by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Grenwash, greenwash all the way, it would appear.
First Sigg announced its aluminium water bottles contained BPA all along in their lining and now Gaiam has quietly updated their website to include information that their brand name aluminum bottles leach BPA into its contents too! Great! NOT!!
If consumers cannot trust such green powerhouses as Gaiam, who can they trust? Where will the deceit end?
For those that have not heard – and they must have been on the other side of the moon, I am sure - Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor used in plastics manufacturing.
This man-made chemical is prevalent in consumer goods including canned food, baby bottles, recycled toilet paper, infant formula, lining of aluminium soda and beer cans, etc. Studies have shown BPA exposure makes little girls more aggressive and hyper and increases risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, makes little boys into sissies and also could well be the cause of erictive dysfunction in older males.
In an effort to avoid BPA and detrimental environmental effects of disposable water bottles, consumers have selected stainless steel and aluminum reusable bottles.
In order to avoid stainless steel bottles made in China, many people have chosen aluminum bottles; however, aluminum bottles require a liner to prevent the metal from leaching into the water. It is this BPA content of this liner that Sigg and Gaiam have lied to consumers about for many years.
It would appear that Gaiam is an even greater BPA sinner than Sigg in that, firs of, it has lied to consumers all the way, claiming their bottles to be “BPA-free” and marketing them as such. But that is only the beginning.
Gaiam haqd to, under pressure from citizen journalism, to admit that, according to information that they have not quietly added to their retail website, independent laboratory test results showing leaching levels at 23.8 parts per billion.
These findings are more than ten times the detection limit SIGG said revealed no leaching from their own bottles and over 18 times more than the leaching levels found in independent testing of SIGG bottles.
Gaiam has long been trusted in the green community for its “conscious commerce” and its mission statement basically said: “Gaiam was created as a lifestyle company with the vision that, given a choice, people would choose a lifestyle that is healthy and life enhancing, for themselves, their families and the Earth. The Gaiam lifestyle is a vote for individual health as well as the future sustainability of the Earth’s resources. Gaiam strives to provide customers with alternatives to traditional products by offering natural, eco-friendly or healthy versions that compare with the style, quality and price of conventional products.”
Have we been greenwashed all along by Gaiam? It certainly would appear to be thus and hence now the question as to who one can actually trust in that field out there.
There is way too much greenwashing going on and too many publications give products glorious reviews without, it would seem, ever putting things to test. The Eco Button for the computer it one of the most shining examples in that field.
Green magazine after green magazine gave the thing the most glorious review; until I got my hands on one of them and finally we could see the truth. The Eco Button is nothing but useless junk and all PCs and Laptops are already equipped with the same kind of power-saving systems.
When it comes to reusable water bottles I would suggest to go for stainless steel, even from China. India, is one of the finest sources for stainless steel food gear and I am sure someone could check as to whether they make stainless steel bottles as well, that could be used as water bottles.
© 2009
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