In the early 2000s, nobody in America was selling a reusable steel water bottle — plastic was simply assumed. Chico, California inventor Robert Seals changed that in 2004, building the first BPA-free stainless steel bottle from parts bought at his local hardware store and selling it out of a van at music festivals. The Cresswell family took the torch a year later, and Klean Kanteen has stayed independently owned and B Corp certified ever since — proof that a genuinely useful idea, launched from a garage, can quietly rewrite an entire category.
Klean Kanteen's original design is now widely considered the template the entire reusable-bottle category still follows, and the brand remains a fixture on outdoor, lifestyle and specialty retail shelves worldwide.
Klean in action
Two decades of making reusable the easy choice.
Still independently owned and still based in Chico, California, Klean Kanteen has spent twenty years proving that a durable, reusable product can carry a whole category — and that giving back can be part of how a business is built.
$4.5M
Donated to more than 134 environmental non-profits since 2008.
90%
Post-consumer recycled stainless steel in almost every product.
1% for the Planet
Member since 2008
1% of every sale goes to grassroots environmental organisations.
Certified B Corporation
Certified since 2012
Audited social, environmental and governance performance, renewed every three years.
The Climate Label
Climate neutral since 2020
An internal carbon fee funds emission cuts across operations and supply chain.
Materials and engineering
What the bottle is actually made of.
18/8 recycled food-grade steel
Certified 90% post-consumer
An electropolished interior that never leaches, holds no flavour and keeps every refill tasting like the last.
Klean Coat finish
Four times more durable
An eco-formulated powder coat, screened for safer chemicals, that resists chips and scratches for years of daily use.
Climate Lock and TK Closure
Cold for up to 75 hours
Double-wall vacuum engineering paired with an internal-thread cap, so insulation lasts and plastic stays off the rim.
Milestones
A first, and then a habit of firsts.
2004
The first BPA-free bottle
Launches the world's first food-grade stainless steel, BPA-free water bottle from a workshop in Chico, California.
2005
A family at the helm
The Cresswell family takes over, setting the family and employee stewardship that still runs the company today.
2009
Insulation and refill
Introduces vacuum-insulated bottles and puts free water refill stations into multi-day outdoor festivals.
2018
TK Closure
Rethinks the thermal cap with an internal thread, so no plastic ever touches the rim you drink from.
2021
Recycled steel at scale
Moves core lines to certified 90% post-consumer recycled stainless steel without changing the build.
2024
Rise Collection
Expands circular design with the Rise Collection, built around recycled material and a lifetime of refills.