Consciously or not, when I see brown napkins I tend to assume it’s made with recycled content. And apparently I’m not alone! The Wall Street Journal explores the trend of national chains like Dunkin’ Donuts, Cinnabon, and Target switching over to brown napkins from white ones. One of the primary motivators is the perception of greenness that comes with the brown color. Brown paper products get their distinct color from the presence of recycled fibers that are unbleached. Thanks to these bona fide environmental benefits brown’s the new green!

One of my goals with this blog is to explore the meaning of green and respond to the growing prevalence of greenwashing within the industry. It’s hard to turn on the TV or read a magazine without finding a manufacturer making some kind of environmental claim about their products. While many companies have solid data to support their claims, many leave much to be desired. Now I wonder if we need to keep an eye out for “brownwashing,” products that are intentional dyed brown to appear to contain recycled content.

Do you have a favorite example of green or brown washing?