Or green or blue or red. That is the rainbow i have had across the door mat this past month. I suspect we all get days when there is a stack of envelopes most of which are clearly unsolicited ie credit card companies begging for our custom (blessedly absent now) and charities after our money. All senders want us to open their envelope, even if the others are ignored. Hence the use of lurid dye to attract our attention i assume, like the kid holding up a hand in class and crying ‘me miss, pick me’. I of course open all such envelopes whether white ot coloured, if only to decide what can be recycled, or what envelopes would be useful for private mail. But supposing i were seduced by a pretty colour and opened something from Amnesty or Age Concern or the Cats Protection League despite not being an habitual giver to charity. Do i therefore give, just because i have taken the time to open the envelope? Or do i just say ‘huh, only a begging letter’ and bin it anyway? Are there stats to show it the former outcome is the most likely? Or are charities whistling in the dark and hoping to hear an echo? I suspect that if this was a tactic which worked then all charities would use bright envelopes and checking for a post delivery would entail first donning dark glasses and ensuring the Migraleve tablets were to hand.

My issue here is that as paper tends to start out white or beige in colour, which pallor in itself is likely to be achieved through the use of bleach. This is not an eco-friendly process, and if a charity is then using a dye which, even if not eco-toxic, is unecessary and must add to the cost of the envelopes to the charity then what is the purpose? I appreciate that when corporate and individual funds are tighter than ever, charities have to be innovative in their efforts to draw what little cash is out there into their coffers rather than their rivals. It is just that this looks too much like throwing mud at a wall.

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