US leathergoods brand Coach has issued a statement after a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, claiming to show how unwanted handbags, shoes and a jacket had been intentionally “slashed” by the company, went viral recently, reports Leatherbiz.

Coach Re(Loved) pop-up – Credit Coach

Coach wrote an official note, again published via social media, which appeared to acknowledge wrongdoing on its part. 

Responding to the criticism it had received in the wake of the clip, it said: “We have now ceased destroying in-store returns and unsalable goods and are dedicated to maximising such products’ reuse in our Coach (Re)Loved and other circularity programmes. We will continue to develop and implement solutions to responsibly repurpose, recycle and reuse excess or damaged products.”

A bill which would ban the destruction of unsold or returned consumer products in France is widely expected to come into law sometime before 2023.