Burberry Backlash Returns After Reports It Destroyed $37M of Unsold Clothing

A resurfaced Reddit thread has reignited criticism of Burberry after reports that the company destroyed roughly $37 million worth of unsold products in 2018. The post renewed debate about a controversial industry practice: deliberately disposing of perfectly usable garments to protect brand value and price points.

What Was Reported

BBC coverage at the time said that "fashion firms including Burberry destroy unwanted items to prevent them being stolen or sold cheaply." The figure widely cited — about $37 million in unsold goods in 2018 — helped focus attention on how luxury and fast-fashion brands manage excess inventory.

Industry Scale And Context

More recent reporting has placed the issue in a broader context: The Guardian estimated in 2024 that between 10% and 40% of clothing produced each year is never sold. Many industry observers say deliberate destruction is one tactic used to preserve "brand exclusivity" and high retail prices.

Regulatory Response

European regulators have moved to curb the practice. In France, the Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law (AGEC), enacted in 2020, makes it illegal to destroy unsold non-food goods — including clothing, cosmetics and electronics — and requires companies to donate, reuse, or recycle those items instead. At the EU level, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into effect in 2024, further restricts the destruction of certain categories of unsold consumer products.

Environmental And Social Costs

When brands incinerate or otherwise dispose of unsold garments, the environmental cost goes beyond the value of the items themselves. The water, energy, labor and raw materials used to produce those garments are effectively wasted. The impact is especially severe for garments made with synthetic fibers: plastic-based textiles contribute pollution during manufacturing and can release greenhouse gases and microplastics if burned or sent to landfill.

Why Critics Say This Matters

Critics argue the practice reflects systemic overproduction across the fashion industry. Instead of scaling back production or investing in repair, resale, donation and recycling systems, some companies have treated destruction as a routine expense to protect pricing and perceived scarcity. That shifts environmental and social costs onto communities and ecosystems.

Voices From Social Media

"And that is why governments need to regulate corporations. The 'social responsibility' and 'green' initiatives are a farce to make people feel good about buying their brand."

"Emissions when you synthesize the plastic fabric! Emissions when you burn it! Gotta love trash fashion. Sorry, I mean fast fashion."

"You know, they could have what they wanted if they just manufactured less …"

What Can Change

Regulation like France’s AGEC and the EU’s ESPR is pushing companies away from destruction and toward donation, reuse and recycling. Industry solutions include producing less, improving inventory forecasting, investing in repair and resale channels, and switching to more durable, non-plastic materials. Consumers can help by buying fewer, longer-lasting items and choosing products with lower environmental footprints.

Bottom line: The resurfaced Reddit thread may have focused public attention on Burberry, but the controversy highlights a wider, systemic challenge in fashion — one that regulators, companies and consumers all have a role in addressing.