PLANTING SEEDS BLOG: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Guest blogger Francesca Olivieri tries to solve the "green" water bottle puzzle.
Some "going green steps" are no-brainers. How hard is it to replace an ordinary light bulb with a florescent bulb or turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth? (Actually, that seems somewhat hard for my husband, but that's another story.) And avoiding plastic water bottles makes sense for a multitude of reasons -- reducing the plastic in the landfills and steering clear of exposure to "bad" plastic -- namely bisphenol A (BPA). You add up several of those small green steps, and all of sudden, you're making a difference -- doing your part in saving the planet. Or at least that's how I was feeling.
And then the SIGG water bottle news hits.
The Swiss company SIGG manufactures aluminum water bottles with cool and stylish designs. In fact, according to the SIGG Web site, they are so cool that in 1993 SIGG was incorporated into the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. We owned several -- one with a scary pirate design, another with an elaborate snake on it, and even a Hello Kitty bottle. The kids loved them, and I was happy to buy them. Anytime you walked into Whole Foods or a local health food store, the SIGG bottles were everywhere -- a great alternative to plastic, right?
I had even researched the company. I have to admit a couple of things had made me a little uneasy at the start. The SIGG bottles are made with aluminum and the liner ingredients were being kept a mystery. In an April 2008 article in Treehugger, SIGG CEO Steve Wasik stated that "SIGG uses a proprietary liner formula from a Swiss supplier with an impeccable reputation for quality" but that "as there are many copy-cat manufacturers in the market (most based in China) that would like to get their hands on this formula, our supplier has an agreement with SIGG to keep his formula confidential." He goes on to explain they hired an independent lab to test for the presence of BPA compared to other types of bottles with the following results:
- Polycarbonate #7 plastic bottles – 71 ppb (parts per billion) were leached into the water
- Chinese-made aluminum water bottles – 19 ppb
- New SIGG bottles – no detectable BPA
- Used SIGG bottles (2 years old) – no detectable BPA
Of course, in retrospect, it's easy to question why they were testing for BPA if the company was implying that they weren't using it. But, I thought the test results were sufficient, and we happily went along using the SIGG bottles. In fact, not only did I use them, I told friends and family to use them. And that is why this eco-warrior is feeling a little eco-weary.
In August 2009, Steve Wasik came out with the following statement:
"Within the scientific community, the safety of the packaging ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) remains the subject of considerable debate and controversy as evidenced by the FDA meetings on the topic this month. For decades, BPA has been the industry standard for protective coatings – approved by food and health regulators around the world. One year ago, Andrew von Eschenbach, the Commissioner of the FDA, announced that, 'The science we have reviewed does not justify recommending that anyone discontinue using products containing BPA.' At that time, SIGG Switzerland, the world leader in premium reusable bottles, had already made the transition into bottles that are BPA free.
Within the reusable bottle water category, polycarbonate plastic bottles (#7) came under scrutiny in early 2008 because they were found to leach BPA. As a result, many consumers turned to metal bottles (aluminum and stainless steel) because these bottles had no issues with BPA migration. Prior to its transition, SIGG utilized a water-based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA. The bottles were thoroughly and regularly tested in both the USA and Switzerland and all tests revealed absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner. These tests have been public information on the SIGG website for several years and remain there today."
The lack of transparency is a major turn-off. Knowing that they were using BPA while selling their product as a great alternative to plastic is very disturbing. I will not be buying more SIGG products, even the new and improved BPA-free ones. However, they will allow you to swap out your old for their new products here if you are so inclined.
So I guess the message here is research, research and research some more. And if something doesn't sound right -- like "secret ingredients" -- ask questions, and don't buy it unless they are answered to your satisfaction. There are other alternatives. By some stroke of luck, I never chose to sell SIGG on my Web site (I sell Kleen Kanteen stainless bottles instead).
Here are some sites to help vet out the good from the bad:
- The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety database -- an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products.
- Good Guide -- "Find safe, healthy and green products that protect you and your family. Search or browse over 70,000 food, toys, personal care and household products to see what's really beneath the label."
In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company, sage baby an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for The Family Groove as well as contributing articles to Daily Candy Kids, Citiscoop and NRDC's simple steps. She continues to watch her green business grow, while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids ages 9, 7 and 4.
