ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

In September 2024, the Italian Competition Authority, the AGCM, opened an investigation into Infinite Styles for possible generic, vague, confusing and/or misleading environmental claims made in relation to the website shein.com.

Infinite Styles is a company registered in Dublin which provides “marketplace services” in relation to the website operated in the EU on behalf of Shein, an e-commerce only fashion retailer, and the largest fashion retailer in the world in 2022, headquartered in Singapore. The EU activities of Shein are operated by companies registered in Dublin.

The AGCM, in its press release, emphasises that its concern is driven by the environmental impact of “fast or super fast fashion”, which may have led to the company to adopt communication strategies which are misleading or omit key information. Its concerns include:

• Claims on the ‘circularity’, quality and responsible consumption of the garments/textiles.
• Potential misleading claims on ‘green’ fibres.
• Lack of information on additional recyclability of garments.
• Statements on decarbonisation which are inconsistent with sustainability reports