D is for drinking bottles
Refillable bottles are the healthiest alternative to disposable bottles, both for the environment as well as your body. (Read more about the reasons against using plastic bottles at the end.) Here are some alternatives to plastic bottles:
Slovenian architecture centre (pictured)
The design of these bottles was inspired by the Cooperative Business Bank in Ljubljana designed by Ivan Vurnik & Helena Kottler Vurnik in 1921. Kaja Weisseisen, head designer at the center arhitekture slovenije, used elements from the façade in her bottle design. The hand blown bottle holds 550 ml of liquid and is made from borosilicate glass whereas the stopper is made of stainless steel, polypropylene and silicone. There is also a detachable silicone cup at the bottom. If you’re interested in these bottles which are from the 2015 collection email [email protected] - they have some left. Otherwise more designs are available here: http://www.trgovinaika.si/en/trgovina/vurniks-bottle/ and here: http://myequa.com/collections
The following are also definitely free of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that is believed to act like a hormone in the human body and can be found in PET bottles.
The team behind soulbottles have put a lot of work into sourcing high quality and 100% plastic free materials locally for their bottles. No coating is used and while the swing top is made of ceramic, the gasket is made of natural rubber. You can choose from a variety of arty designs or customise a bottle design (when you purchase more than 50 bottles). A bottle holds 600 ml and weights 470 g.
Stainless steel has the advantage of weighing less than glass. Klean Kanteens come in many different shapes, colours and with different bottle top variations. The most classic of its models is Klean Kanteen Reflect which holds 532 ml and weighs 215 g (also available: 800 ml at 244 g). They are produced in China with high standards for quality and safety, fair labour and environmental responsibility.
Soma is a relatively new company that produces trendy water filtration systems, beakers, and carafes. The Soma Glass Water Bottle holds 500 ml and weighs 283 g. It has a bamboo lid and the silicone sleeve is available in four colours including white, grey, mint, and eggplant.
Founded in New Zealand ECOtanka was the first company to introduce stainless steel bottles. They come in a wide range of sizes with various lids from stainless steel or polypropylene plastic. Their most popular model is the Sports Tanka which holds 800 ml.
Italian brand 24Bottles was founded in 2013 and mark all bottles with “-0,08″ which stands for 0,08 kg CO2 saved by refilling your bottle instead of producing one single disposable 500 ml plastic bottle. Their stainless steel Urban Bottle holds 500 ml and weighs only 115 g (also available: 1 l at 158 g).
The elegant design of the Pure bottle is composed of a simple borosilicate glass bottle and a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) bottle top which comes in lots of bright colours. The 500 ml bottle weighs 166 g. Also available soon: stainless steel bottles.
Aladdin, a century old brand that started out producing lamps, introduced an innovative process called eCycle that utilises a mix of up to 95% recycled plastics. The 600 ml Aveo bottle is made of Tritan copolyester (BPA-free) and weighs 159 g.
German company Nature’s Design produced a glass bottle with a beech-wooden lid and wrapped in a cork shell. Its glass is made of silica sand and 40% recycled glass and its shape is proportioned after the golden ratio. Lagoena holds 500 ml whereas the ‘Thank you’ model holds 700 ml.
source: https://utopia.de/ratgeber/bpa-frei-langlebig-trendig-diese-trinkflaschen-sind-empfehlenswert/ and https://lessplastic.co.uk/product-category/reusable-drinks-bottles/
5 Reasons (taken from soulbottles):
35,000,000,000 plastic bottles are being dumped into oceans and waste disposal sites each year.
Worldwide, only 1 out of 10 plastic bottles is being recycled.
It takes 450 years for one PET bottle to fully decompose.
Sea animals confuse small plastic particles with food and starve.
Every year, the production of plastic bottles consumes as much oil as 1 million cars would need for one year of driving. It takes three litres of water to produce one plastic bottle. Glass on the other hand can easily be recycled.
further sources: https://lessplastic.co.uk/product-category/reusable-drinks-bottles/ (in English) and https://utopia.de/ratgeber/bpa-frei-langlebig-trendig-diese-trinkflaschen-sind-empfehlenswert/ (in German)
