In the sustainable beauty and fashion news to know this March, there are more investigations into SHEIN’s alleged shady practices, big news in re-commerce as eBay buys Depop, and details about how the climate breakdown will affect supply chains and fashion industry profits.
German Watchdog Says SHEIN Must Substantiate or Remove Net-Zero Claims (Business of Fashion)
An environmental and consumer protection organisation in Germany, the DUH, has concluded a legal challenge against SHEIN for claims that the brand would reach net-zero by 2050. The ultra fast fashion retailer now has to provide evidence for the claim on its German website or remove it. SHEIN told Business of Fashion that it had engaged with DUH and published additional information on its website.
EU to Investigate SHEIN Over Sale of Childlike Sex Dolls and Weapons (The Guardian)
A few months after French authorities attempted to have SHEIN suspended in the region for the sale of “childlike” sex dolls and banned weapons, the EU has announced it is opening an investigation into the same thing. Not only that, but the addictive design of SHEIN’s platforms, whether its recommender systems comply with the Digital Services Act, and the compliance of some items with EU law.
Etsy Sells Second-hand Fashion App Depop to eBay for $1.2bn (BBC)
Online marketplace Etsy is to sell popular secondhand fashion app Depop to eBay, as part of the latter’s drive to “reach a younger demographic across the expanding re-commerce landscape.” According to the BBC, Depop has fallen behind competitors such as Vinted in the re-commerce boom.
Non-profit remake.world is the Latest Sustainable Fashion Organisation to Shutter (LinkedIn)
Sustainable fashion organisation remake.world has announced on social media that it will cease operations after attempts to explore restructuring and funding failed. “Our board made the difficult determination that the most responsible path forward was to close with intention and integrity, honoring our commitments to partners, ensuring proper wind-down of programs, and celebrating what we accomplished together, rather than compromising the quality of our work or our values,” it said in a statement.
Circulose Plans to Restart Commercial Production (EcoTextile News)
Circulose, the textile recycling business that has been relaunched after its parent company Renewcell shuttered, will start up production again, reports EcoTextile News. Pulp production will resume at its Swedish plant in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Climate Inaction Puts 34% of Fashion Industry Profits at Risk (Business of Fashion)
The rising costs of climate inaction will cut fashion companies’ profits in “quarters, not decades,” according to Lewis Perkins, president and CEO of the Apparel Impact Institute (AII), who spoke to Business of Fashion about its latest report on the subject. The report underlines increasing prices for carbon, raw-materials, and energy as key issues that will affect the industry.
How Climate Change Will Shape Fashion Supply Chains in 2026 (Vogue)
The climate breakdown is increasingly affecting fashion supply chains. Among the most prevalent issues, “extreme heat is endangering garment workers, floods and wildfires are damaging raw material production, while water stress is disrupting farming and industrial processes,” writes Bella Webb. Her report for Vogue details the key climate issues and initiatives facing fashion supply chains right now.
Global Fashion Brands’ Textile Recycling Schemes Linked to Labour Rights Risks in India and Pakistan; ARISA Findings (Business And Human Rights Centre)
The Business and Human Rights Centre summarises a new report by Advocating Rights in South Asia (ARISA), which outlines the gaps in labour rights within the textile recycling industry in India and Pakistan.
Minimum Wage Increase Shut Down Garment Factories in January (Vox News)
A report on Vox News Albania explores the effects of the country’s minimum wage increases, which have been gradually raised in an effort to better incomes and living standards. The increase is rendering its garment factories less competitive than other regions, particularly in Asia where wages are much lower, and the financial impact on factories with many workers has led to many of them closing, which is particularly affecting women and those in small towns.
Fashion For Good Launches New Project to Validate Bio-based and Recycled Elastane
Fashion For Good, the Amsterdam-based organisation for industry innnovation, has launched a new collaborative project aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of lower-impact elastane solutions. Elastane (also called spandex or Lycra) is used in garments to create stretch qualities, but it’s a synthetic material and as yet, there are no large-scale alternatives. The Stretching Circularity Project “brings together brands, innovators, supply chain partners, and ecosystem experts to assess both bio-based and recycled elastane alternatives, as well as technologies that enable the separation and recycling of elastane from blended textiles, through a structured due diligence and validation framework,” says the organisation.
Selfridges Expands Beauty Recycling Scheme After Successful Trial (The Industry)
British multi-brand retailer Selfridges has rolled out a beauty packaging recycling scheme in its UK stores after a successful trial, reports The Industry. The scheme will recycle empties including some items that are excluded from kerbside recycling and therefore difficult to keep in the loop, like fragrance bottles containing residual product.
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Dawn Denim Launches Undyed Post-industrial Waste Collection
“Great” brand Dawn Denim has created a new line of jeans, shirts, and jackets made from undyed post-industrial waste. In other words, fabric scraps that didn’t get to the consumer stage and have been rescued for new garments. The brand is partnering with Recover Vietnam Recycling hub to transform the textiles into denim that is “slightly more rigid, a bit drier to the touch, less stretch but more attitude and with less reliance on virgin resources.”
eBay Expands Circular Fashion Fund Programme Across Europe and North America (The Industry)
eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund is launching into its fourth year, and is expanding to applications from the EU, Switzerland and Canada for the first time. Eight businesses will be selected to receive $50,000 in funding along with mentoring to develop solutions that improve circularity in fashion.
Thesus Co-founder Launches New Made-To-Order Retail Community
Sofi Khwaja-Horekens, co-founder of “Good”-rated boots brand Thesus has launched a new community aimed at reshaping the retail model. Common Nature Club will work by having members commit to purchasing products in advance (ie before production), providing producers with demand-backed capital while reducing overproduction and inventory risk. The made-to-order model will also offer extended payment terms for suppliers and move financial commitments upstream, therefore creating more stable manufacturing conditions. Khwaja-Horekens says: “Most sustainability efforts have focused on materials or marketing. But the underlying retail mechanics haven’t shifted. If we want regenerative production to scale, we need to rethink how demand shows up—not just what products are made from.”
