The university accepts the stand of the cheap retailer Shein: criticism rains down

The budget online retailer Shein was able to set up a stand in the OTH area of ​​Regensburg. There was no shortage of criticism from students and university students.

Regensburg – H&M, C&A or ZARA: These fashion chains and many others are best known for designing and distributing collections quickly and in line with trends. According to many NGOs and critics, clothing prices are usually particularly low due to very low production costs and the starvation wages of seamstresses. By definition, this is called fast fashion and it’s not good for the environment.

One of the many online retailers offering this exact model is Shein. The Chinese company supplies low-cost clothing to nearly 200 countries, is particularly popular with influencers and has been criticized for years for its poor sustainability. Shein has now pitched its tents outside the Internet too, as the most recent example in Regensburg demonstrates.

OTH Regensburg allows Shein to stay on its premises: ‘Deplorable mistake’

The online retailer was allowed to set up a stand at the OTH, the Technical University of Eastern Bavaria. But this has caused discontent among students and academics, as a post by the university on Facebook suggests. The university press office confirmed the case when consulted by IPPEN.MEDIA.

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In the post, the university administration apologized for the permission granted for the Shein booth. “This was an unfortunate mistake for which we sincerely apologize,” explains the press office interviewed. Particularly sensitive: the university has addressed the topics of sustainability, climate justice and health and has even anchored them firmly in its development plan. “Shein’s presence on our campus is inconsistent with our core values ​​and standards, particularly regarding sustainability,” he said.

Shein takes sides on the grounds of the OTH in Regensburg: in contradiction with the values ​​of the university

The university actually doesn’t want to provide any information about how the approval came about. He explains simply: “Approval of on-campus activities is usually done by university management and an external booking service provider. Unfortunately, authorization for the Shein stand was granted.”

The consequence of the incident is now to carefully review approval processes in order to prevent similar incidents in the future. Such actions are repeated time and again on university grounds.

After criticism from students and university students: Shein’s campaign canceled prematurely

The Shein booth, where students could download the online retailer’s app and receive a non-food gift in exchange, couldn’t stay until the end. “The campaign ended prematurely. We took action as quickly as possible so that the stand did not remain standing until its originally scheduled end,” explains the university. (ly)

The online retailer Temu was also criticized. The traps for customers hide there.