Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Way to go Ambiguous-Keywords-"doesn't leach" SIGG



As you may have heard, there is quite the SIGG controversy going on in the "ecosphere" right now, and although I was going to blog about my toilet (don't worry- that post is coming!!), SIGG drama kinda trumps my throne greenification (just barely though!).

Over the past few months Andrew and I have made huge leaps in the water bottle usage area. Prior to this spring, I was NEVER a water drinker, least of all from a water bottle. I'm not sporty and don't enjoy drinking water. I drink coffee. YUM. In any case, I decided a while back that it was time for me to jump on the water bottle bandwagon for my yoga practice. I did some research and basically found this:

SIGG although made in Switzerland (not exactly local!) and very pretty, required a coating (as aluminum is toxic) that is sprayed on at extremely hot temperatures which is created from a substance that, on their website at the time, they indicated was a "trade secret" which was not disclosed. SKETCHY. (check out my whole post here).

As a result, Andrew and I both bought Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel water bottles; a North American company that has third party certification monitoring the production of their bottles in China... and seemed much more transparent.

In the past few weeks SIGG has been found out: that "trade secret" lining in their bottles pre-2008? Yep, definitely contained BPA. As water drinkers and yogis cry out in dismay about their "trickery", SIGG claims that they have never claimed that their lining was BPA free...only that it doesn't LEACH BPA. As of 2008, they claim to have transitioned to BPA-FREE liners and that previous information regarding BPA in liners was available to the public. Check out the CEO's statement for more details.
I have to say that for a company whose jump in popularity has been the result of the BPA scare, claiming that they honestly believed they weren't being misleading is a joke. Consumers can see clever marketing and semantics when they read it, and implying that it's the consumers' own fault for falsly interpreting obviously vague wording is insulting. Further, making information available to the public and this information being readily accessible are two completely different things. Due to all the greenwashing going around lately, trusting the information provided so that consumers can make informed decisions is essential.

A spark of light... supposedly SIGG is offering to replace all pre-2008, BPA-lined water bottles for free. Although I couldn't find any information directly on their website, an article in the theconsumerist.com claims that if you send in your old SIGG bottle (you pay the postage) they will replace it. Seems like a fair solution... if you'd like to continue trusting a company who dodges responsibility for obviously ambiguous marketing.

Regardless of the "nice-factor" (re: damage control) of their offer, what are they going to DO with all those returned bottles? As there is no official information regarding this volunteer return program on their website, and the standard form email response doesn't mention anything, how do I know that the returned bottle was recycled? And honestly, how can I recycle a SIGG water bottle myself? Due to their "special" liners (the new and the old) are they accepted in local recycling facilities? I'm assuming that in order to appropriately recycle the aluminum, you'd have to separate the liner... which a SIGG water bottle differs enough from a beer or pop can.

Andrew and I LOVE our Klean Kanteens and I have actually been drinking 800ml of water... a day! There is no "metal" taste (which SIGG claims to happen with stainless steel bottles), they are super easy to clean and not at all heavy. Check out their response to the whole debacle. I am a fan of my Klean Kanteen and I know exactly what it's made of.
(our pretty water bottles hanging out with the strawberries, mine now has a sporty cap which makes a fun sqeaking noise!)
Ok, mini-rant aside, toilet greenification will be coming up shortly! Perhaps some calming Moon Salutations tonight...:)

Blessings and happy Tap Water Drinking!

20 comments:

  1. wow i hadn't heard about that...crazy...i had such a dilemna choosing between sigg and kleen kanteen but went with sigg bc it wasn't made in china. i guess it's all ok bc i bought my sigg in 2009. and my bf has a kleen kanteen. but maybe i should go back to reusing a gasket-top grolsch (beer) bottle for water...that was both awkward and made me feel badass because ppl sometimes thought i was drinking beer. hmmm.

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  2. LOL what a fantastic idea!!! you are so cool, i totally want a beer-water bottle!

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  3. When I first heard that Sigg would replace my bottles, I was kind of excited. I mean, they're all beat up and such but really, I don't know that I can trust Sigg now that there won't be some other problem with these new bottles. Think I'll pass on the replacement bottles - even if they are free.

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  4. I love my Klean Kanteen! I have it in sage green. It never has a yucky metal taste to it.
    That is very disturbing information about SIGG and makes me thankful that I do not have one!

    And Ecoyogini- good job on the water drinking. Do you notice that you feel better when you drink more water?

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  5. I haven't heard about this yet. I use Klean Kanteen too.

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  6. Wow! Thanks for sharing this precious info. We've had our Kleen Kanteens for over a year now and I love them, especially for my daughter's backpack for school.
    I too, am mostly a coffee drinker.

    *Can't wait for that "toilet post".
    :)

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  7. I'm having the funniest time with reactions to your posts. I came back yesterday evening to comment on the last post, which I have read twice, and then I saw this one, and was FURIOUS! I immediately left your blog to write angry emails to Sigg, and to spread the word to all my friends with Sigg bottles. I'm still mad!

    I bought mine nearly two years ago, specifically to get away from BPA... and now I know that I spent nearly $100 to get a fancy packaging for my BPA. Yay.

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  8. Green Bean: yep, i think i would do the same, but it's definitely frustrating.

    Mambinki: I do think I am healthier since I've been drinking more water... I find that I've been less tired than usual and maybe less stomach digestive issues... :)

    Grace and Boho Mom: WOOT Klean Kanteen! :) hehe, i think i built up the toilet post a bit LOL.

    Greenspell: re: wedding post response, good for you for resisting the urge to get a new phone- i think that's AWESOME. who needs all those cool dealies anyways?
    I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news... :( although, I knew if I had bought a SIGG i would have been PISSED, and was not so satisfied with their 'solution' as a green option. BUT- they have indicated that their previous, BPA liner was tested thoroughly and they say it doesn't leach...
    sigh- I'm sorry :(

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  9. Ack! I had a Sigg for a couple of years!

    Thanks for informing us about this...I now use a bottle manufactured by EcoFlask...do you know if they're ok?

    It's amazing how smart and saavy consumers are getting, and amazing that companies still think they can fool us...hopefully that'll end someday...

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  10. Alex: OUUUU the EcoFlask looks AWESOME. I especially like the double walled feature- for tea and hot beverages! AND... it's a CANADIAN based company!!! WOOT :)
    they are made in China- but they have a third party certification to assure they are made safely. However, they are not fair trade, fair wages certified and i have heard rumours that an ISO certification isn't that great.

    seriously- they look awesome. once my starbucks stainless steel coffee mug goes kaput (bought pre-eco lisa!) i will be looking into something like an eco-flask (if not one!). :) Thanks Alex!

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  11. Hello!

    Wow, great info! Thank you for sharing! Unfortunately, I have SIGG...

    Hey [Name],

    [PERSONAL NOTE ABOUT THEIR POST - 2 sentences]

    I'm Hua, the Director of Wellsphere's HealthBlogger Network. I've been searching the web for quality health blogs and am thrilled that I found yours. There is so much information here for Eco friendly living and Yoga! Wellsphere visitors find relevant content and answers to their questions in one place, without having to wade through hundreds of search engine results to find what they want. We provide the platform that allows over 6 million users a month to connect, network, and find quality information.

    I think your blog would be a really great addition to the Green Living or Yoga Community. I invite you to join and find more information about us at http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger.

    Thanks for all the hard work you put into this! Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

    Best,
    Hua
    Director of Blogger Networks
    hua [at] Wellsphere [dot] com

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  12. I'm a Klean Kanteen fan too. I bought mine about a year ago and it is wonderful. I bough a cheaper steel bottle first but it wasn't long before it started turning gross inside so I replaced it with a Klean Kanteen and I would never use anything else now.

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  13. We sell both Sigg and Kleen Kanteen at my store, and right from the start I've trusted Kleen Kanteen more. I liked the fact that they didn't have a "liner", which they only refer to as being "organic", but don't actually explain what it is. Also, I feel waaaay more comfortable with stainless steel than I do with aluminum. Because of this, when customers ask me, I tend to steer them in the Kleen Kanteen direction.

    I'm glad to learn that I've been doing the right thing!

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  14. Love my Kleen Kanteens! Thanks for the post. I hadn't heard!

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  15. I have 3 of the Klean Kanteens and I LOVE them too!! Your right, no metal taste at all. I was afraid of the taste for a while, and was using a ceramic (yes ceramic) water bottle, it was heavy and didnt hold too much, and I was always afraid of dropping it.

    Awesome post!! Might just have to fill mine with some beer too! ;) LOL

    Blessings,
    Bret

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  16. hey lisa

    crunchy domestic goddess has prepared a good post on the SIGG issue. and she's got some answers to the "what happens to all the old sigg bottles now?" question. it seems that the company may have a way to recycle them.

    here's her post:
    http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/08/27/the-big-sigg-bpa-letdown/

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  17. Hey Jen,
    thanks! Her post (as always) was awesome. :)

    Still, it would seem that the CEO in an email, states that they have ways to recycle them... which after all this I don't think his word, without any official statement on their website, means very much to myself right now...

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  18. Thanks for blogging about this, I think I'll be linking to you and talking about it too in an upcoming post!

    *sigh* Never trust *anything* that poses as a "company secret" Company secret = dodgy business IMO!

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  19. Darn, I was really loving my Sigg! :( My husband loves his Kleen Kanteen, so it looks like I'll be making the switch as well. Thanks for the info!

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  20. i recently got a kleen kanteen, too, and i love it. i've had a lot of issues with finding the "right" reusable water bottle and i'm really pleased with this choice. (i'm only sad because now i have all these other useless bottles lying around, with no place to put them...)

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