In August 2009, SIGG CEO Steve Wasik, posted a letter to customers (scroll to the end of this article to read the full letter) announcing that their former aluminum bottle liner contained trace amounts of BPA (Bisphenol A).  SIGG customers were infuriated to learn that they had been duped.  Most believed that SIGG was a BPA-free bottle, instead it was coated with an interior epoxy liner with BPA content.  Wasik also confessed that they knew about the BPA in SIGG bottles since 2006!!

This month, the CEO has posted a new letter in an effort to diffuse consumer outrage about how SIGG has handled the BPA-liner catastrophe.   SIGG finally apologized for misleading customers for over 3 years.  You can read the full letter at the end of this article.  This is an excerpt from Wasik’s bulletin:

“After reading and responding to hundreds of emails and viewing nearly as many blog & Twitter posts, I realize that my first letter may have missed the mark. What I should have said simply and loudly to all of our loyal SIGG fans is: I am sorry that we did not make our communications on the original SIGG liner more clear from the very beginning.

I have learned much over the past 2 weeks. I learned that many of you purchased SIGG bottles – not just because they were free from leaching and safe – but because you believed that SIGGs contained no BPA. I learned that, although SIGG never marketed the former liner as “BPA Free” we should have done a better job of both clearly communicating about our liner as well as policing others who may have misunderstood the SIGG message. “

So Wasik declares mea culpa over not being clear about the former BPA liner and everything is ok, right?  An apology hardly restores consumer confidence when you feel betrayed.  Especially since SIGG launched it’s new EcoCare BPA-free liner in August 2008 – apologies that take a year to deliver don’t result in forgiveness.  Plus, SIGG has known since 2006 that it’s former liner contained BPA, so really that apology is 3 years overdue.  The lack of honesty doesn’t exactly build trust.  Sounds like SIGG did what’s best for SIGG and not their customers.

SIGG financially benefited from the surge of eco-conscious consumers who switched to a reusable water bottle over the past few years.  SIGG knew since 2006 that the liner contained BPA, but kept it quiet until just last month.  For 3 years in between, SIGG capitalized on consumers seeking a BPA-free reusable bottle.  It certainly makes you wonder if customers would have purchased a SIGG bottle if they knew that their aluminum bottles were lined with trace BPA content.  With BPA being linked anywhere from cancer to depression to Alzheimer’s, I doubt SIGG bottles would have been so popular if consumers were properly informed.

Wasik also wrote to the Huffington Post on September 7, 2009 and you can read that article here.

Here’s the kicker – the old bottle with trace BPA content is still available for sale at retailers.  SIGG isn’t shipping any more bottles with the old liner but they didn’t recall inventory that’s already in stores.   Patagonia terminated their relationship with SIGG and pulled it from stores.  You should inspect the interior before you consider buying a SIGG bottle or if you own one already, just look inside.  It’s simple to recognize the older version because the interior has a copper bronze colored lining (see picture here).  The new EcoCare liner is pale yellow in color so it is easy to distinguish old from new.  If you want the safest choice, try a stainless steel bottle which requires no interior liner, it’s stainless steel just like your cutlery.

I mentioned in my blog at the end of August that SIGG is offering an exchange program.  You must fill out paperwork and then ship the bottle back to SIGG as proof of purchase.  Then you get a gift certificate to use online to buy a new bottle and SIGG covers the bottle cost and shipping.  However, you have to pay to ship your old bottle back to them.  And the environment pays in carbon emissions from each returned shipment.  It’s certainly not the most eco-friendly solution, not to mention, not convenient or wallet-friendly for SIGG customers.  If you want to return your SIGG bottle, you can download the forms you need here. (November 2009 update:  SIGG has disabled the link to download the forms, I guess they are no longer offering an exchange).

What do you think?  Did SIGG adequately diffuse the BPA-bomb?  Or did it seem like a cover up until they had a new liner available that was certified BPA-free?  Sound off.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this quote:

“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.”   ~Red Auerbach

Here’s the full apology letter from SIGG CEO Steve Wasik:

September 2009

Dear SIGG Customer,

Last month, I wrote a letter to try and provide you with as much factual and historical information as I could in regards to the evolution of the SIGG bottle liner. I also suggested that people could email me if they had any questions and comments.

After reading and responding to hundreds of emails and viewing nearly as many blog & Twitter posts, I realize that my first letter may have missed the mark. What I should have said simply and loudly to all of our loyal SIGG fans is: I am sorry that we did not make our communications on the original SIGG liner more clear from the very beginning.

I have learned much over the past 2 weeks. I learned that many of you purchased SIGG bottles – not just because they were free from leaching and safe – but because you believed that SIGGs contained no BPA. I learned that, although SIGG never marketed the former liner as “BPA Free” we should have done a better job of both clearly communicating about our liner as well as policing others who may have misunderstood the SIGG message.

For over 100 years, SIGG has earned a reputation for quality products and service – and we do not take that for granted. From the day we made our announcement last month, we made a commitment consistent with SIGG values that we would offer anyone who is concerned about BPA an opportunity to swap their old SIGGs for new SIGGs with the new EcoCare liner. Today, I am announcing that this voluntary Exchange Program will be in place until October 31, 2009 to ensure that our customers have ample time to send their former liner bottles back to us should they choose to do so.

Once again, I truly apologize for the lack of clarity in our previous communications. All of us at SIGG hope that we will have an opportunity to regain your confidence and trust.

Sincerely,

Steve Wasik
CEO, SIGG Switzerland