Shein fined E1m in Italy for misleading environmental claims about products

Source: The Guardian

Shein fined €1m in Italy for misleading environmental claims about products

Chinese fast fashion retailer penalised month after €40m fine from French regulator in July

Damien Gayle
Tue 5 Aug 2025 06.00 BST
Last modified on Tue 5 Aug 2025 06.02 BST

The Italian authorities have fined Shein €1m (£870,000) for making “misleading or omissive” environmental claims about its products, the second time in as many months the Chinese fashion retailer has been targeted by European regulators.

Environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein’s website were in some cases “vague, generic, and/or overly emphatic” and in others were “misleading or omissive”, said Italy’s competition authority, AGCM.

It is the latest criticism to hit the fast fashion behemoth, where shoppers can pick up polyester party dresses for as little as £1.60, leading to claims it is helping to cause a plastic pollution crisis through the oversupply of cheap synthetic clothes.

Shein details its “evoluSHEIN” roadmap on its website as including three strategic pillars: “Equitable Empowerment (People), Collective Resilience (Planet) and Waste-Less Innovation (Process).”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/05/shein-fined-1m-in-italy-for-misleading-environmental-claims-about-products