This is from the WAPF chapter leaders list. I wanted to share it with you all.
Catherine

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Hi everyone,
Thought you might like to read the response I received from Klean
Kanteen regarding their stainless steel water bottles.

Hi Kristi-

Thank You for your email below with your questions about our Klean
Kanteens. Please allow me to give you some further information about
our Kanteens and our overseas factory.

Our Klean Kanteens are made of #304 stainless steel, the most common
grade of stainless that exists. It has an 18:8 ratio, which is 18%
Chromium to 8% nickel. The #304 stainless is the material of choice
for the food processing, dairy and brewing industries. The Klean
Kanteen has no inner lining to worry about, it is made of a single
layer of stainless steel.

We do periodic lab tests through a local lab on our Kanteens to
ensure that there are no hazardous substances involved with the
Klean Kanteen. All of the test results have come back with positive
results. We test for lead, chromium, nickel, and manganese, etc.

We did research regarding having our products made in the US, and
discovered two major problems:

1) Cost. Your price as our customer would be over 3 times what it is
currently for a Klean Kanteen. We would likely not be in business at
these prices.

2) American stainless steel manufacturers in our area were not
interested in making a product like the Klean Kanteen, we did the
research and this was somewhat disappointing for us as well.

We were however able to find a quality Taiwanese factory in China,
that our employees visit 4-5 times a year for meetings and quality
control purposes. We do not own our factory in China, but we have a
very good working relationship with them.

Our factory is in the process of applying for an ISO certification
as we speak. Their labor policy was of interest to us initially, and
we have found that they treat their employees very well, better than
most factories in China. The working conditions and wages are much
better than you are imagining. We sent the factory a fair trade code
of conduct questionnaire and all the questions came back with very
positive responses. Some of the questions that we asked were
regarding forced labor, child labor, overtime pay, working
conditions, etc.

Please recognize that not all factories in China are like the ones
in the news these days. Our factory has known from the beginning
that the Klean Kanteen is required to be a safe alternative to other
unsafe products on the market today, and we hold them to these high
standards. We would not market something if we did not believe in it
ourselves. We believe that the Klean Kanteen is and will continue to
be one of the safest and best alternative beverage container on the
market, and we strive to uphold these standards for the comfort of
our customers.

If you have any other questions please contact me at the info below.

Cheers!

Chris Carlson
Sales / Customer Service
Klean Kanteen
4345 Hedstrom Way
Chico, CA 95973
800-767-3173 x303
www.kleankanteen.com

The Stainless Steel Alternative

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"I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."  (Psalm 18:1-3)