futurethink’s innovation weblog

Sigg is in the business of making stainless steel, reusable water bottles. These bottles are not plastic, and Sigg wants everyone to know.

The company just announced a partnership with stopglobalwarming.org, a non-profit, non-political effort to “declare that global warming is here now and it’s time to act.” The I AM NOT PLASTIC 1 Litre bottle is made of BPA-Free stainless steel, and like the rest of Sigg’s lineup, is designed to help consumers cut down on their use of disposable cups and water bottles.

We’re particularly taken by the strong message of this latest bottle design, however. It reminds us of Anya Hindmarch’s I am not a plastic bag, the $15 tote bag that had people literally stepping on one another to acquire one last year. It’s pretty striking that eco has become such a strong brand in and of itself—people are increasingly taken with the idea of showing how environmentally savvy they are.

But alas, all these eco-goods are tied to a pretty substantial environmental footprint, which most people aren’t talking about (at least I don’t think they are). I know a person or two (who shall remain nameless) that will probably run out to pick up this new, eco-branded Sigg bottle, even though they probably already have a bottle or two lying around that would serve the exact same purpose of cutting down on needless consumption and waste. I definitely know a few people who rushed out to pick up Anya Hindmarch’s bag, even though the canvas-reusable-bag movement had already left them pretty well stocked with reusable totes.

This whole push and pull of the eco/sustainability movement is what everyone—consumers, marketers, manufacturers, governments, and retailers—are going to have to figure out over the next few years. We can’t realistically consume our way into a healthier planet (as nice as that would be). We need to put forth a concerted effort to reduce the amount of stuff we create, use, and throw away.

Oh—before I forget—be sure to check out stopglobalwarming.org. It is a really interesting little site. Nearly 1.2 million people from around the globe have signed up with the site to take part in a Virtual March. What’s a Virtual March, you ask? Why, it’s an online “effort” that’s brings people together to learn about the issues around Global Warming in order to arm them with the information they need to ignite change in their own communities. It’s a fascinating example of how strong the desire to “congregate” is, even if that congregation is happening online.

All right, I’ll step off my soap box now. And, being that I am currently without a proper reusable water bottle, perhaps I’ll pick one up.