New concepts and ideas come out everyday to overwhelm the society, such as the protection of the environment and of human rights. Some choose to ignore them, some opt to understand them and put them into practice, and some run with them just to be au courant. In the case of eco-friendly bags, manufacturers have decided to run with the idea and make a fortune while consumers want to be trendy. It is questionable how often these bags are RE-used. More often than not, retailers in Hong Kong are replacing paper and plastic shopping bags by nonwoven eco-friendly bags. Whether it be for delivering pizza, buying a pair of shoes, or attending a conference, one will receive branded nonwoven bags. Throughout Hong Kong, more and more people are carrying these types of eco-friendly bags. But does that make Hong Kong an environmental friendly society? Does that create a more educated group of citizens? In comparison with other major cities such as London, Paris, New York and Tokyo, Hong Kong really stands out in using nonwoven bags. It is not difficult to start a collection of these bags. But how environmentally friendly is that if they are not re-used or recycled? Does it create more harm to the environment by mass producing these types of bags? The original intent of creating these eco-friendly bags was so that consumers could re-use them rather than simply replacing the use of plastic and paper bags.
In the case of human rights, one cannot avoid being baffled by Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi prime minister’s comments released by his office the day before Saddam’s execution. He said, "Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence." (Steven Negus and Demetri Sevastopulo, Mixed signals as Iraq braces for the execution of Saddam, Fin. Times, Dec. 30, 2006, at A1.)
Again, another concept misunderstood.
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