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It's official: 'going organic' and 'environmental awareness' are the buzzwords of the moment. Kind of like what the Kabbalah movement was for the 90s and Noughties. Oh well, I guess every decade has to have a bandwagon for the masses to jump on.
It's official: 'going organic' and 'environmental awareness' are the buzzwords of the moment. Kind of like what the Kabbalah movement was for the 90s and Noughties. Oh well, I guess every decade has to have a bandwagon for the masses to jump on.
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Pardon my cynicism, I've nothing against the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). It's just a bit alarming that conglomerates the world over seem to be cashing in on this renewed interest in conservation, by offering the public 'environmentally sustainable' products and services at astronomical prices. (RM136 for plain ol' cleansing foam? Makes you wonder if 'doing your bit for the planet' is really something only the rich can afford, especially here in Malaysia where income inequality is still very much an issue of great concern.)
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But I digress.
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Extensive media coverage over the past week was devoted to the Selangor state government's implementation of a ‘No Plastic Bag’ day, to be observed every Saturday by the state's retailers and shopping centres effective Jan 1. Hot on the heels of this news item was The Edge Weekly's latest issue, which featured an assortment of environmentally sound everyday items guaranteed to 'help [the average Malaysian consumer] go organic easily'.
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Extensive media coverage over the past week was devoted to the Selangor state government's implementation of a ‘No Plastic Bag’ day, to be observed every Saturday by the state's retailers and shopping centres effective Jan 1. Hot on the heels of this news item was The Edge Weekly's latest issue, which featured an assortment of environmentally sound everyday items guaranteed to 'help [the average Malaysian consumer] go organic easily'.
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What I found particularly interesting was the inclusion of a range of organic cotton shopping bags by Marks & Spencer, two of which feature portraits of fashion icon Twiggy and supermodel Erin O’Connor. (Note: M&S actually announced the launch of these bags back in 2007. I'm a bit mystified by why it took so long for this news to surface in the Malaysian press. Still, better late than never.)
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Chic? Yes. Clever? Absolutely. You can't argue that this isn't a smart move by M&S: encouraging the public to go green by offering them an eye-catching alternative to boring plastic bags. You get to feel superior carrying around a cool bag that screams “eco-chic!”, and we collectively cut down on our usage of plastic bags.
Chic? Yes. Clever? Absolutely. You can't argue that this isn't a smart move by M&S: encouraging the public to go green by offering them an eye-catching alternative to boring plastic bags. You get to feel superior carrying around a cool bag that screams “eco-chic!”, and we collectively cut down on our usage of plastic bags.
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Would I buy it? Well, for RM25 a pop, I don't see why not. But I'm not convinced you can fit a whole lot of stuff in these bags. So you'll either have to buy more than one to accommodate a week's worth of food shopping, or else really cut down on how much you buy at the grocer's. While I commend M&S for marrying environmentalism with style, I'd rather spend a bit extra and buy something more practical, like these Reisenthel foldable trolleys (approx. RM84):
Would I buy it? Well, for RM25 a pop, I don't see why not. But I'm not convinced you can fit a whole lot of stuff in these bags. So you'll either have to buy more than one to accommodate a week's worth of food shopping, or else really cut down on how much you buy at the grocer's. While I commend M&S for marrying environmentalism with style, I'd rather spend a bit extra and buy something more practical, like these Reisenthel foldable trolleys (approx. RM84):
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Image courtesy of Reisenthel
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