By Dipo Olowookere
Renowned British fashion label, Burberry, announced that it destroyed its unsold luxury products worth $36.5 million in 2017.
According to the company, this has brought the total value of good it has destroyed mainly by burning to £90 million over the past five years.
Explaining the rationale behind this tradition of destroying its unsold products, which include clothes, accessories and perfume, Burberry emphasised that it is mainly to protect its brand.
The company noted that destroying the unwanted items, it would make it impossible for the items to be stolen or sold cheaply.
However, Burberry stressed that the energy generated from burning its unsold products was captured, making it environmentally friendly.
According to a spokesperson of the firm, “Burberry has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock we produce.
“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.”
Over the past few years, Burberry has been working hard to make its brand exclusive again after it went through a phase when counterfeiters were “sticking the Burberry check on anything they could,” said Ms Maria Malone, principal lecturer on the fashion business at Manchester Metropolitan University.
“The reason they are doing this is so that 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,” Ms Malone added.
