Temu Joins Australia's Safety Pledge After Child Burn Incident Sparks Recall

Chinese online retailer Temu will collaborate with Australia's consumer watchdog to sign a voluntary product safety pledge, which will bring the company on the same platform as other market giants such as Amazon, AliExpress, and eBay Australia.

Temu's decision to join the pledge stemmed from a disturbing incident involving an 8-year-old Queensland girl, who suffered severe burns while wearing a Temu-sold jumper that lacked the safety warnings, News.com.au reported.

Temu announced that the incident prompted a recall of its products to enact tighter safety measures. The safety pledge, a voluntary agreement among major retailers, outlines stricter product safety protocols and response guidelines.

However, consumer advocacy groups believe that instead of a voluntary agreement, the product should be made illegal in order to provide stronger protection for consumers.

Following the incident, Temu said it enforced stricter safety checks and a specific product was pulled from the store. However, it didn't give a clear idea of the exact number of products that were pulled from the store.

"We enforce these standards through a system of quality control measures, which include requiring relevant documentation, regular spot checks, continuous monitoring, and a reporting channel for the public," the spokesperson said.

"Products found or suspected to be non-compliant are swiftly removed, and merchants are held accountable through measures including warnings, penalties, product delisting, and account closure."

'The ACCC has been approached by Temu about the pledge. We are seeking further information on their approach to ensuring that products supplied through their platform to Australian consumers are safe,' a spokesperson for the ACCC said.

Temu had earlier vowed to maintain the safety protocols in Canada and South Korea in 2024. However, the company had to withdraw its operations in Vietnam over multiple concerns, including aggressive discounting and failure to register its business.

However, Temu's founder Colin Huang still acquired considerable wealth, which earned him the title of China's richest person last year.