU requirements.
Shein is a Chinese clothing retailer that offers affordable clothing. However, the company has been controversial due to its practices, with allegations such as overproduction of clothing, use of cheap labour and introducing products containing harmful substances into circulation.
According to data from Gemius Mediapanel in January 2024, the Shein application and portal had over 6 million real users in Poland. This number places the platform at the forefront of marketplaces used by Polish consumers. (PAP)
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