Italian and French authorities act on Shein's environmental claims (2025)
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
- Italian competition authority (AGCM) found that a claim made in my name was misleading. The claim was: “a 25% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050” Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
On 3 July 2025 the French consumer authority DGCCRF announced a EUR 40 million fine for Shein's operator, accepted in a settlement with the Paris prosecutor, over misleading price-reduction and environmental claims. On 4 August 2025 the Italian competition authority announced a EUR 1,000,000 fine on Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd over misleading and omissive environmental claims, in a decision taken on 29 July 2025.
French settlement announced 3 July 2025: EUR 40 million for price-reduction and environmental practices together; a second DGCCRF fine of EUR 1.098 million for environmental product information was reported by Next.
Status As of 4 August 2025: the DGCCRF settlement (3 July 2025) and the AGCM decision (29 July 2025) are on record; the sources reviewed do not say whether Shein appealed or paid.
What happened
On 4 August 2025 the Italian competition authority (AGCM) announced that it had fined Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd, the company that manages Shein's product-trading websites in Europe, EUR 1,000,000 for misleading and/or deceptive environmental messages in the promotion and sale of Shein-branded clothing. The decision was taken at the authority's meeting of 29 July 2025 (case PS12709). The claims were on it.shein.com in the sections #SHEINTHEKNOW, evoluSHEIN and Social Responsibility and were, in AGCM's words, in some instances "vague, generic, and/or overly emphatic" and in others "misleading or omissive". AGCM found the statements on the "design of a circular system" and on the recyclability of products "either false or at least confusing". For the evoluSHEIN by Design line it found that the claims highlighted the use of "green" fibres without specifying the environmental benefits over the full life cycle and without clarifying that the line remains a marginal share of the offering, and that they could lead consumers to believe the products were fully recyclable, which "does not reflect reality". It said Shein's statements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and reaching zero emissions by 2050 were presented vaguely and generically and "were even contradicted by an actual increase in Shein's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024". The decision orders the practice to stop and Shein to report within 90 days; it can be appealed to the Lazio administrative court (TAR) within 60 days of notification.
In France the consumer authority DGCCRF announced on 3 July 2025 that an investigation had found Infinite Style E-commerce LTD (ISEL), responsible for sales of Shein products, had engaged in misleading commercial practices on the reality of price reductions and on "la portée des engagements concernant les allégations environnementales". The DGCCRF said Shein "n'a pas été en mesure de justifier les allégations environnementales présentes sur son site Internet", in particular the message presenting itself as a responsible company that would limit its environmental impact by cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. With the agreement of the Paris prosecutor, a settlement procedure was used: a fine of EUR 40 million was proposed to ISEL, which accepted it. The sum covers the price-reduction and environmental practices together. Next reported on 4 July 2025 a second DGCCRF fine of EUR 1.098 million for deficient information on the environmental quality of products. Shein told AFP that it had implemented the necessary corrective actions without delay, completed within two months of the DGCCRF's notification in March 2024.
- 20253 July: DGCCRF announces the EUR 40 million fine on ISEL, accepted in a settlement procedure with the Paris prosecutor
- 202529 July: AGCM decides to fine Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd EUR 1,000,000 over environmental claims
- 20254 August: AGCM press release announcing the fine
How it looked
Shown
- Claims on it.shein.com on the "design of a circular system", the recyclability of products, "green" fibres in the evoluSHEIN by Design line, a 25% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050, as described by AGCM.Shein (Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd) · Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709
- A message presenting Shein as a responsible company that would limit its environmental impact by cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 25%, as described by the DGCCRF.Shein (Infinite Style E-commerce LTD) · Next
Recorded
- AGCM fined Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd EUR 1,000,000 for a practice it found seriously unfair under articles 20, 21(1)(b) and 22(1) and (2) of the Consumer Code, and ordered the practice to stop (decision of 29 July 2025).
- AGCM said the statements on cutting emissions by 25% by 2030 and reaching zero emissions by 2050 were contradicted by an actual increase in Shein's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and 2024.
- The DGCCRF announced on 3 July 2025 that Shein had not been able to justify the environmental claims on its website; a fine of EUR 40 million, covering price-reduction and environmental practices together, was proposed to ISEL with the agreement of the Paris prosecutor, and ISEL accepted it.
In nature's name
Promised
- “a 25% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050” — Shein Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709
Money moved in nature's name
| What | Kind | Amount | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGCM fine on Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd (Italy) Shein Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709 | Penalty | €1m | 2025 |
| French fine accepted in a settlement, covering price-reduction and environmental practices together Shein Next | Penalty | €40m | 2025 |
| Second DGCCRF fine for deficient environmental product information, as reported by Next Shein Next | Penalty | €1.1m | 2025 |
What was measured
The authorities' findings concern whether the claims were accurate and substantiated. No independent measurement of an environmental benefit from the claimed fibres, recyclability or emissions cuts is on record in the sources reviewed.
Findings on record
- Court or regulator ruling Italian competition authority (AGCM) (2025-07-29) · Decision PS12709 of 29 July 2025 on Shein's environmental claims; fine of EUR 1,000,000: “adopted a misleading communication strategy regarding the characteristics and environmental impact of its clothing products” Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709
- Registry action French consumer authority (DGCCRF) and Paris prosecutor (2025-07-03) · Settlement; fine of EUR 40 million; environmental claims not justified (as quoted by Next): “pratiques commerciales trompeuses à l’égard des consommateurs sur la réalité des réductions de prix accordées et sur la portée des engagements concernant les allégations environnementales” original in French Next
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- shein (2025-07-03): Told AFP that it had implemented the necessary corrective actions without delay, completed within two months of the DGCCRF's notification in March 2024. · La Libre (AFP, reporting the DGCCRF communiqué and Shein's statement)
- shein (2024-11-11): In its written defence to AGCM of 11 November 2024, said that its business model differs from the traditional one ("il modello tecnologico small-batch, on-demand") and contested the hypothesis of an environmental impact of its production model. · Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM)
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2025-07-29Claimant won€1m fineAGCM decision on Shein's environmental claims (PS12709)Italian competition authority (AGCM) · Administrative · AGCM → Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd (Shein)
AGCM found the environmental claims on it.shein.com misleading and omissive, banned the practice and fined the company EUR 1,000,000. Appeal to the Lazio administrative court is open within 60 days of notification. Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM)
- 2025-07-03Settled€40m fine accepted in a settlement, covering price-reduction and environmental practices together; the split is not statedDGCCRF settlement with the Paris prosecutor over Shein's price-reduction and environmental claimsFrench consumer authority (DGCCRF) and Paris prosecutor · Administrative · DGCCRF and the Paris prosecutor → Infinite Style E-commerce LTD (Shein)
Shein could not justify its environmental claims, including a 25% cut in greenhouse gas emissions. The fine also covers misleading price-reduction claims. Next
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Figures
- Insufficient Fines: Second DGCCRF fine for deficient environmental product information, reported by Next only
Record
- None on record The sources reviewed do not split the EUR 40 million between the price-reduction practices and the environmental practices.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not say whether Shein appealed the AGCM decision or paid either fine.
- None on record Its content is as quoted by Next and reported by La Libre (AFP).
- None on record Reported by one outlet only: a second DGCCRF fine of EUR 1.098 million for deficient information on the environmental quality of products.
- Not measured The sources reviewed give no independent measurement of Shein's emissions or of the claimed fibres' environmental effect.
Did the harm stop?
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Penalties set against Shein: EUR 1,000,000 (Italy); EUR 40 million (France), with a further EUR 1.098 million reported by Next. Whether they were paid is not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Government and regulators
- Italian Competition Authority: 1 million euros fine imposed on Shein for misleading and omissive green claimsAutorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), press release PS12709 · 2025-08-04
- PS12709 chiusura (decision of the AGCM meeting of 29 July 2025, Infinite Styles Services Co. Ltd)Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) · 2025-07-29
- [MàJ] Shein enchaine les amendes avec un doublé de la DGCCRFNext · 2025-07-04
Press and investigations
- Une amende record de 40 millions pour Shein en France pour "pratiques commerciales trompeuses"La Libre (AFP, reporting the DGCCRF communiqué and Shein's statement) · 2025-07-03
Connected cases
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- Italy fined Eni 5 million euros over ads calling Diesel+ green Italy · 2020
- Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) (Government) — here: Italian competition authority that fined Shein; there: regulator that imposed the fine
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- Paris prosecutor's office (Public authority) — here: Prosecutor whose agreement the French settlement procedure required; there: Investigation opened on 19 December 2025