responses #1 A Kleen Kanten for Everyone

Jessie Huff

1^st Web Site Review

A Klean Kanten for Everyone – http://www.kleankanteen.com

I choose to review Klean Kanten because of a little know fact. The energy needed for Klean Kanten to produce one singal walled bottle is approximately equal to the energy needed to produce 8,760 plastic convenient store water bottles.  That’s 2 throw away water bottles every day of the year for 12 years (in class lesson, Pro. Weis UAF engineering department).  We can assume Klean Kanten knows this as well. Nowhere on their website do they compare energy expenditures. Instead the site focuses on all the positive selling points of the Klean Kanten; BPA free, nice color, safe pigment, you can buy a replacement cap, quality design, fair labor, and innovative. They are even taking steps to meet environmental chalenges in China, where they manufacture the cantens.

Kleen Kanten demonstrates affective selling to a mass audience that accepts superficial environmental standards as being good. They even admit all the canteens are made in China, and effectively sell this as a positive, progressive quality, by claiming new improved standards are in the process of being implemented.

The moment the home page opens, the look and feel of the site has environmental friendly, written all over it, without saying the words. They select colors that are within the current green color scheme.  At the bottom of the home page is the ultimate environmental symbol… Earth from space, and the tag line “One Planet. One You!” Although, they know what I know, so they do not claim to be saving the planet with their canteens. Instead they explain that one percent of your purchasing dollars will go toward saving our planet earth. For your information 1% of the price of a 12 oz. bottle is approximately 23 cents. Not bad!

I personally am not for or against Klean Kanten, I even own one. I will most likely not use it for 12 years, but I am not wasting my money on all those 2 dollar bottles of convenient store water nor am I sending 8,760 plastic bottles to the garbage dump. One day if  I chose to get rid of my canten I hope to give it to a stainless steal recyling center, however, most likly I will lose it. I hope one day to effectively sell products, businesses will have to show the end cost analysis for items.  Call me optimistic if you must.

On a different  note, they have done a great job with the site, hired good photographers, good editors, have easy navigation and much more information than you would have expected a water bottle company to display just 5 years ago.  They are making stainless steel bottles for many reasons these days even baby bottles, and will most likely make a profit even in the current economic downturn.



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