Say It Isn’t So! H&M Throws Away Unsold Clothing

Ever wonder what happens to clothes that don’t sell once their season is over? One would think they would go to clothing outlets or maybe even to charity, but nope — H&M throws unsold clothing away…and slashes the items with blades to make sure no one gets them out of the trash.

Despite the fact that the items are found regularly in New York City based on the New York Times article, after being pressured by consumers on Facebook, H&M said:

H&M is committed to taking responsibility for how our operations affect both people and the environment. Our policy is to donate any damaged usable garments to charity. We’re currently investigating an incident in a NY store that is not representative of our policy.

The Frisky also reports that Wal-Mart uses the same methods to get rid of unsold items. Wal-Mart’s discards have holes poked in them by a machine — they spend money on a piece of technology to ruin clothing instead of donate them to charity? Are we the only ones flabbergasted by this practice?