Fast fashion retailers in the UK may be taxed to fund an annual recycling program. The taxation and recycling program would reward retailers who make conscientious efforts to improve sustainability in their supply chains.

The UK consumes more clothing per person than any other country in Europe. Ten of the country’s biggest high-street brands have been asked to disclose their environmental impact. The appetite for clothes comes with a huge social and environmental price tag: carbon emissions, water use, chemical and plastic pollution.

While most of the onus will be on companies, citizens will be encouraged to learn how to repair and reuse what they already own, in part by reducing taxes on repair services and offering lessons in school on creating and mending clothing. Consumers will be encouraged to buy less, mend, rent and share more. The aim is to end the era of throwaway fashion by incentivizing companies that offer sustainable designs and repair services.

When it comes to fast fashion, few retailers have the speed and scale of the UK’s industry giants. But companies like Asos, Boohoo and Missguided may soon have to pay a price for the flood of new clothes and accessories they put into the world every year.