Burberry is burning unsold stock to stop it falling into the wrong hands.

The luxury label destroyed more than £28 million ($37 million) of goods in the last 12 months.

Burberry said it takes the issue of waste "extremely seriously".

They said that they used specialist incinerators that harness energy from the process.



Burberry has been burning millions of pounds worth of stock in order to stop it getting into the wrong hands, reports say.

The luxury label, famous for its trench coats and handbags, has destroyed more than £28 million of unwanted products in the last 12 months.

According to The Times, it is common for designer brands to destroy unwanted stock in order to stop them being sold at discount prices.

The brands want to preserve the exclusivity of their goods and prevent them from falling into the hands of illegal counterfeiters.

Burberry admitted that unwanted stock had been burnt but said that they used specialist incinerators that harness energy from the process.

Emma Watson. Marie Claire

The company told the newspaper it takes the issue of waste "extremely seriously".

But the value of the brand’s waste is six times higher now than in 2013, with more than £90 million of Burberry products destroyed over the past five years, according to the newspaper.

Destroying products has become common practice for the industry, with retailers describing it as a measure to protect intellectual property and prevent illegal counterfeiting by ensuring the supply chain remains intact.

Luxury brands including Chanel and Louis Vuitton also burn or destroy unsold stock.

Environmentalists have criticised the practise of destroying unwanted goods in the past.

H&M has previously sent unsold stock to the Swedish city of Vasteras where it was burnt instead of coal to generate electricity.

Richemont, the owner of Cartier and Montblanc, destroyed more than £400 million of watches over a two-year period after an excess in goods in the Asian markets.

Nike has also admitted that a New York store slashed unsold trainers before throwing them away and last year an Urban Outfitters employee said he was instructed to "pour green paint” on unsold stock.