Part of the problem is that neither manufacturers nor customers understand much about how and when clothing purchases degrade the environment, since these can occur anywhere from the harvest of cotton or the manufacture of synthetic fibers to how—and how often—the garment must be washed.
还有一个问题就是，制造商和消费者们都不大清楚服装购买行为如何以及何时导致了环境的恶化。因为这可以发生在任何环节，从棉花的收获、合成纤维制品的生产，到人们洗衣服的过程以及洗衣服的次数。
In their efforts to buy green, customers tend to focus on packaging and chemicals, issues that do not 16)factor in with clothing. Likewise, they purchase “natural” fibers like cotton, believing they are good for the environment. But that is not always the case: while so-called organic cotton is exemplary in the way it avoids pesticides, cotton garments 17)squander energy because they must be washed frequently at high temperatures, and generally require tumble-drying and ironing. Sixty percent of the carbon emissions generated by a simple cotton T-shirt comes from the 25 washes and machine dryings it will require, the Cambridge study found.
消费者在努力追求“绿色消费”时，倾向于关注包装和化学品方面的问题，这种思维方式对于服装业是不适用的。同样，他们购买“自然”的纤维，比如棉花，认为棉花对环境有利。而事实并不完全如此：虽然所谓的有机棉因无需使用杀虫剂而受到推崇，但因为棉制服装必须在高温下反复清洗，并且一般都需要甩干和熨烫，所以它们浪费能源。剑桥大学研究发现，一件简单的棉制T恤的60％的二氧化碳排放量，来自于它所经过的25次洗涤和机器烘干。
A polyester blouse, by contrast, takes more energy to make, since synthetic fabric comes from materials like wood and oil. But the 18)upkeep is far more fuel-efficient, since polyester cleans more easily and dries faster.
相比之下，一件含聚酯成分的罩衫在制作过程中需要消耗更多能源，因为合成纤维是从树木和石油这样的材料中提炼出来的。但是，由于聚酯衣料容易洗、干得快，所以在维护方面更节能。
Over a lifetime, a polyester blouse uses less energy than a cotton T-shirt.
在整个使用寿命中，一件含聚酯成分的罩衫要比一件棉制T恤更节约能源。
The report suggests that retailers could begin to lease clothes for a season (just as wedding stores rent 19)tuxedos) or buy back old clothes from customers at a discount, for recycling.
报告建议，服装行业的零售商可以先试着用一个季度来租赁服装（就如同婚纱店出租男士晚礼服那样），或者从顾客手中折价买回旧衣服，以循环再利用。
But experiments along these lines have 20)faltered. A decade ago, Hanna Andersson, an eco-conscious American clothing company, tried offering mail-order customers 20% credit toward new purchases if they sent back their used garments. This “hannadowns” program was canceled after two years.
但走这些路子的实验曾经失败过。十年前，汉那·安德森——一个具有环保意识的美国服装公司尝试向再次购买产品的邮购顾客提供20％的优惠，前提是他们必须寄回他们的旧衣服。但这个“汉那循环”计划实行了两年就被取消了。
To cut back the use of carbons and make fashion truly sustainable, shoppers will have “to own less, to have less stuff,” Dr. Allwood said. “And that is a very hard sell.”
要降低二氧化碳耗费量，使时尚真正可持续发展，购物者必须“少占有，少藏衣。”奥尔伍德博士说，“在顾客中推广这种理念确实非常困难。”
And so 21)Marks & Spencer is thinking about whether its customers will be willing to change their buying habits, to pay more for less-fashionable but “sustainable” garments. After all, consumers have shown a willingness to pay more for clothes not made in 21)sweatshops, and some are unwilling to buy diamonds because of forced labor in African mines.
于是，马莎百货公司在考虑他们的顾客是否愿意改变购物习惯，多花一点钱购买不那么时尚但“符合可持续发展”的衣服。毕竟，消费者已经显示，他们愿意花较多的钱买非血汗工厂生产出来的衣服，还有一些消费者因为非洲矿山里的强迫劳动而不愿意购买钻石。
