Way to go with the BPA SIGG!
August 21, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Green Living
So in case you haven’t heard, one of the hottest buzzes around the ecosphere is the SIGG issue. Long story short…
- Most greenies love SIGG it’s a valuable water bottle option when compared to disposable plastic bottles. In fact, I have written about them a lot.
- Back in 2007 SIGG’s CEO noted that SIGG bottles were BPA trace free.
- Fast forward to August 2009 and now SIGG’s CEO (yeah the same guy, Steve Wasik) is all, well, the older bottles DO have BPA, but no worries.
- Let the drama begin.
Now, I already posted about this, my friend posted about this, and as to not rehash the topic over and over here are some useful links:
- Does SIGG Owe Consumers New BPA-Free Water Bottles? – I say yes.
- My pal Peggy a long time SIGG advocate is super peeved. Read her views in SIGG Bottles Had BPA Before August 2008 and here at Blisstree as well.
- Here’s SIGG’s letter from August 2009 noting yup we’ve got a BPA issue.
- Treehugger’s take: SIGG Update: Did We Get It Right?
I’ll end with this. Shame on SIGG, like green advocates don’t already have to defend green products enough. Thanks for making it this much harder.
[image via my pal Peggy]
The problem is that SIGG never advertised their bottles as BPA free. Lots of us, including me, assumed they were because SIGG insisted that the bottles don’t leach BPA. Even in that letter (your #2), I think the SIGG President was very cover-your-ass in how he worded his comments about BPA: (quoted below)
“As you may know, the BPA issues surrounding Lexan plastic bottles (polycarbonate #7) involve the migration of chemicals from the plastic into the contents of the bottles. On the other hand, SIGG bottles have been thoroughly tested in Europe to ensure 0% leaching of any substance – no trace of BPA, BPB or any phthalates.”
Most people would think he’s saying no BPA, right? I think SIGG deserves all the trouble they’re about to face.
Thanks for posting on this!
I know people spent a lot of money on their Sigg bottles, and are rightfully unhappy because the company was deliberately deceitful about BPA in the bottle liners. But do you really want to have your old Sigg replaced with a new Sigg, when they still don’t tell what that liner is made of? Do you still want to carry a brand that intentionally deceived consumers for a large profit?
7mariposa, no I don’t. I’m looking for a new brand, but I don’t want stainless steel either. Not sure what to do at this point.
I think a lot of people are going to want new bottles. Also, sneaky wording or not, it’s stupid to say NO trace when there is. Yeah, he may be able to cover his ass by saying, “Oh I meant in the water… did you think I meant the bottle?” but that’s so not cool for consumers.
Jennifer, I think he’s going to say he meant no trace of BPA in the water because of leaching. I asked SIGG for my money back, but I bought mine from resuablebags, so I’ll let you know how it works. I don’t want to bug reusablebags cause they’re so cool.
Do you know of a good glass water bottle? I’ve seen some that are shaped like typical old glass soda bottles, but I want one with a bigger opening. There are also some that look just like a plastic water bottle, but they’re $33 and still have the small opening that would seem difficult to clean.
So, I’m liking these glass bottles from Crate & Barrel
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Family.aspx?c=190&f=32211
Maybe the opening isn’t that small?
Maybe not. A lot of reviewers said the stopper breaks easily… Ok. No more responding to my own comments.
The problem for me is that SIGG did never “claim” to be BPA free, but they knew damn well they were inferring it with their advertising language. It’s just stupid because yes, other things do contain BPA in our lives, but at the same time, most other companies who create products that contain BPA don’t represent a health market.
It’s about responsible advertising. That’s why I bought a Green Bottle. Stainless steel with no coating = no BPA. Klean Kanteen is okay, but GB has better designs and functionality IMHO! I bought mine right on Amazon.