The Italian competition authority AGCM announced on Monday that it imposed a fine of one million euros responsible for the European website of Shein. The reason for this is false and misleading statements about the environmental friendliness of the e-commerce giant.
The competition authority accuses the fast-fashion giant founded in China to “have followed a misleading communication strategy in relation to the properties and the environmental impact of its clothing products”. The fine was against Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd. The company that is responsible for the administration of Shein’s European product websites is imposed in a statement.
The AGCM accuses the company “misleading and/or deceptive messages and statements regarding environmental aspects in the application and sale of clothing products from Shein brand”. In some cases, these were “vague, general and/or exaggerated and misleading or incomplete in others”. In particular, the statements on the recyclability of the products have proven “to be wrong or at least confusing”. Consumers: Inside could easily come to the conclusion that shein products consist exclusively of sustainable materials and are completely recyclable. In view of the fibers used and the current recycling systems, this representation does not correspond to reality.
The AGCM also criticized Sheins statements that greenhouse gas emissions will reduce 25 percent by 2030 and want to reach net zero emissions by 2050. These “vague” commitments of a company that has recorded a phenomenal growth in recent years would be contradictory to an actual increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024.
In a statement to AFP, Shein explained that “fully cooperated with the investigations by the supervisory authority” and “immediately taken measures” in order to clear up the concerns. All environmental claims on the website are now “clear, specific and correspond to the regulations”.
Environmentalists: Inside, the damage caused by the wasteful trend of the fast-fashion industry have been warning for a long time. Fast fashion consumes large amounts of water, releases dangerous chemicals and overcrowded garbage sponia in poorer countries with textile waste. At the same time, there are considerable amounts of greenhouse gases during production, transport and disposal.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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