Stanley Water Bottles Unplugged: A Green Review

Imagine: you’re a normal law-abiding citizen shopping the aisles of Target wanting to get some afternoon shopping done. You pick up some produce, toiletries, and maybe even Command hooks. Walking to the checkout, you notice a stand of the new limited-edition Stanley cups you have read about online. You think to yourself, “Maybe I’ll pick one up to see what the hype is about” and as you begin to grab one, you hear what can only be described as a stampede. You look over your shoulder and 40 women are running at you pushing and shoving each other. You try to grab a Stanley but receive a punch to the gut and take a metal cup to the face, knocking you out in the process. Once you come to, your groceries are scattered around the aisle and there is no Stanley cup in sight.

This is the aftermath of the Stanley Quencher Travel Tumbler Massacre, which happened in January of this year. 

Stanley cups, not to be confused with the National Hockey League trophy, have become a popular choice for hydration in recent years, as the cups are known for their durability, reflecting the OG Stanley brand as a whole. As many have seen on TikTok in the past months, influencers rave about their Stanley cups, which come in an array of colors and patterns, and the collections they have built. With new releases and special editions, these exclusive collaborations resemble the kind of chaos displayed at Black Friday sales. I often joked that people haven’t fought over merchandise during Black Friday in years, but I didn’t bet on a cup bringing us back to those chaotic days. NBC News notes, “It’s the kind of explosion in popularity that helped catapult a 110-year-old company from $70 million in annual sales before 2020 to $750 million in 2023.”

Now you may be wondering, “How can one cup cause so much harm?”. These cups have become a symbol of overconsumption. The term “overconsumption” is defined as “the action of or fact of consuming something to an excess”, similar to when people say they have a shopping addiction. It is important to note there is a difference between buying a cute pair of jeans every once in a while vs. buying 10 new reusable water bottles. Think about it, if you have a really good product that is more sustainable than plastic, what good does it do if it is sitting on the counter collecting dust? 

Stanley is committed to making at least 50% of the company’s stainless steel products from recycled materials by 2025. Experts say that while “stainless steel is recyclable, not all local facilities accept the items because the colorful coatings on the tumblers often require additional layers of processing”. From my own experience as a Hydro Flask user, customers are allowed to trade in old products for recycling, but many recycling programs have not yet been widely adopted in the industry. Metal water bottles in general are still made from plastic material, require significant energy input, and consume natural resources such as metals, petroleum, and water. Stanley Tumblers are made from 100% virgin stainless steel which leaks toxic fumes while being made. Overconsumption strains Earth’s resources leading to environmental degradation, particularly in mining and extraction processes. 

When the Stanley Quencher first gained traction, consumers were intrigued by the design which holds 40 oz. of water but can still fit in a standard car cup holder. I, however, grew concerned at the exposed straw and the lid that tends to leak. Sure, the cup comes in cool colors and patterns, and I guess I could buy the straw covers or replace the lids, but why would I intentionally buy a product that can cause more harm than good? Stanleys already cost $45 – $55 and if you add on the additional $15 for those accessories, you already pay more than my $40 Hydro Flask that comes with a covered straw and doesn’t leak. And don’t get me started on the various accessories on Amazon…the custom name tag, cup charms, even a carrying bag! In what world would my water bottle need to be that dressed up? The Hydro Flask girlies would not act like this. 

I don’t have an issue with the Stanley company, despite being a Hydro Flask user, and this review is not meant to criticize them or their buyers. It is meant to bring awareness to a huge problem that is all over social media currently. People are so focused on being trendy that we’ve forgotten that reusable water bottles are meant to be an alternative to plastic bottles. The trend of buying things we don’t need applies to way more than just water bottles. Social media tends to promote feeding into the current trends that rarely last longer than 6 months. This makes women, especially young girls, feel the need to buy new materialistic items to fit in. I saw a video of a mom who bought a water bottle for her daughter that looked similar to a Stanley Tumbler and the girl was mocked by her classmates because it wasn’t the name brand. The girl was 9 years old! I can admit I, too, fall victim to these trends—I was looking for those Trader Joe’s mini tote bags (what can I say…I’m just a girl!). At the end of the day, we should all be conscious about how much we consume as there are dire impacts that we don’t even know about yet. Let’s do our part in saving our earth as we are the ones living on it.

Photo Credit: Wired