With the slogan: “With this product you can protect the planet”, Shein has positioned themselves in that slice of the market dedicated to those who are attentive to environmental protection and protection. But make their products appear more sustainable or services than they actually are a form of deceptive advertising, known as Greenwashing or “facade environmentalism”. An increasingly widespread strategy among companies that aim to conquer consumers attentive to the environment, but who has not gone unnoticed by the Italian authorities.
Shein 1 million euro fines for “vague and misleading” statements “
The Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) has inflicted a 1 million euro fine to the Fast Fashion Shein multinational, accusing it of having released deceptive environmental messages on its site and promotional platforms aimed at the European public. The sanction was inflicted on “Infinite Styles Services Co. Limited”, the company based in Dublin which manages the It.shein.com website and coordinates the online presence of the Shein brand in Europe.
The messages on environmental sustainability and social responsibility on the Shein website ended up in the sights of the AGCM. In some cases, these claims have been considered vague, generic or excessively emphatic, in other cases even omissive and deceptive. An example? The use of “green” fibers is emphasized, without clearly indicating what the substantial environmental benefits of the products are during their entire life cycle and without specifying that this line of product is still marginal compared to the total of the Shein brand products. In detail, the declarations on the use of recycled materials, on the so -called “circular system” to reduce the waste and on the climatic objectives declared by the company, ended in particular in particular. The promise to break down the emissions of 25 percent by 2030, underlines the AGCM, would have been too generic and denied by the data: the greenhouse gas emissions of Shein, in fact, would have grown in 2023 and 2024.
The French antitrust authority also fined Shein
It is not the first time that the Chinese giant of low-cost fashion runs into European penalties. Last July, the French antitrust authority had fined him for 40 million euros, accusing him of deceptive commercial practices on price reductions and environmental commitments. Shein said he accepted the Italian decision, adding that he had already adopted corrective measures after the first disputes received during 2023. “We have strengthened our internal revision processes and improved the website, with the aim of ensuring that all environmental declarations are clear, specific and compliant with current legislation”, is the defense of the multinational.
Immediately after the decision, the applause of consumers with Codacons arrived asking for similar sanctioning measures towards all the companies that deceive consumers. While Altroconsumo explains: “This sanction shows that our complaints were founded. Shein does not just use Dark Pattern to push compulsive purchases, but also mind on the environmental impact”. Only last month, the European Commissioner for Justice, Michael McGrath, expressed his dismay for the toxicity and danger of some products sold by Shein and his competitor Temu.
The sanctions inflicted by the French and Italian competition authorities do not brake the economic growth of the Fast Fashion giant. Only in the first quarter 2025, Shein would have reached a net profit of more than $ 400 million, with a turnover close to $ 10 billion, according to internal sources mentioned by Bloomberg.
