A small recycling fee on clothing won’t change how people shop—but a bigger one might.
New research from WEFT, an initiative designed to help the U.K. fashion and textile industry prepare for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation, and Manchester Metropolitan University finds that EPR charges must exceed £0.50 per garment to influence consumer behavior.
The findings, based on a survey of 2,803 U.K. consumers, come as the government plans for textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (tEPR), a policy designed to fund clothing waste management through fees attached to garments. The study suggests that low, symbolic charges are unlikely to drive behavioral change, while higher, visible fees could steer consumers toward products with lower environmental costs.
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Using conjoint analysis to simulate purchasing decisions, researchers identified a behavioral tipping point at 50 pence ($0.66) per garment. Below that level, recycling charges had little effect. Above it, shoppers increasingly opted for items with lower associated fees.
In some scenarios, respondents chose a 20-pound ($26.50) garment with a 30-pence ($0.40) recycling charge over a 15-pound ($19.75) item with a 60-pence ($0.79) charge—suggesting visible environmental costs can outweigh upfront price differences.
When charges reached a pound ($1.32) or more, nearly half of the participants switched to a product with a lower recycling fee. The research also suggested that overall consumer spending remains relatively stable across different charge levels, with shoppers tending to trade up to higher-priced items with lower fees rather than reducing total spend.
For brands, variable changes tied to product design and material choices could create financial incentives to reduce environmental impact. For policymakers, the findings raise a central question: will EPR fees be high enough to change behavior, or remain largely symbolic?
“The U.K. fashion and textile industry is entering a new phase in its sustainability journey, one that demands both honesty and courage,” Kristina Bull, co-founder of WEFT, said. “The data shows clearly that small charges are unlikely to influence behavior, but once charges pass a certain level, they become a powerful signal in purchase decisions.”
WEFT is now calling for real-world retail trials to test whether the same patterns hold in retail settings, as the U.K. inches closer to implementing a national textiles EPR scheme.
“The findings provide important evidence for policymakers and industry designing future textile EPR systems,” said Liz Barnes, a fashion marketing professor and the head of MFI at Manchester Met. “Understanding how shoppers respond to visible charges will be essential to ensure that any system is both affordable and capable of funding effective recycling infrastructure.”
