Why fashion brands burn millions of pounds of clothes
Burberry becomes first major company to officially end practice of destroying unsold goods
British luxury goods maker Burberry has announced that it will no longer burn its unsold clothes, bags and perfume, following a backlash over the deliberate destruction of unwanted stock.
An earnings report in July revealed that the company destroyed £28.6m of unsold goods in 2017 alone, in order to “protect its brand” - prompting “an angry response from environmental campaigners”, the BBC reports.
That takes the total value of items destroyed by Burberry over the last five years to £105m, The Guardian reports. The fashion brand “previously defended its practice by saying that the energy generated from burning its goods was captured”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not everyone was shocked by the scale of the destruction in the luxury goods sector. “The news has left investors and consumers outraged but comes as little surprise” to those in the fashion industry, where the practice of destroying unsold clothes and material is “commonplace”, says Forbes.
“Becoming too widely available at a cheaper price through discount stores discourages full-price sales and sending products for recycling leaves them vulnerable to being stolen and sold on the black market,” the business magazine explains.
Burberry says it will now recycle, repair or donate all unsellable items, becoming the first major company to announce an official end to the practice of destroying unwanted products.
Marco Gobbetti, the fashion brand’s chief executive, said: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”
The company also announced that it will stop using real fur for its products. It currently uses rabbit, fox, mink and Asiatic racoon fur in its collections.
Campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) welcomed the move, saying: “The few fashion houses refusing to modernise and listen to the overwhelming public opinion against fur are now sticking out like a sore thumb.
“If they want to stay relevant in a changing industry, they have no choice but to stop using fur stolen from animals for their coats, collars, and cuffs.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Labour shortages: the ‘most urgent problem’ facing the UK economy right now
Speed Read Britain is currently in the grip of an ‘employment crisis’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will the energy war hurt Europe more than Russia?
Speed Read European Commission proposes a total ban on Russian oil
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Elon Musk manage to take over Twitter?
Speed Read The world’s richest man has launched a hostile takeover bid worth $43bn
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Shoppers urged not to buy into dodgy Black Friday deals
Speed Read Consumer watchdog says better prices can be had on most of the so-called bargain offers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ryanair: readying for departure from London
Speed Read Plans to delist Ryanair from the London Stock Exchange could spell ‘another blow’ to the ‘dwindling’ London market
By The Week Staff Published
-
Out of fashion: Asos ‘curse’ has struck again
Speed Read Share price tumbles following the departure of CEO Nick Beighton
By The Week Staff Published
-
Universal Music’s blockbuster listing: don’t stop me now…
Speed Read Investors are betting heavily that the ‘boom in music streaming’, which has transformed Universal’s fortunes, ‘still has a long way to go’
By The Week Staff Published
-
EasyJet/Wizz: battle for air supremacy
Speed Read ‘Wizz’s cheeky takeover bid will have come as a blow to the corporate ego’
By The Week Staff Published