Italy opens a greenwashing investigation into Shein’s site as fast-fashion scrutiny piles up

Not so fast… Italy’s looking into how Shein does its green marketing. Regulators there launched a probe into Infinite Styles Services, the company that operates Shein’s app and website. Regulators say the fast-fashion juggernaut uses “generic, vague, and confusing and/or misleading” statements to make the brand appear more environmentally friendly. The investigation also calls out an “apparent contradiction” between Shein’s stated commitment to decarbonization and its self-reported greenhouse emissions, which have risen for the past two years.

• The name is trying hard: EvoluSHEIN (Shein’s sustainability-branded clothing line) is under fire, too, with Italy saying its green marketing could be misleading.

• FYI: It’s estimated that fewer than 1% of garments get recycled, and each year three out of every five pieces of clothing end up in a landfill or are incinerated.

Fashion’s green screen… The industry creates up to 8% of all global emissions, and that’s expected to balloon by the end of this decade. As demand for cheap fits shows little sign of cooling, regulators are stepping in. This year the EU passed its first greenwashing law, banning companies from using sustainability terms (like “eco-friendly” and “biodegradable”) without evidence. And France’s lower house approved a “kill bill” banning ads for ultra-fast-fashion brands like Shein and Temu.

• Green apple: Last year New York lawmakers reintroduced The Fashion Act, which would require brands making $100M+/year to be more transparent about the environmental effects of their supply chains.