“The material out of which the familiar grocery bag is made is known as Kraft paper, after the German word denoting power, force, and strength. The name thus connotes the familiar toughness of the bag. Kraft paper is made from a pulping process employing a long-fibered softwood like southern pine. When the paper is unbleached, the familiar brown paper bag results. Bleached Kraft paper is usually used in making bakery bags, the white paper suggesting a cleaner container. . . .”

—Henry Petroski, Small Things Considered, 2003.