Gaiam, again without public announcement, has made changes to its website to offer additional information about its BPA-containing aluminum bottles. The site's product pages for aluminum water bottles now include links to two tests - one for testing under "normal" conditions, and one under what the company has claimed are "extreme" conditions. Interestingly, the link to the "extreme" test results is currently broken, but you can find it here; here's a direct link to the "normal" test conditions, too.

The reports confirm what the company revealed last month after ZRecs accused the company of selling BPA-containing aluminum water bottles under the guise that they were BPA-free: That the bottles leach BPA at 23.8 parts per billion under standard BPA testing conditions, nearly 20 times that of BPA testing of SIGG bottles by a confidential source, and over 10 times that of the minimum detection level of 2 ppb in SIGG's internal testing of their own bottles, which turned up no BPA.

Additionally, product pages for Gaiam water bottles now have an added graphic at the top of the "Reviews" section of the page, reading: "100% Satisfaction Guarantee: If you are in any way dissatisfied with our product you ordered, we'll exchange it, replace it, or refund your money. Please call 1.877.6321 for details." Our assumption is that this policy is not new, but that it is simply being highlighted now to provide some recourse for frustrated consumers. The statement is repeated at the bottom of the review section.

Gaiam's reviews have been relatively quiet on the issue of BPA in the company's bottles. Gaiam requires reviewers to log into an account created with the company in order to post a review, and moderates reviews, and, according to its terms and conditions, "reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission for any reason."


Gaiam has refused to provide information to ZRecs regarding any plans to phase out BPA in their water bottle linings. If you own a Gaiam bottle, we encourage you to contact them and request a stainless steel water bottle to replace your aluminum one.