Misleading advertising –
Italy inflicts a fine of one million euros in Shein
Rome sanctions the Chinese electronic commerce giant for misleading information on its environmental efforts.
Workers make clothes in a textile factory in Guangzhou for the fast fashion company Shein.
AFP/Jade Gao
The Italian competition gendarme inflicted on Monday a fine of one million euros to the company responsible for websites of Shein In Europe for disseminating misleading information on the environmental efforts of the electronic commerce giant.
The AGCM accuses the Chinese colossus of ephemeral fashion of having “adopted a misleading communication strategy concerning the characteristics and the environmental impact of its clothing products”.
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Shein is also accused of having disseminated “deceived and/or lie environmental allegations […] As part of the promotion and sale of clothing of the Shein brand ”.
“Deceptive or omitifs” messages
These messages were “in some cases, vague, generic and/or excessively emphatic, and in others, deceptions or omissive”.
In particular, the claims concerning the recyclability of products “have proven to be false or at the very least confusing confusing,” said the competition gendarme.
Consumers could easily have to believe that Shein products were made exclusively from sustainable and fully recyclable materials, “an affirmation which, taking into account the fibers used and current recycling systems, does not reflect reality”.
“Immediate measures”
Shein said that he had “fully cooperated” with the AGCM and “taken immediate measures” to respond to concerns, according to a press release reached to AFP, saying that now all the environmental allegations on the website were “clear, specific and in accordance with regulations”.
Ecologists have been warning for a long time against damage caused by the tendency to waste the ephemeral fashion sector, which produces cheap clothes that are quickly thrown away.
Ephemeral fashion consumes enormous quantities of water, produces dangerous chemicals and clogs the landfills from poor countries of textile waste, while generating greenhouse gases during production, transport and elimination.
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