Burberry burns its stock worth millions
Figures from the British luxury company showed it burned fashion and beauty products worth £ 28.6m in its last financial year.
The practice, understood to be rife throughout the sector, means unwanted items cannot fall into the hands of counterfeiters or find their way onto other shelves or websites.
In Burberry’s case, it is believed trademark items from coats and bags to perfume are incinerated though the company insists the procedure carries an energy benefit to limit the environmental impact.
Insiders admit it is a far from perfect solution for the sector, with Burberry understood to have recently joined a growing effort to boost recycling of clothing and waste from cutoffs. The Times, which highlighted the extent of Burberry’s incineration programme, said clothes worth £ 12.5bn were thrown out by Britons in 2017.
It also reported that Burberry was not alone in burning excess stock - naming several other wellknown brands.
Dr Kirsten Brodde, who leads the Detox my Fashion Campaign at the environmental group Greenpeace, said, “Despite their luxury price tag, Burberry shows no respect for its own products and the hard work and natural resources that are used to make them. The growing volumes of overstock point to overproduction, and instead of slowing down production, Burberry is incinerating perfectly new clothes and products.”