Online fashion retailer Shein has been fined €1m (£870,000) by Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) for publishing “misleading and omissive” green claims on its website.

AGCM said the fast fashion giant’s environmental messages and claims in the promotion and sale of its products within the sections #SHEINTHEKNOW, evoluSHEIN, and Social Responsibility were “deceptive” to consumers.

The regulator found that environmental statements in the retailer’s the #SHEINTHEKNOW section on its website were “either false or at least confusing”.

AGCM ruled that consumers may be led to believe that the brand’s evoluSHEIN by Design collection is made solely from sustainable materials and are fully recyclable, which it stated “does not reflect reality”.

It also said Shein’s mission statements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and to reach zero emissions by 2050 were presented “in a vague and generic way”.

AGCM found that the targets were “even contradicted by an actual increase in Shein’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024”.

A spokesperson for Shein told Retail Gazette: “We have cooperated fully with the AGCM throughout this process, and took 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 that all environmental claims are clear, specific, and compliant with regulation.”

This is not the first time that Shein has been fined over misleading messaging, with the fast fashion giant receiving a €40m (£34,800,000) penalty by the French regulator “deceptive commercial practices” over price promotions and environmental impact.

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