Burberry Vows to Stop Burning Unsold Merchandise and Using Real Fur

Burberry is the latest luxury fashion house to ban the use of real fur. In an interview with Business of Fashion, CEO Marco Gobbetti confirmed the brand will no longer use animal fur including rabbit, fox, mink, and Asiatic raccoon fur, as well as angora wool. Newly-appointed creative director Riccardo Tisci also shared the news on Instagram ahead of his Burberry runway debut, writing, "NEW ERA @burberry #modernluxury."

Burberry's existing fur products will be phased out of stores and the brand's ban on fur will be effective immediately, starting with Tisci's first collection at London Fashion Week this September.

The British brand joins a growing list of fashion designers who are opting to halt the use of real fur in their collections. Versace, Gucci, Michael Kors, Tom Ford, Furla, and Givenchy have all recently gone fur-free, joining designers like Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, and Vivienne Westwood, who have been fur-free for years.

In addition to going fur-free, Burberry has also promised another important change: to stop burning all unsold goods. The brand came under fire in July when it was revealed that $36.8 million worth of unsold Burberry products had been burned and destroyed in the 2017 fiscal year. Now, Gobbetti vows that the brand will work towards becoming more eco-conscious, addressing that consumers want to shop products that are better for the environment.

"We think that modern luxury that doesn't take into account the social and environmental responsibility really has no meaning. Now customers are not happy if you don't care about the environment they live in," Gobbetti said.

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.

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