Ministry takes action: Bad news for those shopping on Temu

Berke İçten, President of the Turkish Footwear Industrialists Association, announced that laboratory analyses of sample shoes purchased from Temu revealed that 50 percent contained carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals. İçten stated that they shared these findings with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, emphasizing that the products pose serious risks to consumers. İçten also stated that Minister Bolat gave a message that regulations would be implemented shortly.

DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN SHOES

İçten pointed out that products arriving from Temu do not pass through safety and inspection systems in Turkey. He stated that 8 million pairs of shoes were imported into Turkey via Temu in 2024, and this figure exceeded 10 percent of total imports. He said this situation led to the closure of 200 medium-sized footwear manufacturers. It was also announced that Temu generates approximately 200 million dollars in annual revenue from Turkey through shoe sales alone.

ECONOMIC BURDEN OF FOREIGN E-COMMERCE

The impact of foreign e-commerce sites on the Turkish economy is steadily increasing. Last year, the turnover of these platforms was recorded at 43 billion liras, and this figure is expected to reach 83 billion liras in 2025. According to a report by the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), foreign-origin sites could cause a value-added loss of 500 billion liras in Turkey this year.

STATEMENT FROM TEMU

The following statement was made by TEMU regarding the matter:

"Consumer safety is the top priority for Temu. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the markets where we operate, and we expect the same from our third-party sellers.

All sellers undergo a review process and must confirm compliance with relevant product safety and regulatory standards. We review and continuously monitor product listings. We take corrective measures, including product removal, when necessary.

Additionally, we work with world-renowned testing and certification partners such as Eurofins, TÜV SÜD, TÜV Rheinland, SGS, and Bureau Veritas to ensure that products meet local regulatory and quality requirements."

News Source: 12punto