SIGG Bottles Had BPA Before August 2008

August 21st, 2009

Last year, I wrote glowing reviews about SIGG bottles here and at Tree Hugging Family. I also recommended them to my friends and family. I bought one for my husband who has taken it to work with him each day for more than a year now.

Today, I feel very betrayed. In my Tree Hugging Family post, I defended SIGG’s decision to not disclose the ingredients of their liner since it was a proprietary secret. I also linked to a letter that was posted on mysigg.com, written by the President on March 12, 2007 in which he said:

I can assure you that SIGG bottles are absolutely not made with a plastic liner and are in
fact lined with a proprietary non-toxic, water-based resin which has been refined over decades of study and is extremely safe & stable.

and he continued to state:

As you may know, the BPA issues surrounding Lexan plastic bottles (polycarbonate #7)
involve the migration of chemicals from the plastic into the contents of the bottles. On the other hand, SIGG bottles have been thoroughly tested in Europe to ensure 0% leaching of any substance – no trace of BPA, BPB or any phthalates.

These are direct quotes from Steve Wasik, President SIGG USA. (I added the bold font, not words.) Now, a letter dated August 2009 by Steve Wasik, CEO, SIGG Switzerland even begins with somewhat of a defense of BPA! He goes on to say that:

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.

Perhaps the consumer is supposed to read between the lines. What he was really saying is zero leaching, but we know BPA is present. How am I supposed to believe anything they say now? I didn’t want a bottle with trace amounts of BPA.

SIGG will have to go a very long way to win back the support of the green community. As part of making this right, I believe that SIGG should offer all consumers who purchased a SIGG prior to August 2008 (within reason) a free replacement bottle – IF they even want it. Contact SIGG.

SIGG knew that consumers were buying their bottles because they wanted an alternative to BPA. They certainly were crafty to make sure they never exactly said that their bottles didn’t contain BPA. They simply said no leaching of BPA in a way that implied BPA wasn’t present. Plus, they challenged groups (like Organic Consumers Association) that said their bottle contained BPA, and they even accepted an apology.

Shame on you SIGG.

Filed under Green choices | Comments (7)

7 Responses to “SIGG Bottles Had BPA Before August 2008”

  1. SIGG Bottles Made Before Aug 2008 Have BPA : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles on August 21, 2009 1:44 pm

    [...] bottles containing trace amounts of BPA? If you want to learn more and read quotes from SIGG, visit Light Green Stairs where I reviewed my own SIGG bottle last year. Also, read SIGG’s recent letter about their [...]

  2. Way to go with the BPA SIGG! : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles on August 21, 2009 3:46 pm

    [...] pal Peggy a long time SIGG advocate is super peeved. Read her views in SIGG Bottles Had BPA Before August 2008 and here at Blisstree as [...]

  3. Judy on August 22, 2009 9:57 am

    I wrote to New Seasons (local market) where we bought our Siggs last year, and they assured me they will take Siggs for refund (no receipt required), a lot more ecological than shipping bottles back and forth to Sigg (the fact that this corporation wants to do it that way is pretty telling). They said they are also inspecting the bottles in stock and removing any with the older liners . . . no word on the larger question of continuing to carry the brand.

    Anyone who wants to exchange their bottles or get a refund would be advised to contact the store that it came from. I see that Sigg is only offering an exchange, going to my market means I can also vote with my feet and get a different bottle (they have several stainless options).

    I feel kinda dumb, I have to admit I did not actually know that our bottles were lined, and I kinda assumed all these metal bottles were basically the same.

    JG

  4. mark on August 22, 2009 10:06 am

    I have not heard anyone talk about it, but I managed to cross thread the cap on my Sigg a few months ago and it basically destroyed the opening. Aluminum is a soft metal, so I get why this happened . . . has anyone else seen this?

    In hindsight I should have sent it back to Sigg then, but I recycled it. I’d suggest buying a stainless bottle, which is what I did after the thread issue. Works great, no lining, and tough as a tank.

  5. Peggy on August 22, 2009 1:19 pm

    Judy, good idea on contacting the store. I bought mine from reusablebags.com. I haven’t contacted them. I haven’t seen anything anywhere that states that SIGG is offering exchanges. Is that on their website? It’s not in the letter from the President.

    The reason for the lining is because the bottle is made of aluminum – very unsafe to drink from. However, the lining is supposed to protect you. If the lining becomes damaged, you shouldn’t use the bottle.

    Mark, the only problem with stainless is that my husband anyway swears it leaves the water with a metal taste. I’d like to find a glass water bottle.

    Thanks for commenting you two.

  6. Giving up on SIGG – which bottle to choose : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles on August 22, 2009 7:21 pm

    [...] to leech into your water the company seemingly tried to cover it up which just might make other green consumers and possibly you want to think twice before handing over your money to the company. I’m not [...]

  7. Your baby’s SIGG water bottle may have BPA | Pregnancy & Baby Blog on August 23, 2009 12:36 am

    [...] SIGG Bottles Had BPA Before August 2008 [...]

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