This has caused a lot of controversy.
Burberry, one of Britain’s leading fashion brands, have burned €28 million worth of clothes and cosmetics, in an attempt to avoid the clothes being counterfeited.
The company burned unsold clothes, as well as accessories and perfume in the value of €32 million, according to its annual report.
The logic behind this process is to ensure that the clothes are not sold at discounted prices.
Retailers claim that it’s also a measure to protect intellectual property.
In a statement given to RTÉ, the company said: “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.”
You can read Burberry’s annual report in full here, which boasts an operating profit of €458 million.
It appears that the burning of unsold clothes is a common occurrence in the fashion industry, with Burberry supposedly having burned of over €100 million worth of clothes and cosmetics in the past five years.
Just a quick look on the Burberry website shows that you can buy a dress that looks more like a poncho than anything for over €14 thousand.
Yep. You read that correctly.
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