As per a French government official, France plans to stop companies from destroying unsold items. The government has urged brands to tackle the matter at the industry level and also revealed that it too would pursue a ban. This pledge comes after Burberry Group Plc revealed its plan to end this practice last year after the disclosure that the UK trenchcoat maker had destroyed almost $37 million worth of unsold goods in 2017.

While mass-market apparel brands often mark down goods until their shelves are cleared, luxury labels have long preferred to burn some unsold items or bury them in landfills rather than risk damage to their image that might come from having them spotted in discount bins.

Finding other ways to dispose of $2,500 jackets or $1,000 shoes will be challenging for luxury brands that don’t want to give away unsold items, since the array of materials in them could make recycling difficult.