10+ Years of Reusable Water Bottle Trends: What’s Best For Our Oceans?
Reusable water bottles have been trending products for over the past 10 years. While once just thought of as products meant for the gym or hiking and camping, and now with the rise of eco-friendly consumerism, reusable water bottles have become the newest must-have accessories. As advocates for reducing ocean plastic pollution, we aren’t complaining, but it’s good to know whether that newest trendy bottle is actually using quality materials and practicing good corporate social responsibility, or if the company is just hopping on the bandwagon.
Reusable Bottles Go Beyond the Gym (2010 – 2014)
CamelBak Eddy+ 
This bottle was everywhere in 2010-2014. While now in 2023 CamelBak has stainless steel and zero-plastic designs, back when it was the must-have bottle brand, the coveted style was the Eddy+ which is a plastic bottle. The newest version of the Eddy+ has made improvements. Now, the bottle is made with Tritan™ Renew plastic which is a 50% recycled material and all of the brand’s plastic bottles are BPA free.
Considering that 10 years ago we were still way behind on being conscious consumers and CamelBak bottles did encourage the use of reusable water bottles over single-use plastic, we can’t completely knock them. Their new line of products are also a sign that this once trendy brand can keep with the times. While there is a section of their website about sustainability practices, not many specifics are offered besides highlighting the use of Tritan™ Renew plastic. 
Nalgene Wide Mouth Sustain
Nalgene bottles and CamelBaks coexisted as popular water bottles of the early 2010s. Before the era of the hydroflask, both of these were the bottles of choice to put your cute stickers on to show off your personality. The Nalgene Wide Mouth’s appeal was the bright color blocking of the bottle (very similar to the newest trending bottle Owala… but we’ll get there). But just like CamelBak this bottle is made of plastic. On a good note, in 2022, Nalgene made the full switch to 50% recycled plastic and BPA free materials which is still leaps and bounds better than single-use plastic. And while the bottle is still plastic, Nalgene promises an extremely affordable bottle built to last a lifetime, and one plastic bottle is much better than thousands of single-use plastic bottles.
The company makes promises of responsible material sourcing, an effort towards sustainability by using Tritan plastic and making BPA-free bottles, and has a program called the Nalgene Water Fund dedicated to helping vulnerable communities gain access to clean water. 
Stainless Steel Sweeps The Markets (2015 – 2017)
S’well Original Bottle
Often seen as the pioneer of making reusable water bottles fashion accessories, S’well bottles were everywhere in the mid-2010s. S’well started in 2010, was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine in 2011, and reported $100 million in revenue in 2016. Unlike the plastic reusable water bottles seen before, S’well bottles are made with stainless steel and are insulated, allowing hot and iced drinks to last longer and eliminating annoying bottle sweat. S’well’s simple, sleek design and benefits captivated consumers making it the it bottle to buy.
Their main sustainability information is that buying their bottles helps eliminate single-use plastic pollution. Their activism is limited, but during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic they started a program called Hydrate EDU that gives S’well bottles to schools where water fountains were closed due to the pandemic. The program donated over 17,000 bottles to 3 countries, 35 states and over 50 schools. 
Yeti Rambler
Yeti first became popular because of their high-quality coolers and has now become an entire lifestyle brand. In 2014 the 20- and 30-ounce Ramblers were introduced and since then the brand hasn’t stopped being a fan favorite especially in Texas where the company started. Like S’well, Yeti uses stainless steel materials that keep drinks insulated, but Yeti offered more size options at the time and is dishwasher safe where S’well is not.
Unlike most trendy reusable bottles that lean into being accessories or used for activity, Yeti sticks very strongly to its roots of being a brand for outdoors people and the “wild.” Their website allows you to download their 2022 ESG report which features information about their efforts in managing their carbon footprint, sending zero waste to the landfill, and using product packaging with small environmental impacts. 
TikTok Accelerates The Trend Cycle (2018 – present)
Hydro Flask
You can blame TikTok for this trend, actually, don’t blame them, thank them because Hydroflasks are great for preventing plastic pollution. From 2018-2020 Hydroflasks were the water bottle to have, I mean, who could forget the echoes of clangs and bangs when one fell on the floor in the middle of class? TikTok trends such as the VSCO girl made this bottle incredibly popular and as of March 2023, the hashtag #hydroflask has 1.6 billion views on TikTok, and that’s not including any variations of the hashtag.
The bottle is made from stainless steel like S’well and Yeti, but its features such as a lid with a handle and a straw (very similar to the CamelBak bottles this same generation favored in elementary and middle school) made it different from its competitors. In 2022 they debuted their new packaging which is 100% recyclable, paper, uses soy-based inks, and has a minimum of 80% recycled content. Hydro Flask is also the first brand to introduce a stainless steel bottle trade-in and recycling program called Trade-In by Hydroflask. Additionally, Hydro Flask is very involved in sustainability efforts and has and is involved in programs such as Refill For Good, Let’s Go!, and Parks For All.
Stanley 40oz Quencher H2.0 Tumbler
Go to any high school, college campus, or corporate office and you will see a Stanley cup on a desk. What was seen as only an outdoors and camping brand, Stanley’s Quencher Tumblers are now status symbols and must-have accessories sold out online and in stores. The beautiful color choices, ergonomic handle, and volume of this cup made it stand out from all the reusable water bottle trends from before.
Stanley Tumblers are great for the environment too. They are made from 90% recycled 18/8 stainless steel and are BPA-free and have a reusable straw. Stanley’s promise is that their products are “built for life,” made from recycled materials, packaged with sustainable packaging, and the company seeks out and works with manufacturers with high standards of environmental responsibility.
Owala FreeSip
If your TikTok For You Page has any types of product reviews on it, you’ve likely seen people trying out Owala reusable water bottles. As of this March 2023, #owala has 60.2 million views on TikTok and thousands of videos to look through just by searching “owala” in the search bar and the company has only been posting on TikTok since late 2021.
The Owala FreeSip is a very customizable bottle. The design of the FreeSip can be used with or without a straw, is available as an insulated stainless steel body or BPA-free Tritan plastic body, is offered in 5 sizes, and comes in unique, fun color combinations. The brand is colorful and fun and focused on consumers expressing their personality and drinking enough water during the day. However, there is no information on their website about sustainability practices or programs they are a part of. Considering that the brand only launched in 2020 and it took the other brands listed that have been around for 10+ years until 2022 to really start making sustainable business choices, we are going to cut Owala some slack… for now. 
What Do You Choose?
While not every bottle received a 10/10, you know what gets a 0/10? Using single-use plastic bottles. So any choice of reusable water bottle is a step in the right direction. But don’t just buy every new bottle that’s trending, pick one that works for you and your lifestyle and truly keep it for life. We as consumers have become so used to poorly made products falling apart and needing replacement, that we fall into overconsumption. Pick a cool bottle, or a few for different purposes, and get the most out of a well-made sustainable product.
