10-07-2025
French Watchdog Fines Shein for Failing to Disclose Microplastics in Its Products
France's consumer protection watchdog has fined the Dublin-based company that operates Shein's European websites and apps 1.1 million euros ($1.3 million) for failing to disclose the presence of synthetic microfibers, also known as microplastics, in more than 730 products.
Since January 2023, the country's anti-waste Loi Anti-Gaspillage pour une Economie Circulaire, or AGEC, law has required companies to alert consumers to the possibility of plastic microfiber release during laundering whenever the proportion of synthetic materials in a product exceeds 50 percent. Polyester accounted for 81.5 percent of Shein's total fibers in 2024, according to its ESG report, up from 75.7 percent the year before.
More from Sourcing Journal
What Textile-to-Textile Recyclers Want From EU Legislation
'Big, Beautiful Bill' Set to End De Minimis Exception
France Fines Shein $47 Million for False Discounting and Deception
An investigation carried out in 2023 by the Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control to verify compliance, however, found that Infinited Styles Ecommerce Co. Limited, which is sometimes referred to as Infinite Styles Services Co., fell short of requirements. Because the obligation 'particularly concerns' textiles, clothing and footwear, DGCCRF said in a statement, the information on microplastic-shedding products 'must therefore be clearer, more understandable, more sincere, and comply with the formality of the information provided by the regulatory text.'
The move is more than just a heavy slap on the wrist, said Baptiste Carriere-Pradal, co-founder and director of business consultancy 2B Policy and chair of the technical secretariat for the European Union's Product Environmental Footprint method for apparel and footwear. As the first brand to be 'officially' sanctioned under the AGEC, Shein should serve as a 'wake-up call' for any company selling apparel in France that 'may not be entirely compliant yet.'
'It is now being actively enforced,' Carriere-Pradal said of the requirements, which he noted not every retailer or brand may be aware of. That ignorance could put them at great financial risk. With fines that can amount to 1,500 euros ($1,760) per act of non-compliance, 'the bill can quickly climb high,' he added.
The broader European Union has no such disclosure law for textiles, clothing or footwear, and any restrictions on synthetic microplastics under Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Constriction of Hazardous chemical, or REACH, rules involve those that are intentionally added, such as certain types of glitter. Future iterations of the PEF category rules, which the European Commission recently welcomed as a means of measuring the environmental impact of clothing and shoes, will incorporate considerations such as microplastic shedding. Some 7.4 million metric tons of plastic pollution are contributed annually by synthetic clothing, according to Cotton Incorporated, the research and marketing company representing U.S. cotton.
'France's action signals a growing recognition that consumers have a right to know when clothing releases microplastic pollution,' said Lisa Erdle, director of science and innovation at the 5 Gyres Institute, a California nonprofit that campaigns against plastic pollution and recently published a microfiber playbook for fashion brands and manufacturers to reduce leakages. The Golden State considered legislation in 2018 that would require labelling on synthetic clothing, but the science was still emerging at the time. Now, 'we know much more,' she said.
'Microfibers from textiles are the most prevalent type of microplastic found in the environment, and they've been shown to harm aquatic organisms, carry toxic chemicals and even pollute indoor air,' she said. 'We need targeted solutions and policy interventions that address this source of microplastic pollution, and one potential approach could be requiring microfiber shedding disclosures. This would inform consumers and drive innovation toward materials that cause less harm in the environment and are safer for human health.'
But microplastics aren't DGCCRF's only problem with Shein. Earlier this week, the agency slapped an even bigger 40 million euro ($47 million) fine on Infinited Styles Ecommerce Co. Limited for what it described as 'false discounting' from October 2022 to August 2023. French regulations require that the reference price for any discount be the lowest one given by a retailer during a 30-day period preceding the offer. Shein not only did not take into account prior discounts, it said, but the e-tailer sometimes jacked up the price before applying an offer.
A Shein spokesperson said that Infinite Styles Ecommerce Co. Limited 'immediately' implemented corrective actions for both sets of violations in line with regulatory demands, completing them within two months following DGCCRF's notification in March 2024.
'This means that all identified issues were addressed more than a year ago,' the representative said. 'ISEL takes its legal and regulatory obligations in France very seriously and remains committed to transparency and compliance with French regulations.'
Shein, doing business as Infinite Styles Services Co., has also come under scrutiny from other countries. It was only last September, for instance, that the Italian Competition Authority opened an investigation into whether Shein's website was trying to 'convey an image of production and commercial sustainability of its garments through generic, vague, confusing and/or misleading environmental claims.' Under Italian law, companies that breach consumer rights rules can face penalties ranging from 5,000 euros to 10 million euros ($5,600 to $11.7 million).
