SIGG’s trendy aluminum water bottles have scored a lot of free advertising in recent years. In Touch Weekly raved about how Madonna’s kids sipped from the lightweight, eco-conscious and super-cute bottles. Julia Roberts was photographed with one. Jennifer Garner was too. The Swiss brand became the must-have accessory as consumers rushed to find alternatives to plastic bottles that contained bisphenol-A (BPA), a controversial chemical used to harden plastics, which some studies have linked to diabetes, premature puberty in girls and reduced sperm count in men. SIGG’s reusable aluminum bottles seemed the perfect antidote, a one-two punch protecting both our health and the environment.
But many consumers are feeling deceived now that the company has been outed for failing to tell the public that its bottles were not BPA-free, at least not the ones that were manufactured before August 2008. The company had boasted that its proprietary plastic liner didn’t leach BPA into liquid like other bottles did. What it neglected to divulge was that the bottles contained the substance at all. While there’s no evidence that the first-generation SIGGs did in fact leach BPA, there’s still plenty of grumbling at the company’s lack of disclosure. The news is especially troubling since the company internally acknowledged the chemical’s questionable safety record as early as 2006, when it quietly decided to formulate a new, BPA-free liner. (Read about reassessing the dangers of BPA in plastics.)
“SIGG was one of the companies that profited from all the bad publicity over BPA,” says Elaine Shannon, editor in chief of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental science research and advocacy group in Washington. Shannon’s group urged SIGG last month to offer customers full refunds; SIGG declined. (See a quick guide to FDA regulations.)
To placate the masses, SIGG has agreed to exchange those older, BPA-laden bottles for new ones through Oct. 31, but I’m still feeling betrayed. Like many parents I know, a couple years ago I tossed all the baby bottles I had — and any suspect sippies too — and invested in SIGGs, which cost about $20 each.
The blogosphere is full of people like me who hopped on board the environmental, health-conscious bandwagon, only to find out we were going in the wrong direction. “I’m feeling kind of like I did when I found out that John Edwards cheated on his wife,” Kellie Sloan Brown wrote on her blog, GreenHab: The Browns Go Green. “It isn’t the worst thing to ever happen in this world, but I still feel really disappointed because I thought SIGG to be a genuinely green company.”
SIGG has been around for more than 100 years, but it’s been fairly recently that its bottles have popped up everywhere, with everyone. Much of its popularity can be traced to research publicized in 2007 about BPA’s questionable safety. Since then, Chicago, Connecticut and Michigan have restricted the chemical, and more than 20 states are considering similar bans. The Environmental Protection Agency has placed BPA on a priority review list.
Nena Baker feels particularly duped; she switched to SIGG while researching her book The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-Being. After having given the bottles as gifts to friends and family, Baker, whose book came out last year, is now accusing SIGG of “greenwashing.”(Read “Going Green Just Got More Cost-Effective.”)
The consumer uproar has been eye-opening for SIGG CEO Steve Wasik. He thought going green just meant being good to the earth; he didn’t realize it meant fessing up too. “Being a green company also means being held to the highest degree of corporate transparency,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I fully expect that SIGG will not let consumers down in the future.”
So how can you tell which lining you’ve got? Peer inside your bottle. If it’s a shiny coppery-bronze, it’s the old, BPA-infused liner. If it’s a pale matte yellow, you’ve got the EcoCare liner, a new powder-based, co-polyester, water-based liner that SIGG says is 100% BPA- and phthalate-free.
Question is, do we believe the company this time?
March 30th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Hi there, I discovered your website by way of Google whilst looking for a comparable matter, your website came up, it appears to be like great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
April 2nd, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Well, I don’t know if that is going to work for me, but definitely proved helpful for you!
Excellent post!
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on few general things, The website style is ideal, the articles is really great : D. Good job, cheers
April 3rd, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Good ? I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related information ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, website theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Nice task..
April 4th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
It seems we think alike, let me know if you want to talk some more on the subject. I can only dream i could write like you do.
April 8th, 2011 at 8:16 am
Pretty element of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to say that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I¦ll be subscribing to your augment or even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
April 8th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I want to express my appreciation to you just for rescuing me from this type of setting. As a result of searching throughout the search engines and obtaining ways which are not beneficial, I was thinking my entire life was well over. Existing without the presence of solutions to the issues you have resolved by means of this guide is a serious case, as well as the kind which could have in a wrong way damaged my career if I hadn’t come across the blog. Your primary capability and kindness in dealing with a lot of things was important. I don’t know what I would have done if I had not discovered such a point like this. I can also now relish my future. Thank you so much for your skilled and results-oriented guide. I won’t think twice to recommend your web sites to anybody who requires guidelines on this subject.
April 9th, 2011 at 4:43 am
Regards for sharing the information with us.
April 11th, 2011 at 12:06 am
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am starting a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business.
April 13th, 2011 at 1:32 am
Isn’t it entertaining if we always talk about topics like that.’:”,,
April 13th, 2011 at 2:17 am
Most of whatever you claim happens to be supprisingly appropriate and that makes me ponder why I hadn’t looked at this with this light before. This article truly did switch the light on for me personally as far as this subject matter goes. Nevertheless at this time there is actually 1 point I am not too comfortable with and whilst I make an effort to reconcile that with the actual core idea of your position, allow me see exactly what all the rest of your readers have to say.Nicely done.
May 5th, 2011 at 7:06 am
Oh my goodness! an amazing article dude. Thank you However I’m experiencing subject with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting identical rss drawback? Anybody who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
May 7th, 2011 at 8:22 am
Hi,I ACTUALLY was happy to find this web-site.I desired to thank you for your time for this excellent study!! I absolutely loving each little this and I have you bookmarked to check out new thing you post.