Is Burberry Fast Fashion? How Ethical & Sustainable is Burberry

No, Burberry is not a fast fashion brand. Its business model is rooted in luxury craftsmanship, seasonal collections, and timeless design, which stands in direct contrast to the rapid, high-volume, trend-driven model of fast fashion.

While Burberry has made significant positive strides in sustainability and transparency, particularly for a luxury house, it still faces challenges in ensuring living wages throughout its entire supply chain and achieving full environmental accountability. Here’s what you need to know about Burberry's practices:

Why Burberry Isn't Fast Fashion

Burberry's production model aligns with traditional luxury fashion standards, prioritizing quality and heritage over the speed and disposability that define fast fashion.

• Slower Production Cycles: Unlike fast fashion brands that drop new items weekly, Burberry releases collections seasonally, aligned with major fashion weeks. The average time from design to a store shelf is 6-12 months, allowing for careful development and manufacturing.
• Luxury Price Point: Burberry's pricing reflects its position as a luxury brand. With T-shirts starting at $150, iconic trench coats costing $1,200-$2,500, and handbags exceeding $2,000, its products are priced for longevity and investment, not impulse buys.
• Focus on Quality and Heritage: The brand emphasizes craftsmanship and high-quality materials like organic cotton, wool, and fine leather. Its designs, especially heritage pieces like the trench coat, are intended to last for years or decades, not just a single season.
• Original Design Philosophy: Burberry is a trendsetter, not a trend replicator. Its runway shows at London Fashion Week often influence industry trends, and the brand is known for its original, heritage-inspired designs rather than quickly copying styles seen elsewhere.
• Controlled Production Volume: While still a large company, Burberry produces far fewer styles than fast fashion giants. It offers approximately 10,000-15,000 different products annually, focusing on exclusivity rather than the mass-market volume of brands that can release that many styles in a single month.

Is Burberry Ethical?

Burberry has taken substantial steps towards ethical practices, but there are notable gaps between its commitments and its performance across a complex global supply chain.

Labor Practices

Burberry publishes a list of its Tier 1 suppliers, offering a degree of transparency not always seen in luxury fashion. Manufacturing in the UK and Italy generally adheres to strict European labor laws. However, reports from audits in its Asian supply chain hubs have flagged issues like excessive overtime and wages that fall below living wage standards. For example, some factory workers in Asia reportedly earn around $180-$250 per month, while the estimated living wage for the region is closer to $350-$400.

Supply Chain Transparency

The brand participates in third-party audits like SMETA, and some suppliers hold SA8000 certification. However, a full picture is difficult to ascertain, as transparency beyond Tier 1 (direct suppliers) is limited, and the detailed results of its factory audits are not made public. This makes it challenging to verify that fair labor conditions are met in the farms and mills that supply its raw materials.

Animal Welfare

Burberry has made positive moves in animal welfare, most notably banning the use of real fur in 2018. The brand uses wool certified by the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and sources leather from tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG). Despite these efforts, it continues to use down and exotic skins, with very limited transparency about their origins.

Where Burberry Falls Short Ethically

• Living Wages: There is no evidence that Burberry ensures a living wage is paid to all workers throughout its entire supply chain, especially in its Asian manufacturing facilities.
• Incomplete Transparency: While it discloses its list of primary factories, the brand lacks transparency for its Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, where raw materials are processed and sourced.
• Use of Controversial Materials: The sourcing of exotic skins and down remains a black box, raising ethical questions that animal welfare advocates might find concerning.

Is Burberry Sustainable?

Burberry shows a strong commitment to improving its environmental footprint, backed by ambitious goals and key certifications, though its large scale still presents significant challenges.

Materials & Sourcing

Approximately 30-40% of Burberry's materials are considered sustainable, including organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Econyl® (regenerated nylon). The brand is a B Corp Certified company, which requires it to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This is a significant achievement that sets it apart from many of its luxury peers.

Environmental Impact

Burberry has set a science-based target to become net-zero across its entire value chain by 2040. It powers its own operations with 100% renewable energy and has made commitments to reduce water consumption in its supply chain. However, comprehensive data on its Scope 3 emissions - which include the impact of raw material sourcing and logistics - remains a work in progress, making it hard to measure its full impact.

Circularity & Waste

The company famously ended its practice of destroying unsold goods in 2018 after public outcry. Today, it focuses on repurposing deadstock fabrics and has launched initiatives for product repair and resale to extend the life of its garments. While promising, customer participation in these take-back and recycling programs remains relatively low.

Sustainability Goals & Progress

As a signatory of the Fashion Pact and a partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Burberry is actively engaged in industry-wide sustainability efforts. Key goals include sourcing 100% sustainable materials by 2025 and achieving full carbon neutrality. While progress is being made, achieving these ambitious targets across a global supply chain remains a significant undertaking.

Where Burberry Falls Short on Sustainability

• Scope 3 Emissions: The brand acknowledges its supply chain is the largest source of its carbon footprint but has yet to provide full, transparent data on these indirect emissions.
• Material Composition: While increasing the use of sustainable fabrics, a significant portion (60-70%) of its materials are still conventional, including synthetics and non-organic cotton.
• Circularity at Scale: Repair, resale, and recycling programs are in place but are not yet robust enough to create a truly circular model at the scale of Burberry's production.

Our Verdict: Burberry's Ethical & Sustainability Grades

Burberry is making credible and significant efforts to operate more responsibly, placing it ahead of many luxury competitors. However, the brand is not without its flaws, and its massive scale means even small gaps in policy can have a large impact.

Ethical Practices: B

Burberry earns a B for its solid ethical framework, which includes a ban on fur, the use of certified materials, and above-average supply chain transparency for a luxury brand. Points are deducted for the lack of a proven living wage across its entire supply chain and limited visibility into its raw material suppliers, where labor risks can be high.

Sustainability: B

The brand receives a B for sustainability due to its ambitious net-zero by 2040 target, B Corp certification, and commitment to renewable energy. It has shown tangible progress in increasing its use of sustainable materials. However, it falls short of an A because a large portion of its collection still uses conventional materials, and its complete environmental impact (including Scope 3 emissions) remains partially obscured.

Ethical & Sustainable Alternatives to Burberry

If you're seeking luxury brands with an even deeper commitment to ethical production and environmental stewardship, consider these alternatives:

Stella McCartney

A pioneer in sustainable luxury, Stella McCartney is a cruelty-free and vegan brand that uses innovative materials like mushroom leather and recycled fabrics. The PETA-approved and B Corp certified company offers complete supply chain transparency and has been a leader in circular fashion initiatives from the start.

Shop now at stellamccartney.com

Patagonia

While focused on outdoor gear, Patagonia's commitment to ethics and sustainability is unparalleled, offering a style of functional luxury. The B Corp and Fair Trade Certified brand uses 100% recycled or organic materials, provides ironclad lifetime repairs, and donates 1% of sales to environmental causes.

Shop now at patagonia.com

Everlane

Known for modern basics and "radical transparency," Everlane reveals the costs and factories behind each product. It focuses on timeless designs, uses a high percentage of recycled and organic materials, and is committed to being carbon neutral, offering a more accessible price point for ethically-made staples.

Shop now at everlane.com

Veja

Veja creates stylish sneakers and accessories using organic cotton, wild rubber from the Amazon, and recycled materials. The brand is famous for its extreme transparency, Fair Trade practices that support Brazilian cooperatives, and a business model that rejects advertising to invest more in ethical production.

Shop now at veja-store.com

Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman designs vibrant, high-end womenswear with a deep commitment to sustainable materials like TENCEL™ and organic cotton. The brand ensures fair labor by producing a significant portion of its collection in the USA, maintains extensive supply chain transparency, and focuses on creating long-lasting, timeless pieces.

Shop now at marahoffman.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Burberry stop burning its unsold stock?

Burberry publicly announced it would stop the practice of destroying unsold goods in 2018. This decision came after intense public backlash and media pressure when it was revealed the company had destroyed over £28 million worth of products in a single year to protect brand exclusivity. The move was part of a larger strategy to improve its public image and sustainability credentials.

Is Burberry B Corp certified?

Yes, Burberry became a B Corp Certified company in late 2021. This certification legally requires the company to consider the impact of its decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. It undergoes a rigorous verification process to meet high standards of social and environmental performance.

Is Burberry's leather ethically sourced?

Burberry has taken steps to improve its leather sourcing by joining the Leather Working Group (LWG), which audits tanneries for environmental performance. While this is a positive step, LWG certification does not cover animal welfare or full traceability back to the farm. Therefore, while its leather processing is more sustainable, the overall ethical sourcing remains only partially transparent.