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Sports and outdoor giant XXL came under fire after a local in Turku found thousands of euros worth of intentionally damaged products in the company’s rubbish bins.
Norwegian sports and outdoor retailer XXL is in the midst of a litter scandal after discovering a large pile of discarded products that would have been good to use if they hadn’t been intentionally slashed open with a knife.
The story has since sparked intense debate about the environmental impact and waste of consumer culture, particularly on social media.
“Sports store XXL Sports & Outdoor could have donated useful goods to Ukraine or to the less fortunate. Instead, useful products were cut with a knife. The earth is drowning in waste and this type of activity is not acceptable for the earth’s carrying capacity,” a Facebook (siirryt toiseen palveluun)comment reads.
Product destruction will only be used as a last resort, XLL said in a press statement on Thursday, adding that such action will only be taken if the defective product becomes a potential hazard or the contract with the supplier requires it.
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Sometimes destruction is the only option, manufacturers say
Yle spoke to two Finnish sporting goods manufacturers, Reima and Halti, who said such retail practices are not uncommon.
However, children’s clothing manufacturer Reima said that the first option when a product is defective should always be to repair it. The company added that it reimburses retailers for repair costs.
Reima added that if the buyer requests a refund or replaces it with a new product, the product’s care instructions must be abridged to indicate that the company has refunded the product.
“As a rule, the product then remains the property of the customer, which means he can do whatever he wants with it. We only take back a defective product if we want to investigate a quality issue,” says Reimas Communications Manager Riikamaria Paakkunainen said Yle.
“We don’t rummage through garbage cans, but our hope is that usable products aren’t destroyed. If a product defect is a hazard, then it is more responsible to destroy it,” she added.
According to Paakkunainen, of all products sold in Reima’s own stores, only 0.21 percent are returned or reimbursed.
Halti Managing Director Aki Kuusilehto Yle said that while the sports and outdoor manufacturer also primarily encourages the repair of defective products, the ultimate decision rests with the consumer.
“I hope that consumers will accept the repair of the product. The purpose of the destruction is to ensure that the products are not returned a second time,” Kuusilehto said, adding that some of the products that cannot be resold are issued to staff for testing.
Halti products were also found in the XXL bins.
Similar to Reima, Halti’s reimbursement percentage is less than one percent, according to Kuusilehto.