Italian authorities have fined Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein €1m (£870,000) for making misleading environmental claims about its products, marking the second European regulatory action against the company in as many months.
Italy's competition authority, AGCM, said that environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein's website were in some cases “vague, generic, and/or overly emphatic” and in others “misleading or omissive”. The regulator criticised the company's “evoluSHEIN” roadmap, which includes pillars such as “Collective Resilience (Planet)” and “Waste-Less Innovation (Process)”.
AGCM found that claims about product circularity and recycling were “false or at least confusing”, while assertions that products from the “evoluSHEIN by Design” collection were more sustainable were “overstated”. The regulator noted that such claims could lead consumers to believe the collection is made solely from sustainable materials and that products are fully recyclable, which “does not reflect reality” given the fibres used and current recycling systems.
The fine was imposed on Infinite Styles Services Co Ltd, a Dublin-based company operating Shein's European website. In response, Shein stated it had cooperated fully with AGCM and taken immediate action to address concerns, strengthening internal review processes and improving its website to ensure all environmental claims are clear and compliant.
The Italian penalty follows a €40m fine from French regulators in July for deceptive commercial practices, including misleading discounts and unsubstantiated environmental claims. Last month, EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath expressed shock at the toxicity and dangers of some goods sold by Shein and competitor Temu.
