British fashion house Burberry said Thursday it will stop burning unsold goods and using real fur in response to criticism on social media and from environmental activists.
The ban on burning unsold products comes into immediate effect, Burberry said in a statement.
“This commitment builds on the goals that we set last year as part of our five-year responsibility agenda and is supported by our new strategy, which is helping tackle the causes of waste,” the statement added.
In July, it was revealed that Burberry destroyed clothes and perfume worth over $36 million in 2017. Fashion firms usually destroy unwanted goods to prevent them being sold cheaply.
The luxury goods manufacturer also said it would start phasing out all real fur products. It said for many years it had restricted its use of fur to rabbit, fox, mink and Asiatic racoon.
“Going forward, these and Angora will be banned,” the statement said.
The animal rights group behind a recent #FurFreeBritain social media campaign, Human Society International, welcomed the decision.
“As fashion week kicks off today in New York, Burberry’s compassionate stance couldn’t have come at a better time,” said the organization’s director of international media, Wendy Higgins, in an email.
Higgins added that the fashion house was “very wise” to end its association with fur, citing animal welfare concerns and describing brands who continue to use it as “isolated and outdated.”
Burberry chief executive Marco Gobbetti said the company was committed to applying its creative talent to finding positive solutions across the company.
“Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible,” Gobbetti said. “This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success.”
Burberry said it had gone into partnership with sustainable luxury company Elvis & Kresse to transform 120 tons of leather offcuts into new products over the next five years.