Sigg Water Bottles

Sigg water bottles are popular with backpackers and other sports enthusiasts. However, with recent health concerns calling many plastic water bottles into question, SIGG bottles may increase in popularity as a safer alternative.

Examining the SIGG Water Bottle

The SIGG bottle has an extensive history and several key design feature that make this a unique water bottle.

History of the Company

The origins of the SIGG lie just outside of Zurich, where a metal processing specialist, Ferdinard Sigg, opened an aluminum product factory in 1908. Believing aluminum to be the material of the future, the company manufactured pans, bottles, and other houseware items which rapidly became popular. In 1990, the SIGG bottle was refashioned into its iconic shape. Due to the popularity of the SIGG water bottle, the company now focuses primarily on this item.

The SIGG water bottle has received numerous design accolades, including incorporation into the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York in 1993.

Durability

SIGG is known for its craftmanship: these aluminum bottles have no seams or weak points. This means that a single SIGG bottle can easily last a lifetime. According to their website, in June 2006, Backpacker Magazine included the SIGG bottle in their field test of leading water bottles. Using a 100 pound cannon ball, the magazine attempted to break all of the water bottles. Only the SIGG bottle remained intact, causing Backpacker to call the SIGG "The World's Toughest Water Bottle".

Liner

Once unique aspect of the SIGG water bottle is the interior liner. This coating resists damage from any type of beverage, including fruit juice, energy drinks, and even alcohol. The liner makes the bottle taste and scent neutral, ensuring that the beverage within the bottle will not pick up any aftertaste from previous drinks. The liner does not chip or flake and also has veen proven to reduce bacteria build up within the bottle.

Aesthetic

Many people like SIGG bottles because of the variety of designs available. Currently there are over 100 unique designs, with new designs being offered each year. The caps are also interchangeable, making it easy to make a color combination that will have your bottle stand out from the crowd.

Is It Green?

SIGG bottles can be reused to carry a variety of beverages. For this reason, their environmental impact is far less over time than paper or plastic cups, as well as other water bottles. However, the embodied energy of the SIGG bottle, due to the use of aluminum as its main material, still remains high. Consumers that regularly use the bottle to replace alternative carriers will over time save energy, if not initially. According to the website, bottles that are twenty years or older are still being used.

SIGG bottles also do not contain polycarbonate #7, a material that was recently linked to certain types of cancer. The SIGG bottle does not leach any chemicals into the beverage the container holds. SIGG certifies that the bottles have 0.0% leaching, and all bottles exceed FDA requirements.

SIGG bottles are also fully recyclable once their useful life is concluded, which is particularly important because these bottles are made of a non renewable resource. Currently, SIGG also offers a one percent donation to "1% For The Planet", an agency that seeks better environmental standards. SIGG also practices ecologically safe manufacturing processes according to their website, avoiding other types of water pollution.

Final Considerations

While a SIGG bottle will undoubtedly be more costly than a common water bottle found at a big box retailer, its strength and quality of design gives it a lifespan that exceeds other water bottles. For this reason, it may be a good investment to purchase a SIGG bottle. Regularly using a water bottle, along with other water saving devices can make a large impact on your family's annual water consumption.