Burberry has reportedly burned $37 million in unsold clothing and beauty products
Image via Burberry
What. a. waste.
If you needed any more confirmation that the world of fashion is a very weird place, Burberry has delivered in spades.
According to The Times, the luxe label has burned more than US $37.8 million in unwanted stock over the past year, in a bid to protect its exclusivity.
Burberry’s annual report showed it incinerated US $13.76 million in beauty products and US $24 million in ready-to-wear pieces. And over the past five years, it’s destroyed US $116 million in unsold product.
According to fashion business lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, Maria Malone, the practice ensures the market is not flooded with discounts. “They don’t want Burberry products to get into the hands of anyone who can sell them at a discount and devalue the brand,” she told the BBC.
In response to backlash about the environmental consequences of burning its products, Burberry has claimed it’s been harnessing the energy generated from burning, “making it environmentally friendly”.
“Burberry has careful processes in place to minimize the amount of excess stock we produce,” the company said in a statement to the Newsweek. “On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, we do so in a responsible manner and we continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue our waste.”
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