Brands Destroying Unsold Bags

[mimika]

Coach Promises It Won't Destroy Unwanted Merchandise After Viral Video—But Critic Remains Skeptical

A popular TikTok video accused the brand of slashing unsold bags and throwing them out, despite marketing a “circular” sustainable shopping program Coach (Re)Loved.

www.forbes.com

Is this common practice in the fashion industry? I don't know but it just breaks my heart hearing news like this and it's not the first time. This pandemic also makes me rethink what I need. Because of the lock down I have many beautiful bags just sitting at home since we can't really go anywhere. it's not until recently that things are opening up I begin to look at bags again.

 

[cerulean blue]

Yes, very common. Sometimes it's because the item is defective and passed QC, so the retailer destroys it. Other times, and this reason applies more to luxury brands, is to prevent the item getting into the wrong hands and preventing brand dilution. France recently implemented legislation to prevent this.

To quote The Fashion Law:
"the [fashion] industry, itself, is one of the biggest culprits in terms of the more than €650 million (nearly $710 million) worth of new consumer products that are destroyed or disposed of on an annual basis in France, and the $900 million more worth of unsold items going to landfills, according to Prime minister Édouard Philippe’s office"

and I know this part doesn't specifically target bags, but still..

"In July 2018, Burberry revealed in its 2017/18 annual report that the cost of finished goods physically destroyed in the year was $37.8 million,' that is up from the $35.6 million figure the brand cited for 2017. Swedish fast fashion giant, H&M, had previously made headlines for allegedly burning at least 60 tons of unworn apparel, while Richemont, the parent company to watchmakers Cartier, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, and Vacheron Constantin, among others, made headlines for 'allegedly destroying its expensive, unsold watches.'"

New French Legislation Prohibits the Destruction of Unsold Goods, Including Clothing - The Fashion Law

France is home to the fashion industry’s most esteemed names and as of late last month, it is also on the brink of enacting one of the strongest laws when it comes to the handling of unsold garments and accessories. On the heels of revealing that it was working to draft legislation to ban...

www.thefashionlaw.com

 

[ladysarah]

Yes, very common. Sometimes it's because the item is defective and passed QC, so the retailer destroys it. Other times, and this reason applies more to luxury brands, is to prevent the item getting into the wrong hands and preventing brand dilution. France recently implemented legislation to prevent this.

To quote The Fashion Law:
"the [fashion] industry, itself, is one of the biggest culprits in terms of the more than €650 million (nearly $710 million) worth of new consumer products that are destroyed or disposed of on an annual basis in France, and the $900 million more worth of unsold items going to landfills, according to Prime minister Édouard Philippe’s office"

and I know this part doesn't specifically target bags, but still..

"In July 2018, Burberry revealed in its 2017/18 annual report that the cost of finished goods physically destroyed in the year was $37.8 million,' that is up from the $35.6 million figure the brand cited for 2017. Swedish fast fashion giant, H&M, had previously made headlines for allegedly burning at least 60 tons of unworn apparel, while Richemont, the parent company to watchmakers Cartier, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, and Vacheron Constantin, among others, made headlines for 'allegedly destroying its expensive, unsold watches.'"

New French Legislation Prohibits the Destruction of Unsold Goods, Including Clothing - The Fashion Law

France is home to the fashion industry’s most esteemed names and as of late last month, it is also on the brink of enacting one of the strongest laws when it comes to the handling of unsold garments and accessories. On the heels of revealing that it was working to draft legislation to ban...

www.thefashionlaw.com

Thank you for sharing this! Considering what is going on with the planet, limited resources and climate change - we want to pay attention and boycott brands involved in this wasteful process.

 

[BleuSaphir]

Why on Earth would these premier luxury jewler/watch maker would do this!? That totally shock me more than other brands destroying unsold goods.

 

[pursekitten]

This has been so common for years. I hope more TikTok videos publicly shame brands into ending this practice and just making less products so they don't have to destroy as many things or don't have to destroy anything at all.

Make-up retailers also destroy perfectly good product when it goes unsold.

 

[theposhkat]

I think it is practiced because they don’t want just anyone to wear their brand. The problem is over production.