Green clothing? Shein is deceiving everyone: Italy fines her €1 million.

Not even a month has passed since the French Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (DGC) imposed a €40 million fine on Shein for deceiving consumers about discounts and environmental commitments (the highest fine ever imposed in the country for unfair commercial practices). The fast fashion giant was also punished in Italy by the Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato) , with a €1 million fine.

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined Infinite Styles Services , a Dublin-based company that manages the Shein product buying and selling sites in Europe, “for the use of misleading and omissive environmental messages and assertions ( green claims ) in the promotion and sale of Shein branded clothing products,” reads the text from the Guarantor (the full document HERE ).

The fast and superfast fashion brand, according to the Authority, "used a misleading communication strategy regarding the characteristics and environmental impact of its clothing products." Specifically, through its website and other informational and promotional online pages, Shein allegedly disseminated environmental claims in the #sheintheknow, "evolushein," and "Social Responsibility" sections. These claims were sometimes vague, generic, and overly emphatic, while in other cases they were omitted and misleading, the Authority explains.

In assessing the unfairness of Shein's conduct, the Authority highlighted the increased duty of care incumbent on the company because it operates in a highly polluting sector and with highly polluting methods, such as that of so-called "disposable" clothing ("fast and super fast fashion"). Furthermore, the Authority noted that the content in question has been present on Shein's website since at least 2023.

Misleading communications, essentially greenwashing, the same practices that had convinced the European Consumer Organisation , a body that brings together consumer associations from 32 countries, to file a complaint with the European authorities in June, accusing the brand of using misleading commercial practices to induce consumers to buy more clothes.

At the end of May, an investigation by the European Commission, launched in February, was also concluded, which had brought to light several commercial practices that violated European consumer protection legislation.

In a statement responding to the ruling, reported by the Guardian, Shein said it had "fully cooperated with the Italian Competition Authority throughout this process" and had "taken immediate action to address the concerns raised as soon as we became aware of them. We have strengthened our internal review processes and improved our website to ensure all environmental declarations are clear, specific, and compliant with regulations."

In particular, the environmental claims in the #sheintheknow section, relating to "circular design" or product recyclability, were found to be false or at least confusing. The claims used by Shein, it should be noted, to present, describe, and promote the clothing from the evolushein by design line emphasize the use of green fibers without clearly indicating the products' substantial environmental benefits throughout their entire life cycle and without specifying that this product line is still marginal compared to the total Shein branded products.

Furthermore, it should be noted that these statements may lead consumers to believe not only that the evolushein by design collection is made solely with eco-sustainable materials, but also that the products in this collection are totally recyclable, a circumstance which, considering the fibres used and the recycling systems currently in place, is not true.

Shein's announcements of wanting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and to eliminate them by 2050 are presented in the section on Social Responsibility , as can also be read in the Guarantor's motivations, in a generic and vague manner, even appearing contradicted by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from Shein's activities for the years 2023 and 2024.

The opening photo is by AP Photo/Richard Drew/LaPresse.

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