A simple story about sustainability: natural fiber paper is a growing, marketing trend due to its sustainable look. However, the real value of natural fiber goes beyond its functionality or visual appeal. The brown color is a statement of how the world strives to create more while consuming less. In the world of industry and business, waste is the number one enemy. It endlessly nibbles on time, money, and capital, by very factors spent to fight it. At times, the volume and variety of waste can feel overwhelming, but like any difficult problem, the solution is realized through a series of simple steps. A few steps that the packaging industry is taking or streamlining through supply chains and reducing raw material waste. In paper manufacturing, the processes of bleaching tree fiber wastes a fifth of the raw material. More energy and resources are required to produce the same volume of paper, since this waste occurs so early in the process, it ripples through the rest of the paper’s life-cycle. From the filling of the truck to the filling of a recycling bin, fortunately tree fiber does not need to be bleached to preserve its functionality or safety. So the next time a deli sandwich comes wrapped brown instead of white, remember that the color represents the fifth tree that was not wasted, and that using natural fiber is a simple step towards a sustainable future of creating more while consuming less.