Which is the better: a stainless steel bottle that is made %26#039;responsibly%26#039; in China or a Nalgene (USA made)? I%26#039;m having a debate with myself. I try to do my best to heal the planet on which I am so fortunate to live and I also try to make as many healthy choices for myself and my family. I would like to recycle my Nalgene bottles that leach nasty bisphenol-a into my drinks just because they were washed in the dishwasher (with hot water!). But my conflict is that of the viable alternatives made of stainless steel all are made outside the US and most are manufactured in China. Though the companies claim that they are manufactured %26#039;responsibly%26#039; in China I find the human rights practices of the Chinese government or lack thereof deplorable and do my best to not purchase products made in countries with poor human rights and environmental practices. So should I get a couple of these %26#039;responsibly%26#039; manufactured stainless steel bottles or just use a glass or stainless steel cup, though it would be nice to have something that seals for travel? 0% 0 Votes

I%26#039;ve had this same dilemma and went the route of stainless steel. Here are the reasons why I made that decision:
1. Nalgene bottles are plastic and therefore petroleum (oil) based.
2. Plastic bottles are known to leach. Bad for your health.
3. Nalgene also manufactures devices used for animal testing. Specifically, they developed restraints for lab animals. Not high on my list of ethical products.

Having made that choice, I was torn about which stainless steel bottle to get. I%26#039;ve tried both Kleen Kanteen and Sigg. While I%26#039;d love to support Kleen Kanteen, I found Sigg bottles to work better, taste better and clean better.

My two cents. 0% 0 Votes

nalgene is the best way to go. stainless steel would be a hassel. nalgenes are great and very durrable. also buying things that are made in china is bad. it is best to buy things that are made in the usa. i feel very bad for the children being forced to work in china. please buy the nalgene.

hope i helped :) 0% 0 Votes

%26quot;China is bad%26quot; is not really a complete reason not to buy the stainless steel option. What is bad that we, as american consumers have proven to big business that we prioritize price above all else. So when we look to china as being %26quot;bad%26quot; we have no one to blame but ourselves and the officials we elect who sell out consumer interests in favor of increasing the profits of multinational corporations.

For your own health and conscience--Nalgene, for the reasons listed above--not really the way to go (imho). I%26#039;m with whoever said glass is always the alternative. How about a glass jam jar or something like that with a sealable lid-or get one of the pom tea containers and re-use it. it%26#039;s sealable, glass-not the coolest thing in the world, and a bit heavier...but avoids both the china issue and ingesting more chemicals issue.

And China, no matter what they claim with the olympics coming up--is a laughable sham on all fronts from environmentalism, to human rights. But we, as one of their largest export destinations, are complicit and enable them to continue in this fashion. 14% 1 Vote