After major criticism from environmentalists and Greenpeace, British fashion house, Burberry has ended its practice of destroying unsaleable products and will go fur-free, both with immediate effect. News broke that in the last five years, the company had destroyed unsold clothes, accessories and perfumes worth over  £90m to protect the brand and its products from getting stolen and sold cheaply. In retaliation, Burberry claimed that the energy used to destroy these products were captured (insert meaning of captured here) which made it environmentally friendly.

On September 6th, Burberry sent out a press release stating that they’ve officially stopped destroying unsaleable merchandise immediately and have put a ban on fur in time for Riccardo Tisci’s debut collection for Burberry and will phase out any existing fur products. “Most British consumers don’t want anything to do with the cruelty of fur and so this is absolutely the right decision by this quintessentially British brand. And as fashion week kicks off today in New York, Burberry’s compassionate stance couldn’t have come at a better time, sending a strong message to designers like Prada still using fur, who are looking more and more isolated and outdated by the day,” explained Director of International Media Humane Society International UK, Wendy Higgins.

Marco Gobbetti, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”

The luxury and fast fashion industry still has leaps and bounds to go before becoming completely ethical and sustainable but this is a step in the right direction. 

You can read Burberry’s official press release here.