We chat with Simon Karlik, Director of Cheeki Bottles, about supporting the planet and its people with stainless steel food and beverage containers that are made for life.
Q: What inspired you to launch Cheeki Bottles more than 10 years ago?
A: Back in 2009 I had just come back home from living overseas as an outdoor guide and every time I took a little urban adventure, I would see so much useless plastic on the ground. Water bottles, cups, containers — the list goes on. I hated seeing it and with such limited reusable options on the market, it seemed like single-use plastic was the only choice for consumers. So, I wanted to change this and I created Cheeki: the first Australian brand to introduce stainless steel bottles on the market. This inspired me to create a range of premium reusable products to generate change. Today, we’re still doing it here and around the world.
Q: Why did you decide to focus on stainless steel in your product range?
A: There are different gradings of stainless steel but Cheeki uses what they call 304 [18/8] food-grade stainless steel. The key reason for using steel is that it’s the best material to tick all the boxes in creating a range of reusable products. It’s tough, durable, insulated, recyclable and most importantly it’s safe for us; no chemicals, BPA, toxins or heavy metals.
Q: What are your environmentally friendly and sustainable practices?
A: Firstly, I take a reusable water bottle with me everywhere. I’m a big advocate for making small changes that have a big difference. These include taking reusable water bottles and coffee cups everywhere I go, taking my shopping bags with me to the shops and exchanging experiences rather than gifts. There are many others to list but those are my most frequent sustainable practices.
Q: Cheeki aims to create high-quality reusable stainless steel alternatives to single-use plastic food and beverage containers. For readers who are exploring a low-waste lifestyle, what’s the most important thing for them to take into account when reducing their use of plastic?
A: One of the most important things is to put in some research and invest in good quality plastic alternatives. The reason I say this is that you don’t want to buy products that are going to break easily or are so unsuitable for your lifestyle that you resort back to using plastic. It’s worth buying products that you’re excited to use. This really helps in developing good sustainable practices.
Q: Which Cheeki product would you recommend most to readers of Being in order to be happy and healthy for life?
A: I recommend the Cheeki insulated classic bottles. These bottles keep water cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours, feature some cool innovations and are 100 per cent BPA- and toxin-free. More importantly, taking a reusable water bottle everywhere you go also encourages you to drink more water. Keeping hydrated is the first step in being happy and healthy for life!
For more information about Cheeki Bottles, visit cheeki.com
