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Italy's Antitrust Opens Probe into Shein over Environmental Claims

FILE PHOTO: People walk past an advertisement for Shein, March 8, 2024 in London, Britain. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past an advertisement for Shein, March 8, 2024 in London, Britain. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
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Italy's Antitrust Opens Probe into Shein over Environmental Claims

FILE PHOTO: People walk past an advertisement for Shein, March 8, 2024 in London, Britain. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past an advertisement for Shein, March 8, 2024 in London, Britain. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo

Italy's antitrust agency has launched an investigation into Dublin-based Infinite Styles Services CO. Limited, which manages the Italian website of Shein, over possible misleading environmental claims on the website.
The company is seen as trying "to convey an image of production and commercial sustainability of its garments through generic, vague, confusing and/or misleading environmental claims," Italy's antitrust said in a statement.
Some of the information on the clothing collection 'evoluSHEIN', declared by the company to be sustainable, could mislead consumers about the amount of green fibres used, while also failing to inform them about the fact the garments cannot be further recycled, Reuters quoted the authority as saying.
Italy's antitrust also said that Infinite Styles Services CO. Limited appeared to emphasize its commitment to the decarbonization process, while the targets indicated on Shein's website appear to be contradicted by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions indicated in Shein's sustainability reports for 2022 and 2023.
A Shein spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Founded in China, Shein is known for its cheap tops and dresses. Its treatment of workers and environmental record have come under increased scrutiny.

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Spain's Top Fashion Retailers to Launch Trial to Collect Clothes Waste in 2025

A street performer dressed as a bear stands outside a Primark store in Madrid, Spain, October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A street performer dressed as a bear stands outside a Primark store in Madrid, Spain, October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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Spain's Top Fashion Retailers to Launch Trial to Collect Clothes Waste in 2025

A street performer dressed as a bear stands outside a Primark store in Madrid, Spain, October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A street performer dressed as a bear stands outside a Primark store in Madrid, Spain, October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera

Spain's largest fashion companies will start collecting discarded clothes from April next year as part of a voluntary pilot scheme to manage textile waste that anticipates EU regulations expected to come into force in 2026.
Zara owner Inditex, H&M, Decathlon, Ikea and Primark are among 10 brands that will participate in a trial that will separate textiles and shoes from other waste collection so they can be reused or recycled, according to organizers of the project, dubbed Re-viste.
Spain is awaiting final approval of new EU regulations that will require member states to separate textiles from other waste before it issues rules to fashion companies, which will meet the cost of managing the textile waste, Marta Gomez, director of quality and environmental evaluation at the ministry of energy transition, told fashion leaders at an event in Madrid.
The EU regulations won't come into force before 2026 as authorities will give companies at least a year to adapt, government officials and fashion industry sources said.
"The regulations show us the way, but we have decided not to wait to comply with the legal requirements," said Andres Fernandez, president of Re-viste and head of sustainability at retailer Mango, which is also part of the trial.
The rules will mean that companies that sell more clothes and shoes are likely to have to pay more for managing the waste, Reuters reported.
In Spain, just 12% of used clothes are collected separately and 88% end up in landfill, according to official data. Each resident in Spain discards 20 kilos of clothes per year compared to an average of seven kilos in Europe, authorities say.
During the year-long trial, Re-viste plans to set up dozens of containers in churches, stores, shopping centers and streets to collect the waste in bags and take it to plants for sorting.
Once the legislation comes into force, fashion companies estimate that Spain will need one textile waste container for every 1,200 residents.