Following on from my colleague Jess Hadley’s user testing of the legendary Stanley Quencher https://www.4couture.com/blog-articles/2025/2/17/4couture-team-trials-the-legendary-stanley-quencher-branded-promotional-giveaway next up, it was my turn to undertake the ‘team trial’s challenge and to see how another of our top water bottle brands really delivers.

Ocean’s insulated 500ml bottle in rock grey

Even after more than 20 years of being in the promotional merchandise industry, I still get genuinely excited when new products launch. And to make sure I know what I’m talking about when chatting with clients, it’s not unusual for me to ‘borrow’ a sample from our showroom and to put a product through its paces.

The Ocean Bottle https://oceanbottle.co/ immediately appealed as it’s from a fellow certified B Corp brand https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/ocean-bottle/

From personal experience, I know that meeting the rigorous B Corp assessment standards isn’t easy, so if you’re looking for a branded merchandise item that has a conscience then these guys could be right up your street, and their story is impressive too. The two founders, Nick & Will met when they sat next to each other in their first lecture at the London Business School. After an instant connection and shared passion for the environment, the company was formed in 2018 and following a year of research, hours of designs and product prototypes, the first Ocean bottle was launched in September 2019.

Fast forward less than 6 years and the Ocean Bottles have come a long way and the range includes a brew flask, tumbler, cups and travel mugs as well as a flask. For the purposes of my testing, I chose to go with a 500ml insulated Ocean Bottle in a very stylish, rock grey. The bottles are available in a range of sizes from 500ml up to 1000ml and the colour range is stunning. Apparently inspired by ‘earth’ (not so sure about that but am loving the sun orange!) they range from Obsidian black, Sky Blue, Fire Red, Forest Green… you get the picture but basically there’s something for everyone.

ocean bottles - small bottle big impact, planet friendly promotional merch

In terms of promotional merchandise and branding on these bottles, our recommendation is to go for engraving as this is a premium item and the engraving doesn’t detract from that. Often when we’re fulfilling a campaign we might recommend a customised outer packaging but the Ocean Bottle box is so nice, it’s worth keeping it just as it is.

The outer box is a responsibly sourced, recycled cardboard gift box and details all sort of useful tips and information about the product inside, including the fact that it comes with an impressive 10 year warranty. This is a BIG plus as far as I’m concerned as one of the common criticisms and concerns about promotional swag is that it’s not always planet friendly and no company or brand wants to be seen to be giving away cheap tat! (and to be clear, we don’t want to support that either)

However, when you can offer a client or team member a stylish bottle to replace their use of single plastic or takeaway coffee cups AND give them a 10 year lifespan… now that’s a game changer IMO. These bottles are ideal for staff onboarding kits as they’re a clear indication that sets the tone for your company’s values and emphasizes that your organisation prioritises sustainability and innovation.

The 500ml insulated bottle that I’ve chosen is made from 65% recycled materials including 90% recycled stainless steel and has double wall insulation so will keep my drink cool for about 18 hours and my tea hot for around 6. It also has a super funky dual opening function (more on that later) and a leak proof lid which I fully intend to test out. One of my personal concerns is keeping my tumbler clean so the fact that these bottles are dishwasher friendly is another plus and given that I’ll be using it daily, it will be interesting to see how well it fairs with a daily spin in my AEG at home.

actual image of me scanning the bottle before another refill

When we’re sourcing branded swag on behalf of clients, we’re often asked for ‘something different’ and something that staff or clients will’ really want to receive’. For every Ocean bottle sold, the Ocean team will fund the collection of 11.4kg plastic waste which is equivalent to 1,000 bottles, so that’s a pretty impactful statement right from the offset and definitely meets the brief.

But the planet friendly impact doesn’t stop there, on the outside of the bottle packaging it explains that you can scan the QR code to download the Ocean app and register your warranty but also, this is where you can set up the app to continue making impact every time you refill the bottle.

I had zero idea how this worked but followed the instructions, downloaded the app, scanned the bottom of my bottle and TA DA! it recognised my bottle by use of some clever serial no software and I was able to set up a profile, just by entering my name. This means that from this point on, my Ocean bottle 10 year warranty is now activated but it gets better…

Once you’ve got the app up and running, every time you refill your bottle, if you open the app and scan, then Ocean on your behalf will fund the collection of a further 5 plastic bottles (0.057kg) before they reach the ocean, free of charge.

This ongoing impact incentive exists to encourage and enable you to take action on a regular basis for both your health and that of the ocean. (*I’m not sure whether a flat white refill is that healthy but I’ve scanned it every time anyhow!)

The app feature offers loads of ongoing opportunities for individuals to utilise this promotional merchandise item with teams and clients alike. Just imagine running a team scoreboard of who has funded the collection of the most plastic? Or prizes for who drinks the most water which in turn.. equates to more plastic collection?! It’s a win win and is one of the most planet friendly merchandise giveaways we’ve come across.

So when a client asks us to suggest a brand item of merchandise but something different and something that actually makes a difference, Ocean is at the top of the list. It’s a brilliant use of branded swag and as Ocean say on the outer sleeve, this small bottle makes a BIG impact. And most importantly, that impact can be ongoing.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how Ocean collect the plastic, who they partner with and in what locations, they share loads of transparent information on their website and it’s well worth a read https://weareocean.co/dashboard/oceanbottle

So once I had my app installed and I’d scanned my first refill I made sure the bottle came with me everywhere I went and as it so happened, it was the weekend so the first stop was to the boxing gym.

Evidence I actually went to the gym, along with my ocean bottle 🥊

The bottle has a handy little carry strap which is great and even better when I needed to grab in during a quick rest break however, I soon came to realise that for an intensive gym session, I drank through my 500ml in a flash and needed to refill. So, note to self, if the Ocean is going to be my go to gym partner, I’ll treat myself to the larger 1000ml version too.

But in terms of keeping my water cool and being completely leak proof, the Ocean passed both those tests with flying colours, if I’m honest, in my dizzy post boxing state I also dropped it on the gym floor a couple of times and it didn’t sustain any damage so that was an added bonus.

In terms of size and convenience, the 500ml bottle isn’t so massive that it’s cumbersome to take out, it fits easily in my mid sized gym bag and it also slotted in comfortably in the drinks holder in the car.

After the gym outing I popped the bottle into the dishwasher and it’s handy as it has a dual opening function which means it gets a really good clean around the top which is the part you drink or pour from. With other bottles I worry that over time they require a bit more intensive cleaning as you can’t get to the smaller parts but that’s not a concern here.

refilling my ocean bottle with my beverage of choice.. a flat white 🔥

So next up was a trip to the village and to treat myself to a flat white (and I have to admit, I did forget to scan before I ordered so did it afterwards instead). As mentioned above, the bottle has 2 different top parts and this is really handy as you can take off the top 2 elements so when pouring in hot drinks in particular, you’ve got a much larger opening. This is super handy as you’re less likely to spill or burn anything or anyone, it’s also idea if you want to add ice in the warmer months.

The bottle claims to be leak proof and despite my best efforts of turning it upside down and generally throwing it around deliberately, I didn’t suffer a single drop escaping. However, on this particular outing I couldn’t test the claims about how long it will keep your drink hot as I’d actioned it before I’d walked back to HQ!

So, in my endeavour to give the Ocean bottle a thorough review, the following weekend I refilled and scanned on the app and headed out with the doggos for the day. After a good few hours walking, in cold and windy weather, I stopped to take some pics and to test the temperature of the tea I’d made about 4.5 hours earlier and it was ideal, not boiling hot but not much difference in temperature from how I’d drink my tea in a mug at home, so another win. It’s worth noting that Ocean bottles say that they’ll keep your drinks hot for 6 hours but despite my best efforts, I keep emptying my bottle long before.

So in summary, I’m only 4 weeks into using my new bottle but so far I genuinely love it and I’m impressed with how lightweight it is and how easy it is to use and keep clean. I have to admit that scanning the refills is still a bit hit and miss but we’re already thinking of running a competition at 4Couture HQ to see who can ‘collect’ the most plastic in a month using and I’m confident that after that, it will become second nature.

ocean bottles - b corp certified promotional swag

The 500ml bottle has become a feature on my desk as it’s perfect for hot drinks but I’ve definitely got my eye on the 1000ml larger size for any outdoor adventure or gym trips.

It’s not a throwaway item but that’s definitely part of the appeal and I’ve started to sound like an Ocean evangelist, telling everyone and anyone about my flat white habit and how drinking it is actually making a positive impact on the planet 😉

So that’s 2 out of 3 of the 4Couture team drinkware trials and I would argue that my bottle gives Jess’ obsession with her Stanley a run for it’s money. But not to be beaten is Lorraine who is currently trialing another B Corp bottle brand, the Dopper – keep your eyes peeled to see how she gets on.