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.
Light Green Stairs 
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