SIGG bottles, long upheld as the standard by which all non-plastic drink bottles should be compared, favourite of hippies and eco-gurus, juggernaut and arguably the biggest player in the metal bottle industry, has finally fessed up.
Their “water-based epoxy liner”, long rumoured (but never confirmed) to contain BPA, indeed had BPA all along.
SIGG kept this cozy little secret by constantly releasing reassuring statements that their proprietary formula had been extensively tested and was never found to leach BPA.
The subtle truth hidden in their messages was that they never said there was no BPA in there to begin with. But now, one entire year after changing their liner to a new “EcoCare”, BPA-free formula, they are now admitting what so many have suspected all along.
Did they lie to us? Not as such, not precisely. Did they deliberately deceive us? I say most certainly so. How many thousands of consumers bought SIGG bottles specifically in response to the BPA scare? How many would have bought them if we had been told “yes our bottles have BPA but it doesn’t leach?” There is no doubt in my mind that SIGG was working entirely on a model of protecting their own bottom line, not protecting our health or public confidence.
The fact that there has never been any test that showed BPA leaching from SIGG bottles means that those of us who have used them extensively, even with our children — I was an “early adopter” of metal bottles and favoured SIGGs over other brands almost exclusively — don’t have to panic that we’ve had dangerous exposures.
But we are left with shattered faith in a company we thought we could trust, that we could look up to as a beacon of eco-friendly and healthy product designs in a marketplace infested with dangerous, toxic, profit-driven crap.
Once again, in our attempts to live eco-friendly lives, it seems we can’t win and are betrayed by corporate interests. All aluminum bottles must have some sort of protective lining, and non-SIGG cheaper knockoffs have been shown to leach BPA. Perhaps the best solution is to stick to non-aluminum, stainless steel options such as Kleen Kanteen. Which are, of course, Made in China.
[This post was written by Heather Dunham]
Photo Credit: EthanPDX via Creative Commons
I noticed that Sigg is using the exposure of their duplicity to cast doubt on all Chinese-produced bottles in general, and other aluminum bottles in particular. Obviously their marketeers are looking at ways to spin what they have done to their advantage . . . amazing but true.
Sigg makes stainless bottles in China too, though they are avoiding any mention of that right now. Their “Swiss” bottles, like beer cans, are made on largely automated machines. Sigg having a handful of people monitoring such a process and driving forklifts merely makes people feel better, and lets Sigg use the Swiss flag. Most stainless bottles are made by hand, which you could look at as hard work, or craftsmanship and a real job for a lot of people.
After researching this a lot they didn’t know it had BPA. They don’t make the liner they test it and all along it didn’t show any. Newer better tests showed a small amount (still tests as non-leaching).
If you are worried about it e-mail the CEO (e-mail is found on the Sigg website) and he will help you out. He got back to me in less than 12 hours and sent me to customer service which offered to get me the eco-liner ones to replace my old bottles.
I was pissed at first as well but after research, talking to others outside of Sigg, and then the CEO I believe they are doing a great job and I will keep using my Sigg bottles.
Hi,
What about (Laken) you and Treehugger are steam rolling over Sigg. Like the person above wrote I called Sigg months ago. The told me they could not mention what’s in the liner but there’s no leeching of BPA. When they said that I had a funny feeling but they offered to email me the testing results. I feel safe using my bottle with water. I heard nothing from Laken about the BPA bottle unlike Sigg that is doing something about it. If you call the 1800 they tell you to send an email about your concerns.Also you can send your bottle back and get a new one. For myself I ok with the 3 I bought a year ago. I do feel sorry for those working that number! The public can be nasty. Also Why are’t we saying something about the can goods with BPA that people consume eveyday? I think Eden is the only can goods without BPA.
Heather, thanks for this excellent post. I just reported about it over at Non-Toxic Kids as well. I am so disappointed in Sigg.
http://www.non-toxickids.net/2009/08/sigg-waterbottles-contain-bpa-partial.html
Katy, your article is awesome. Much better than my little rant! 😉
Heather: thank you so much for posting this. I also was suspicious of SIGG- such a large corporation and I have to admit that I distrust the bigger companies… I also did not appreciate their secrecy, regardless of whether they “knew” it had BPA or not…
however, SIGG’s entire premise (like you said) was to provide BPA-free drinking bottles that were safe for us. If they spent so much time testing the lining, and now finally admit that it did in fact contact BPA, then logically they had the means to test their liners for their content prior to now.
I’m sorry if I don’t trust my health to a company who says: “We can’t tell you about what’s in the lining, but trust us they are safe!” Further, what kind of company whose entire reputation depends on their healthy alternative, wouldn’t test their liners in the first place?
I stopped allowing my daughter to use this almost as soon as I bought it because of the duplicity in the statements. They would not admit it for industry protected reasons. That is a lie. That one admission would not compromise a patented formula.
They also lied in another way. Their studies show that there is a 0.0% leach of BPA in their water bottles, however studies show endocrine damage with leaching percent as low as 0.02%. So… it all comes down the the ruler and who’s version we are using. That is just one more reason to turn to non-aluminum bottles.
We’ve slowly been moving over to Kleen Kanteen because Sigg wouldn’t say whether they’re SIggs contained BPA but we’ve still got a few Siggs lurking around the house. Bye bye Siggs.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I am so bummed. We have used and promoted SIGG bottles for years as the ultimate and safest bottle on the market. I have written to the CEO asking if I can exchange my 7 old bottles for new, safer models with the EcoCare lining.
Thank you for this important information!!!! Be well, Carla aka OneHealthyGirl.com
“Containing BPA” and “leaching BPA” are two different things. Shame on SIGG for how they are handling this matter and not doing their homework on manufacturer of their liners and shame on the consumers for not doing their homework on BPA. It is up to you, the consumer, to read and understand the claims and warnings issued by a product. SIGG always said that the bottles do not leach BPA, they never said anything about them being BPA-free– the consumer lept to that conclusion. Consumers need to better educate themselves about BPA and how it becomes dangerous to humans and not trust companies to do their research for them.
Great post! We wrote up a chronology of SIGG’s claims about their water bottles here –
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/siggs-bpa-confession-you-arent-going-to-like-it-any-more-than-we-do/
– and also highlighted a couple of weird issues they are having NOW (complaints about their new lining, and people still getting the old ones) here –
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/two-new-bpa-free-problems-that-could-drive-away-sigg-users/
To Lisa above, I think if you read the chronology of events in our first link and read Steve Wasik’s statements carefully it will be pretty obvious to you that they knew all along. Whether that matters to you is of course another question entirely!
hmmm…we just bought brand spanking new ones a month or so ago. Would these have the new eco-liners?
Honestly, I don’t even know exactly how to feel about this. The SIGG bottles were already so ridiculously priced that they’re out of the range of most families on a budget. And now to find out that people weren’t even getting what they paid for? It’s just so bizarre in a way. I review a lot of green products for my blog because we love eco-friendly things, but I really feel we need to question what makes some of these eco-friendly products so expensive. If the price of a sippy cup is so high that everyday people turn away from it, how green can it be even in the best of circumstances? Ah, well… end of rant.
GREAT blog, by the way! 🙂 Subscribing.
Erica
Looking for a replacement stainless steel bottle? Check out the Green Bottle! Every Green bottle is made of 18/8 food-grade stainless steel and is completely BPA free!
Visit http://www.greenbottleonline.com and put in the code GB3 to receive $3 off every bottle on your order!
Companies (especially ones touted as green/”responsible”) that deceive their customers, are incredibly disheartening. When the deception involves putting their customers in danger, they lose my business for good. It doesn’t matter if they never told a direct lie, what SIGG did is just as bad in my eyes. I am glad I use Klean Kanteen.
Makes me want to drink out of mason jars. Oy vey.
I also just learned about this and wrote their CEO. I did receive a prompt response and an offer to replace my bottle; I am uncertain what to do about this all. I am most disappointed because several of our bottles are over 4 years old and have spent many afternoons in the hot sun, in the car, etc. and BPA is shown to leak when heated and overtime. I’d like to know when they tested for leaching, what situations and conditions did they place the liners under and were they new or old bottles or both?
The ONLY sensible answer is Klean Kanteen!
NO I don’t work for nor have any relationship with them other than a ve-e-e-ery satisfied customer.
KLEAN KANTEEN
They never had, never will contaminate the bottles’ interior.
This is really, really disappointing. Labeling fraud is a serious problem for my company, Green Meetup – we help green companies up their exposure to eco-conscious consumers. At what point is a regulatory agency going to step up actual enforcement of labeling rules? How can companies get away with this?!
Robb
http://www.greenmeetup.com
Buy Green Products here!
I’ve had a Sigg bottle for a couple of months but then dented it pretty bad so I decided to buy a new one. This time, I was going Stainless steel. I was torn between Kleen Kanteen and Green Bottle. I ended up going with the GB because of the designs and functionality. I love it (and my sister does too) I would highly recommend.
I’m totally against sending the bottles back to Sigg for a replacement. How can you trust them now?
If you own a SIGG Bottle you can call me and I will sell you an URBAN CANTEEN Bottle at a very competitive price and we can Recycle the SIGG bottle. My website is http://www.urbancanteen.com- 100% BPA free. We only sell the highest quality bottle made today.
THanks
Jeff
410-905-5051
This situation made me made too. We through out our Sigg’s. We moved over to botl. Their products are all stainless steel so no concerns about all these issues around aluminum. I endorse these guys so check em out.
http://www.my-botl.com
shame on Sigg.
Ugh!! Are you kidding me???? I love my Sigg bottle, i have so many of them, and now to find out they aren’t that good for you. I guess the only real safe thing to do is just carry a glass bottle around with you…i tell you, in this day and age, why can’t we find NON TOXIC solutions to our little problems, like how to carry water around all day…
Thanks for the info, and yes, I am completely bummed about this. I wonder if they will be “refunding” everyone?
Thanks for the article.
Sheila
I love these bottles and the company wasnt really lying. They have done a great job managing their PR and if you call them and ask straight questions, they will give you straight answers. Overall they are good people.
You have to be crazy to buy an aluminum bottle, especially from Sigg. Sigg knew for a period of 2 years that their liner was leaching BPA’s and yet they continued to tell consumers that their bottles were BPA free. Shame on you Sigg. Second of all aluminum is toxic, that is why they put a liner in their bottles. Never gamble on a bottle with a liner. You will never know if the liner is intact. Making a bottle out of a toxic material is just plain stupid. If you want a good drinking bottle get a stainless steel bottle. Stainless steel is inert and does not leach anything. I found the best deal anywhere but supplies are limited. go to http://www.greenvirginproducts.com. They are selling a 40 ounce 304 stainless steel wide mouth bottle for only $9.95. They have a 25 ounce for $8.95 and a 12 ounce for only $7.95.
For the sake of their own interests,it’s too normal for them to do so.I can understand them.
I would stay away from Sigg bottles because they are aluminum and have liners.
Stick with Stainless Steel Bottles
I purchased my bottle in March of 2008. So I guess that’s 2+ years of BPA leeching. Ah well, I just purchased a stainless steel bottle. No liner. No BS. No aluminum. The Sigg one is going right into the recycle bin. Bastards!
SIGG!!! WHY…WHY??? I had been using those gorgous bottles of theirs forever and NOW to find out there is crap in them, makes me sooo sad, and mad too. Pretty much stick with glass i guess to be sure you are safe.
🙁 Jill