ASOS, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing... it feels like new fast fashion brands are cropping up weekly, offering all the latest trends at suspiciously low prices. Over the past few years, brands like Boohoo and H&M have been promoting ‘conscious’ collections, which have already sparked a lot of criticism from eco-conscious consumers. But while these launches have caused quite a stir, a recent brand collection has caused even bigger outrage.

Shein, which is considered the fastest fashion brand in town (launching up to 10,000 pieces of clothing on their site every day), introduced its ‘evoluSHEIN’ collection. Featuring vague (and potentially misleading) sustainability improvements – this was immediately called out by eco-activists as blatant greenwashing. With an official investigation underway, it’s time to Dish the Dirt…

INTRODUCING: SHEIN

Founded in China in 2008, Shein officially became the World’s largest fashion retailer in 2022. The fast-fashion behemoth is known for ultra-low prices and its breakneck production speed, with up to 10,000 new products being launched every day. With over 100 million active shoppers worldwide, they were able to generate an estimated $30 billion in revenue in 2022 alone… but this success has come at a high ethical and environmental cost. 

Reports indicate that Shein significantly contributes to the fashion industry’s environmental footprint, with most of its products made from unsustainable materials like polyester. Furthermore, allegations of poor working conditions within its supply chain reveal that employees often endure gruelling 75-hour work weeks.

Already highly unpopular with eco and ethical campaigners alike, you can see why a brand like Shein attempting to win over naive young eco-conscious shoppers with vague sustainability marketing could cause HUGE backlash.

The ‘EvoluSHEIN’ Collection

Last month, Shein launched the EvoluSHEIN collection, claiming to take a substantial step towards sustainability by featuring clothes made from ‘recycled and eco-friendly’ materials. However, such bold statements from a brand notorious for its unethical practices quickly caught the attention of environmental activists. 

As is often the case, SHEIN failed to cover its tracks. Investigations revealed that only a tiny fraction of the collection actually utilised recycled fabric. Moreover, the brand’s claims of promoting circularity and responsible consumption were quickly debunked in light of theirts continued mass production at unprecedented rates. Outrage among consumers escalated…and now some of the big guns are starting to get involved.

THE AUTHORITIES TAKING ON SHEIN

The Italian Competition Authority—an independent governmental body tasked with enforcing competition law and regulating unfair commercial practices— are now taking on Shein. They have announced an official investigation, on the basis that consumers were misled to believe Shein’s products were more environmentally responsible than they truly are. The authority is also examining the brand’s claimed commitment to reducing carbon emissions, which completely contradicts the rising greenhouse gas emissions that they had to admit to in their sustainability report.

But what are the consequences for Shein, if they ARE found guilty? In the grand scheme of things, the Italian Competition Authority doesn’t have that much power, but they can impose significant financial penalties onto them (even in the millions of euros) and require that the advertising for collections like evoluSHEIN be removed or changed in Italy. 

By bringing awareness to this issue, it could also trigger government bodies in other countries (that have a bigger SHEIN customer base) to do the same, which could at least lead to SHEIN removing this range from the site. It could also absolutely lead to other slightly smaller fast fashion brands being more cautious about such blatant greenwashing.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS

So, what can we learn from this? As consumers, it's more important than ever to question sustainability claims, especially from brands whose business models rely on overconsumption. Greenwashing—whether intentional or accidental—undermines genuine efforts toward sustainability and harms the trust consumers place in eco-friendly labels.

Shein’s Green Collection teaches us a great lesson: don’t judge a brand by its marketing—especially when it comes to fast fashion.

Holding big unethical companies accountable. It makes sense.