Burberry burns $38 million of unsold products

LONDON – Instead of marking down prices or giving away goods to those less fortunate, fashion company Burberry burned $38 million worth of unsold items so as not to hurt their brand.

CBS reports the company continued its annual tradition of trashing the goods rather than offer them at lower prices. Burberry also destroyed items in 2016 and 2017.

According to the report, a third of the burned items were beauty products.

Burberry's outgoing chairman, John Peace, told Bloomberg that destroying the items is "not something we do lightly."

However, many of the company's shareholders are asking why they weren't given the opportunity to buy goods before they were destroyed, and some wondering if the incineration harms the environment.

Many high-end companies trash their own products to make sure their brand remains strong instead of ending up at discount retailers.