Italy's competition authority says Shein's evoluSHEIN claims do not reflect reality. The EUR 1 million fine, issued in August 2025, cited recyclability statements that were either false or confusing. This post audits what the regulator actually found and what it means for brands sourcing recycled polyester.
Is recycled polyester bad, or is the claim the problem?
Recycled polyester is not inherently bad. It diverts plastic waste from landfills and, according to some lifecycle analyses, has a lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester. The problem is how brands communicate what recycled content actually means, how much of their product line it represents, and whether the claim has been verified by a third party.
Shein's evoluSHEIN collection launched in 2022. The marketing positioned it as a positive-impact line using 50 to 100 percent recycled polyester. The products carry Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification. On its face, this looks like a credible claim.
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) disagreed with how Shein communicated the rest.
The question is recycled polyester bad cannot be answered with a yes or no. The material itself has legitimate applications. The problem emerges when a brand uses a certified line to imply that the entire brand operates sustainably, when the certified line represents a fraction of total output, or when recyclability claims are made without infrastructure to actually recycle the product at end of life.
What did Shein claim on its website?
Shein's website included sections titled #SHEINTHEKNOW, evoluSHEIN, and Social Responsibility. According to the AGCM ruling, these sections contained environmental claims that were, in some instances, vague, generic, and overly emphatic, and in other instances, misleading or omissive.
The regulator cited three specific problems.
First, claims about a circular system and the recyclability of products were found to be either false or at least confusing. The AGCM stated that Shein's assertion that products were fully recyclable did not reflect reality and was not supported by proof, certification, or clear explanation of recycling processes. Textile recycling infrastructure remains limited globally. Most polyester garments, recycled or virgin, end up in landfills or incinerators because fiber-to-fiber recycling at scale does not yet exist for blended fabrics.
Second, the evoluSHEIN marketing could lead consumers to believe that the collection is made solely from sustainable materials and that its products are fully recyclable. The regulator noted this is a marginal share of Shein's total offering. Shein's own stated goal is to reach 50 percent evoluSHEIN by 2030, which implies the current share is well below that. When a brand's sustainable line represents less than five percent of its catalog but receives 95 percent of its sustainability marketing, the consumer takeaway is misleading.
Third, Shein's pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 were presented in a vague and generic way and were contradicted by an actual increase in emissions. According to Sustainability Magazine, Shein's greenhouse gas emissions rose 23.1 percent in 2024 compared to its 2023 baseline. A brand cannot claim progress toward net zero while its emissions are rising by double digits year over year.
What does the product page actually say?
The evoluSHEIN product descriptions list fiber content in a range: 50 to 100 percent recycled polyester depending on the item. The GRS certification is present on products within this line.
But the line itself is a small fraction of Shein's total catalog. Shein adds thousands of new styles per day. A 2024 analysis from Tech Buzz China estimated Shein lists millions of SKUs at any given time. A line of 1,500 evoluSHEIN SKUs, which was the stated expansion target in 2022, represents a fraction of a percent of total inventory.
The gap is not between what evoluSHEIN products contain and what the label says. The gap is between what the evoluSHEIN marketing implies about Shein as a brand and what Shein actually produces. If you visit Shein's homepage, you encounter sustainability messaging. If you browse the actual catalog, you encounter millions of products that are not part of any sustainability initiative.
This is the sleight of hand regulators are now catching: use a certified sub-line to create a halo effect over the entire brand without disclosing that the sub-line is marginal.
What do microplastics in clothing have to do with this?
Recycled polyester does not solve the microplastic shedding problem. A 2025 lab study commissioned by Changing Markets tested garments from Shein, H&M, and Zara. The garments made from recycled polyester released the highest number of fibers and fine particles during washing.
The study found that recycled polyester garments shed more microfibers than virgin polyester garments in the same test conditions. The researchers noted that the recycling process itself may weaken fiber structure, leading to increased breakage during mechanical agitation in a washing machine.
This is not unique to Shein. But it complicates any claim that recycled polyester is the sustainable solution. The carbon footprint may be lower. The microplastic output may be higher. Neither fact appears in Shein's marketing. A complete sustainability claim would disclose both the benefit (lower carbon) and the tradeoff (potential for increased microfiber shedding). Omitting the tradeoff is what regulators now call misleading by omission.
The evoluSHEIN by Design collection is made solely from sustainable materials, and its products are fully recyclable. A statement which does not reflect reality.
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Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), August 2025
What are other brands in the category doing?
H&M had its Conscious Choice label terminated by Dutch authorities (ACM) after a EUR 500,000 settlement for greenwashing violations. The ACM found that the label was misleading because it did not clearly explain what made a product conscious or how it was different from H&M's regular products. H&M was required to remove the label and stop using vague environmental claims without specific, verifiable backing.
Levi's earned an A+ on the NRDC PFAS scorecard for already eliminating PFAS from its supply chain. The company publishes detailed material breakdowns and has committed to third-party verification of environmental claims. Levi's approach demonstrates what regulators are asking for: specific claims, third-party verification, and transparent disclosure of what percentage of products meet the standard.
France fined Shein EUR 40 million in July 2025 for deceptive discounting and misleading environmental claims. The Italy fine followed one month later. Two major EU markets have now issued penalties against the same company for similar violations within 60 days of each other.
The pattern: regulators in multiple jurisdictions are moving against vague sustainability claims that lack third-party verification or percentage disclosure. The era of making broad environmental statements without receipts is closing.
What is the regulatory trajectory for recycled polyester claims?
The EU Green Claims Directive, which takes effect in stages starting in 2026, prohibits environmental claims that cannot be proven with third-party verification. Self-created sustainability labels without independent monitoring are banned. Claims about partial attributes, like a circular system, must disclose what percentage of the product or catalog they apply to.
This means a brand cannot launch a 500-SKU sustainable line, market the brand as sustainable, and rely on the consumer not noticing that the other 50,000 SKUs have no sustainability attributes. The percentage must be disclosed. The claim must match the scope.
The United States is moving more slowly, but state-level action is accelerating. California's SB 343 restricts the use of recycling symbols on products that are not actually recyclable in practice. New York's proposed Fashion Act would require large brands to disclose environmental and social impacts across their supply chains. Brands sourcing recycled polyester should expect that the disclosure requirements applying in the EU will eventually apply in major US markets.
What should a brand founder ask their supplier?
If you source recycled polyester, here are the questions to put to your supplier or factory.
First, what percentage of this fabric is recycled content, and is it GRS-certified? The Global Recycled Standard requires at least 20 percent recycled content for GRS certification, but consumer-facing claims typically require 50 percent or more. Get the exact percentage in writing.
Second, is the recycled content post-consumer (water bottles, textile waste from consumers) or post-industrial (factory scrap, cutting waste)? Post-industrial recycling is less impactful from a waste-diversion standpoint because factory scrap would likely have been recycled anyway. Post-consumer recycling diverts material that would otherwise enter landfills or oceans.
Third, what percentage of your total catalog uses this material? If it is under 10 percent, do not market your brand as sustainable based on this line alone. The AGCM ruling against Shein hinged in part on the marginal share of evoluSHEIN in total output. A brand founder making the same error will face the same regulatory exposure.
Fourth, has your recycled polyester been tested for microfiber shedding, and can you share the test report? AATCC TM212 and ISO 4484-2 are the standard test methods. If your supplier has not tested, you do not know whether your recycled content sheds more or less than virgin polyester.
Fifth, are your emissions targets verified by a third party, and are you tracking actual emissions year over year? A net-zero pledge without year-over-year tracking is a press release, not a commitment. Shein's emissions rose 23 percent while it was publicly pledging reductions. Your supplier should be able to show you the trendline.
If your supplier cannot answer these questions, the claim is not ready for your product page.
What does this mean for the plastic-free activewear category?
Recycled polyester is not plastic-free. It is still plastic. The carbon math may be better than virgin polyester. The microplastic math may be worse. The regulatory environment is tightening on both fronts.
Brands building for the plastic-free activewear category should note: recycled polyester is not a step toward plastic-free. It is a step toward lower-carbon polyester. The positioning is different. The regulatory exposure is different. A brand that markets recycled polyester as a sustainability solution and later wants to pivot to plastic-free will need to undo that positioning.
The Shein ruling is a signal. Regulators are reading product pages. They are comparing marketing claims to fiber content labels. They are checking whether emissions are rising or falling. They are asking what percentage of a brand's catalog actually meets the sustainability claim.
OHZEHN-TEX(TM) publishes test reports for every lot. That standard exists because claims without receipts are now liabilities.
Shein's greenhouse gas emissions rose 23.1 percent in 2024 compared to its 2023 baseline, contradicting its pledge to cut emissions 25 percent by 2030.
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Sustainability Magazine, 2025
What happens next?
Shein has not publicly contested the AGCM ruling. The company has 60 days to appeal. If the ruling stands, it joins the H&M settlement in the Netherlands and the France penalty as the third major greenwashing enforcement action against a fast-fashion brand in the EU within 18 months.
For brand founders sourcing recycled polyester, the lesson is straightforward. The material is not the problem. The claim is the problem. If you cannot prove the claim with a test report, a third-party certification, and a percentage disclosure that matches your actual catalog, the claim is a liability.
The question is recycled polyester bad has a nuanced answer: the material is legitimate, but the marketing often is not.
Sources
https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2025/8/PS12709 https://www.sheingroup.com/corporate-news/company-updates/shein-launches-evolushein-new-clothing-line/ https://sustainabilitymag.com/news/what-was-sheins-environmental-impact-in-2024 https://www.thejournal.ie/microplastic-clothes-polyester-recycled-6931884-Jan2026/ https://sourcingjournal.com/sustainability/sustainability-news/sheins-circular-goals-clash-with-its-carbon-reality-polyester-recycling-1234731667/ https://www.fashiondive.com/news/shein-italy-fine-green-washing-supply-chain-emissions/756821/ https://www.ecoclaim.eu/blog/greenwashing-fashion-hm-zara-boohoo https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/new-pfas-scorecard-popular-apparel-brands-levi-strauss-earns-outdoor-brands-fail https://techbuzzchina.substack.com/p/shein-2024-update-part-1-global-growth https://www.carbonfact.com/blog/policy/empco-fashion