Why do your jeans wear out so quickly? - Madhavi Venkatesan

Translator: yitong liu Reviewer: Thomas Tam

The first pairs of jeans were designed for durability.

第一條牛仔褲係諗住襟用嚟做設計

以法國城市 Nîmes 命名

Named for the French city of Nîmes,

denim was constructed as a sturdy cotton weave worn by sailors.

牛仔布係由水手穿嘅結實棉編織而成

This rugged material got even stronger in the 19th century,

19 世紀 Levi Strauss 同 Jacob Davis

when Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis added metal rivets to reinforce stress points.

加上金屬鉚釘增強咗壓力承受 使原先襟用嘅材料變得再襟用啲

Their design introduced a new brand of durable trousers

為加州礦工帶嚟新牌仔至襟嘅褲

for California miners that could withstand years of wear and tear.

能夠抵受經年累月嘅磨損

Over the course of the 20th century,

喺 20 世紀

these working-class pants have transformed into fashion icons.

呢種勞工階層嘅褲 一變成為時尚嘅標誌

But as the demand for jeans has gone up, their durability has gone down.

但由於增加需求 牛仔褲襟用程度降低咗

Today, most pairs last no longer than a year.

依家啲牛仔褲多數都著唔到成年

And each new pair you buy has a much higher cost than you might think.

而每條牛仔褲嘅成本 比你想像中高好多

Every pair of jeans begins its life in a cotton field.

佢嘅生命喺由棉花田開始

It takes about 0.7 kilograms of cotton to produce a single pair of pants.

生產一條褲大約需要 0.7 公斤嘅棉花

Growing this much cotton requires roughly 10,000 liters of water,

要用 10,000 公升嘅水嚟種植佢哋

not to mention various herbicides and pesticides,

重有各種除草劑同殺蟲水呢

which can contaminate groundwater.

冚唪唥都污染地下水

The cotton is harvested by hand or industrial machines

棉花係用人手或者機器嚟採摘

and transported to textile factories where it’s spun into yarn.

然後運送到紡織廠、紡成紗線

At this point, it’s typically combined with plastic fibers like spandex

再結合氨綸等纖維塑料

to increase the yarn’s elasticity.

來增加紗線嘅彈性

These plastic threads make modern jeans more comfortable and flexible,

使到現代嘅牛仔褲更舒適、有彈性

but also much less durable.

但亦都無咁襟用

Next, the yarn is dyed jeans’ trademark blue.

跟著紗線染成標誌著牛仔褲嘅藍色

Historically, this color came from natural plant-derived indigo.

以前原本係用天然植物嘅靛藍

But most modern manufacturers use a synthetic dye

但多數製造商依家已經改用

made from petroleum byproducts and toxic chemicals.

由石油副產品同有毒化學品合成嘅染料

Once dyed, the cotton-plastic blend is woven into denim sheets,

染色後，把棉塑料混紡編織成牛仔布

which are then cut and sewn into jeans.

再裁剪、縫製成牛仔褲

After assembly, some jeans undergo additional procedures

有啲牛仔褲製成後需要額外加工

to get a distressed look.

造成褪色嘅效果

This often includes chemical sprays and multiple cycles of acid-washing,

呢個過程通常包括化學噴霧 同多次酸洗嘅處理

the toxic runoff can turn rivers indigo-blue.

啲有毒嘅水將河流變成靛藍色

Finally, there are the zippers, buttons, and rivets

最後，重有由銅同其他金屬製成嘅

made of copper and other metals,

拉鍊、鈕扣同鉚釘

whose mining is yet another source of environmental degradation.

開採呢啲金屬又係污染環境嘅源頭

All in all, the manufacturing process for a single pair of jeans

總之一條牛仔褲嘅製造過程

emits over 33 kilograms of carbon—

要排放超過 33 公斤嘅碳——

the equivalent of driving over 110 kilometers.

相當於開車超過 110 公里

But this process doesn't just damage the environment.

但係嗰個過程唔單止破壞緊環境

Much of the world’s cotton is grown in developing countries,

多數棉花都係出自發展中國家

with poor labor practices and few protections for workers.

呢啲國家勞動效率低 對工人保障又少

通常使用細路同強迫勞動力去採摘棉花

Cotton here is often picked by children or forced labor,

and most jean manufacturing plants frequently expose workers

多數製造牛仔褲嘅工人喺生產過程中

to toxic chemicals throughout production.

都暴露喺有毒嘅化學品度

One particularly dangerous technique called sandblasting

有一種特別危險嘅、叫做噴砂技術

involves spraying jeans with fine sand at high pressures

需要喺高壓下 將啲細沙噴喺牛仔褲上面

and has been linked with numerous cases of incurable and often fatal lung disease.

呢種做法與好多無法治愈 同致命嘅肺部病例有關

Like many globally produced products,

同好多全球性嘅產品一樣

jeans are made in poor countries and bought in rich ones.

牛仔褲喺窮國製造後運去富有國家嚟銷售

All these pants will likely be washed dozens or even hundreds of times per year.

每年呢啲牛仔褲 都要洗幾十、甚至幾百次

This energy intensive process breaks down the plastics woven into each pair,

呢種能源密集型嘅過程 會分解牛仔褲嘅塑料

releasing microplastics into the water

甩出啲微塑料落水度

and, perhaps most ironic of all, shortening the jean’s lifespan.

最諷刺嘅係清洗過程 縮短咗牛仔褲嘅壽命

Like most waste, discarded jeans end up in landfills,

最後唔著嘅褲就好似垃圾咁 揼喺堆填區度

where their decomposition releases methane gas,

牛仔褲嘅分解會釋放甲烷氣體

while their dyes and plastics leach into the soil and groundwater.

染料同塑料會滲入泥土同地下水

Some companies are working on solutions here,

有啲公司正喺度研究解決方案

from using organic cotton to recycling and reusing denim.

從使用有機棉 到回收牛仔布再利用

You can also help reduce the environmental impact of your favorite pants

再售賣二手牛仔褲 藉此減少褲嘅需求數目

by buying used jeans and buying fewer pairs altogether.

你也可以幫助 減少鍾意嘅褲對環境嘅影響

Denim manufacturers also recommend only washing your jeans once every 10 wears.

牛仔布製造商重建議 牛仔褲穿十次先洗一次

And, when possible, air dry your pants to reduce energy consumption.

若條件許可 風乾條褲減少消耗能量

Life cycle and labor problems like these extend far beyond just jeans.

問題唔單止牛仔褲本身 仲有生命週期同勞動力

Some governments are pursuing policies to make companies more responsible

有啲政府正係推行政策 喺工人工資同福利方面

for worker pay and welfare,

要企業承擔更多責任

but unsustainable practices still run rampant throughout the fashion industry.

但喺整個時裝界 依然故我哋破壞環境

So when the price tags on your clothes seem like a steal,

衣服標籤價格 並不等同已竊取嘅資源

it’s important to consider who’s actually being robbed.

係時候諗返下邊個先係 真正被剝削嘅人