The upmarket clothing line, famous for its checked design, has destroyed £90m of products in the past five years
DESIGNER fashion label Burberry BURNT £28million worth of clothes last year, it has been reported.
The upmarket clothing line, famous for its checked design, has destroyed £90m of products in the past five years, reports.
It comes as insiders claim luxury brands destroy unsold products to prevent them being sold at discount prices on the "grey market" to the "wrong people", the paper reported.
Burberry today said it strove to act in a "responsible" manner when disposing of stock, saying there were "careful processes" in place to minimise the amount of waste.
It comes as The Times claimed shareholders were unhappy with the amount of clothes destroyed, with one asking why the unsold products were not offered to the company’s private investors at a meeting last week.
Burberry, which is valued at £9.6bn by Forbes, said it took the issue of waste "extremely seriously" and that it uses special incinerators to harness the energy.
The company, which has featured famous models including Cara Delevingne, Sienna Miller, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Romeo Beckham in its campaigns, said the practice of destroying excess stock was common across the retail industry.
According to the report into excess waste, the value of products destroyed increased by half in the last two years.
To put that into context - you could buy 20,000 of its notoriously expensive trench coats with the £28m destroyed items.
The Times had also contacted a number of brands, including Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham, to find out how their waste was handled.
TODAY, Burberry is synonymous with high fashion and luxury.
But the famous brand faced an uphill battle when EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook was photographed head to toe in Burberry in 2002.
The snap, showing the actress' daughter in a matching outfit, was the culmination in the brand's fall from exclusive to overexposed.
The brand had also become synonymous with footballer's wives - with girlfriends and fans of the sport decked out in the famous checked print.
Knock-offs also didn't help, with the Burberry check copied across the world.
, fashion designer and retailer Alex Eagle said: "The print had been too overexposed and that image shows it became synonymous with ostentatious luxury."
The brand began a revamp - convicing the fashion world it was again cutting edge with eye-catching bags and new designs.
Under the leadership of designer Christopher Bailey, the brand's share prices rose 729 per cent.
It now pulls in big names like Cara Delevingne and Eddie Redmayne as faces of the brand.
Mr Eagle said: "Burberry previously was synonymous with bad taste. Now it has an identity which feels very British and can be sold around the world."
Only Temperley replied, saying its unsold clothes were either donated to charity or sold at a discount outlet.
It has previously emerged Richemont, the owner of Cartier and Montblanc, destroyed more than £400million worth of watches in two years.
And more than 15 tonnes of H&M stock was burnt last year, helping to power a small Swedish city, Vasteras, instead of using coal.
Louis Vuitton has also been named as a brand that burns its unsold bags.
Burberry has been embraced by famous faces around the world - and Kylie Jenner is no exception.
The new mum shared a snap of herself cradling her baby daughter Stormi, with the five-month-old dressed in the designer threads.
In the photo, Stormi is wearing a Burberry dress made from the fashion house's iconic checked print and Kylie is shielding her face from the lens.
Although perhaps a little classier, the photograph is reminiscent of the day former EastEnders actress Dannielle dressed herself and her daughter Jo head-to-toe in Burberry.
Earlier this year, Danniella proved she is STILL a fan of the designer when she was spotted in London branch of the fashion store.
Burberry's lines are traditionally mega expensive, with its cheapest rucksack retailing for £950 in the Far East.
The brand's iconic Chelsea Heritage Trench Coat costs £1,450, while shirts can cost up to £790.
Meanwhile, those hoping to get their hands on a signature bag have to fork out at least £1,390.
Bosses have recently vowed to slash prices by four per cent in Chinese markets to help sales.
Britons chucked out £12.5 billion worth of clobber last year, sending 300,000 tonnes to landfill.
A Burberry spokesperson said: "Burberry has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock we produce.
"On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, we do so in a responsible manner and we continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue our waste.
"This is a core part of our Responsibility strategy to 2022 and we have forged partnerships and committed support to innovative organizations to help reach this goal.
"One example is our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular Initiative, where we join other leading organisations to work towards a circular fashion economy."
