SIGG water bottles, which have long been perceived to be the eco-friendly alternative to plastic water bottles, has just confessed something that has sent huge ripples through the media – all of their bottles manufactured before August of last year actually DO contain BPA – according to a press statement made by Sigg CEO Steve Wasik. In case you aren’t familiar with the notorious chemical, Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor. Part of what made SIGG so popular in the first place was when SIGG marketing tactics involved pointing fingers at polycarbonate water bottle manufacturers – claiming that these types of bottles leached BPA. Not surprisingly, parents and eco-conscious consumers everywhere turned to SIGG bottles as a safe way to tote water on the go without being exposed to the dangerous effects of bisphenol-A, but there is a daunting sense of mistrust now that we learn we’ve been duped. Read on to see how SIGG was able to mislead us.
SIGG’s proprietary “water-based epoxy liner,” was indeed suspected of containing BPA, but representatives from the company released statements stating that the liner was never found to leach BPA in extensive tests. Reassuring to the public as that was, the whole thing was a matter of syntax. In actuality, SIGG is now admitting that their product did contain BPA, although it was never found to leach it. The tricky wording seems like it was a blatant attempt to draw our attention away from the truth, but there is no evidence of SIGG having lied – technically.
The shocking facts came to light when, one whole year after changing their liner to a new “EcoCare” BPA-free formula, SIGG fessed up. We’re happy to see that they have made an effort to rectify their mistake, but the lost trust won’t be easy to regain. Companies need to be forthcoming about what materials are in their products – especially when we are talking about children’s drinking and feeding products.
Via EcoChildsPlay and MySigg.com
26 Responses to “SIGG Scandal: Sigg ‘Eco’ Water Bottles Contain BPA!”
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So glad this news has broken. I was never a fan of SIGG because they always refused to release the information on what their liners were made of. This made me suspect they had something to hide, and it turns out, rightly so. I think parents should avoid aluminum bottles at all costs, as well as products that don’t disclose 100% or their manufacturing details. I have always liked Klean Kanteen… stainless steel through and through.
We are a former retailer of SIGG bottles. We stopped carrying them in the fall of 2008 after our confidence in their BPA free claims and business practices disintegrated.
We now carry a wide variety of stainless steel bottles. We are offering a SIGG replacement program including a 40% discount for customers who return a SIGG to us. All the details are on our blog: http://bayinghound.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/sigg-bottle-return-offer/
Klean Kanteen is the best option. It’s made out of one material–stainless steel–and, therefore, doesn’t leach chemicals. For information about reusable containers, check this site out: http://www.one-earth.com/city/us/ny/brooklyn/13/use-sustainable-water-container
Wow, I am shocked and outraged!
I wanted to add that Sigg is willing to replace your bottles if you have the old type. all you have to do is email the company and they will send you a form to send in the old bottles and give you a credit to buy new ones.
Hard luck for SIGG. I’m more of a fan of WeDrink’s stainless steel charity bottles, they seem to work pretty hard to give money back to charities, met them at the AllGood music festival
http://www.charitybottle.com
No offense to the retailers, you guys are innocent, but forget the return program for Sigg, why continue to support such a shady company?
Like Beth above, I’m a Klean Kanteen supporter too. My son and I have had ours for years with no issues – the only thing I’m mad about is that we bought ours before they offered colors – and a colored bottle would be cool. Of course the downside with them is they make their bottles in China, although they claim to make them responsibly there.
@mterrill I think more people want a refund vs. a new bottle that I’ve talked to. I wouldn’t want to keep supporting a company who decided, on purpose, to mislead consumers. Carrying a new SIGG bottle is in support of the company and now that we know they’ll say any old thing they like, why trust them to tell full truths now. It would be better if they offered a refund program.
I think the core issue is values (or corporate lack thereof). Does Sigg really care about the environment? Would a real green company do this? I am more than a little annoyed that this return program is built around shipping small items back and forth across the country. If Steve and his boardroom were really in the sustainability business they’d be doing returns through retailers so the bottles would ship in bulk. I think the answer is no.
I am very very happy with our Klean Kanteens too, and glad to know the company is run/owned by an actual family. How rare is that anymore? They are not perfect I am sure, but it’s clear they try. There’s a wealth of info on their website about what makes a great stainless bottle, even if you end up choosing a different brand.
http://kleankanteen.com/about/kanteen-101/why.html
And CaymanBoatman, most of those “charitybottles” look an awful lot like Kanteen/Guyot kncokoffs, beware. Do your research people.
Lucy
Absolutely infuriating! Disgusting deceptive SIGG practices! Thankfully my child and I have Klean Kanteens because there’s no liner and the wide openings are easier to clean. But my husband has been using an old SIGG so he’s demanding they pay up for a replacement bottle with their bpa-free EcoCare liner to shelve it for home use. He’ll only be using and thereby advocating reputable Klean Kanteens in public!
You can call SIGG USA to demand a replacement bottle with a new EcoCare liner at liners@mysigg.com, or call them at (203)321-1220.
While I agree that SIGG’s behaviour on this issue was misleading; please don’t beat them up for it, then use a headline that also misleads. “SIGG Scandal: Sigg ‘Eco’ Water Bottles Contain BPA!” sure implies that ALL SIGG bottles contain BPA, when this is not true. However, I know that if you’re splitting hairs, you’ll tell me that the headline doesn’t have the word ‘all’ and is therefore not lying — technically.
Thanks for sharing this story, it is important. Please be as clear as you are asking your manufacturers to be.
At least Sigg is *secretly* offering to replace them! Nalgene/Camelbak didn’t even do that! We were just expected to get rid of them and buy new!
I will definitely email them to get my new ones!! Does anyone know about the hot liquid bottles??? Do they contain/did they contain BPA?
I emailed SIGG to replace my bottles and they are making customers pay for shipping back to “upgrade your bottles” as the customer service rep emailed me. Here’s that part of his response:
Please note that this mailing label does not include postage for the bottles you are returning. We are sorry for the inconvenience. You may choose to keep your current bottle as they have been proven not to leach, [http://mysigg.com/bulletin/testing.html] but if you want to upgrade your bottle[s], you will have to bear the cost of returning it to us. Thank you in advance for your kind understanding in this regard.
Now, why would I pay more money to get a BPA-free bottle that I thought I was buying in the first place?
As for their tagline – “Trust the Swiss – Trust SIGG”…I don’t think so.
I have a Sigg and Klean Kanteen but I never use them. I will probably throw away my Sigg. You all should check out Green Bottle brand. They are 18/8 stianless steel and 100% BPA free! I bought one a couple months ago and I never use my Klean Kanteen anymore. The design and quality is so much better! I did some research on the company and it turns out that they aren’t “green washers” like Sigg. They actually work with charities that support our enviroment and have partnered with some celebrities to promote the cause.
you definitely can’t beat stainless steel. I’m loving my new bottles from mizu. mizulife.com
i want my money back.
To update my last comment, I received another email from SIGG customer service repeating the instructions on replacing my old SIGG bottles, or as he called it, “upgrading my bottles.” At the bottom he added the following:
“BPA can also found in household appliances, children’s toys, cell phones, protective coatings, flame retardants, eyeglass lenses, medical equipment, CDs, DVDs, consumer electronics…”
However, most people don’t particularly put any of those things in their mouths or drink from them on a daily basis, so not sure why he needed to add that info. That’s like saying that BPA is also found in cat box liners, but no one is eating those now are they.
[...] This is an extreme example of Corporate Hating because SIGG totally set itself up as the healthier alternative to all the other unhealthy water bottle companies!! Understandably the consumer is pissed! [...]
You know what is sad to me? How there will never be any accountability for Sigg. I guess though, through the negative media attention, it’ll sort of run it’s course.
Anyway, I’ve tried Sigg and Klean Kanteen but I’ve found Green Bottle to be the best. Stainless steel (food grade), nice designs, wide mouths, two caps. I have a few and I’m really pleased. If you’re going to be recycling your Sigg (like I am) try looking at greenbottle:
http://www.greenbottleonline.com
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
I emailed them 2 years ago asking if their bottles leached BPA and they blantantly said that it was a water based liner and it did NOT leach BPA. I still have that email. They outrightly LIED. I even knew about the #7 plastic and BPA when my body reacted sensitively. This was also two years before it came out in the news. Don’t trust ANY plastic-type substances. It’s all petroleum derived.
I’ve been working with a company that produces plastic and metal bottles. they have filters in that removes all the bad stuff they say is in our water. So even if they did leach chemicals into the water you know the filter would remove them. I like the product they have and believe they will be the next generation of water bottles. I would rather have one of their bottles and know my water is safe no matter how long i leave it in the car to heat up.
I’ve left phone messages with SIGG and e-mails, too. No response. I sent in two bottles nearly two months ago and haven’t heard a word. Not good for the company’s image, but certainly in line with their mentality of avoiding the issue.
I bought into the scam that is the SIGG company, Never been more ticked off about a product. I never thought I would have to research to find a decent canteen, lesson learned there. I bought a black SIGG bottle about a year ago and I realize now its completely horrible. Terrible opening, hard to clean, I think I have some kind of fungus growing in the crevices on the bottom, probably whats been giving me throat infections and allergies for the past year. It tastes bad and learning about the BPA makes me furious. The overall build quality and materials used is distasteful and wrong. Don’t buy into the SIGG scam of the “Swiss Made” bottles that you see with the shady coating inside. Go buy from these people, they know whats up with a good canteen… https://www.kleankanteen.com/index.html. Just have a look around the site, great little company, the kind of competition I like to see, just ordered one right now, thanks Klean Kanteen! you guys are excellent human beings.
Hello there,
A new company based in the UK are now selling eco bottles made from 100% recycled material.
Check it out:
http://www.eco-bottles.co.uk
Ash
I would recommend Flaska bottle over any other water bottle available in UK. This special bottle has scientific information imprinted and actually changes water’s structure, improves it and lowers genotoxicity of the tap water. So my child or me can drink better tap water anywhere we go. Worth visiting their website.