H&M and Wal-Mart Destroy and Trash Unsold Goods

Photo: Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

In this article from YAHOO, written by Joanna Douglass, it was revealed that two of the United States' biggest retailers, H&M and WAL-MART, were destroying unsold garments instead of donating or reselling the goods. Originally reported by Jim Dwyer in the NYTIMES, a NYC woman found many trash bags at the back entrance of H&M on 35th street containing unused, unworn and mostly cut up clothing that were being discarded almost daily. A few doors down on 35th Street, hundreds of garments tagged for sale in Wal-Mart — hoodies and T-shirts and pants — were discovered in trash bags the week before Christmas, apparently dumped by a contractor for Wal-Mart that has space on the block. To add insult, New York Cares, an organization that collects donations of coats and used clothing, is located just blocks from theses stores. It is this type of systemic waste and concern for the bottom line across many industries in the U.S. that has continued to tarnish the image of the U.S. In this time of massive unemployment, foreclosure and a flailing economy, it is shameful that these places of business are not working harder to donate or recycle goods otherwise deemed unusable.

After initial statements by both retailers claiming to be unaware of the disposal of clothing, representatives from H&M and Wal-Mart have ensured that the incident would not happen again and that common practice is to donate these type of items.