Aug

SIGG Reusable Bottles Contain BPA - Buyer Beware

By Tracy

Consumer Alert: SIGG, long-time Swiss manufacturer of aluminum reusable bottles, has confessed that any bottle manufactured before August 2008 contains BPA (Bisphenol A). What? Sounds like the Nalgene scandal when it was discovered that their polycarbonate bottles had contained BPA.

SIGG bottles old vs. new interior lining

The affects of exposure to BPA is under constant scrutiny and analysis for links to health issues including breast cancer, obesity, hormone problems, reproductive health challenges, early puberty, depression, and IQ reduction.

SIGG revealed that their proprietary ‘water-based epoxy liner’ which coated the inside of every SIGG reusable bottle made before August 2008, contained trace amounts of BPA. Then, in August 2008, SIGG inaudibly launched its new EcoCare liner, which features a “special powder-based co-polyester liner certified to be 100% BPA and Phthalate Free.”

SIGG CEO Steve Wasik released a bulletin that you can read here, dated August 2009. August 2009? Haven’t you known for a year now? Why mislead customers so drastically? “Prior to its transition, SIGG utilized a water-based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA.” ‘Prior to its transition’ seems like a soft way to put it. Why not issue a bulletin a year ago when you actually switched to the new BPA-free liner? Wasik goes on to say “I am proud to say that SIGG took action quickly back in 2006 to begin the development of a high performance bottle liner that is BPA free.” So you started working on it in 2006 and your definition of ‘quickly’ includes announcing BPA content publicly in 2009?

Is your SIGG bottle affected? If your interior SIGG bottle has the copper colored lining (pictured right above), you are at risk for possible exposure to BPA. If you have the dull pale yellow coating (pictured left) than you’ve got the EcoCare liner version. SIGG claims that the former liner which contained BPA was extensively tested and did not leach toxins. But if it doesn’t leach toxins, why change to the new EcoCare liner? Consumer confidence in the older aluminum bottle should be nil if SIGG decided to launch a new liner. Why would they bother if it isn’t a problem? Companies don’t look for ways to spend money if they don’t have to.

SIGG is inconveniently offering an exchange on the old bottle to “upgrade” to the new BPA-free one. Of course, you have to pay to ship it back to them, then waste your valuable time and follow a return process that will cost you money. Whole Foods in Canada has pulled all inventory from store shelves that was manufactured with the old liner and it’s offering a full refund to any customer who returns a SIGG bottle to any of its stores. So Whole Foods, a reseller, is offering a much better solution than SIGG themselves.

Maybe the best answer is to scrap aluminum bottles altogether since they all require a protective liner on the inside of the bottle. Stainless steel has been used by the masses every day each time they pick up a knife and fork to eat a meal. It’s not a huge leap to think that a stainless steel reusable bottle is the healthiest and most practical solution - there is no liner to worry about, it’s 100% stainless steel. Planet Forward’s 100% stainless steel bottles are not only BPA-free, but so are the caps on top.

When it comes to your reusable bottle, rule it out if it contains any BPA, even if it’s just trace amounts, and you’ll avoid the consumer anxiety. In the meantime, SIGG bottle owners should police their interior lining for the copper color.

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