P&G Relaunches PUR Packets In U.S.

Procter & Gamble and partner Reliance Products are selling outdoor recreation and emergency preparedness kits containing P&G's PUR water treatment packets in U.S. stores. PUR was a commercial flop when first launched in 2003. P&G turned the packets into a humanitarian coup, however, by providing them at cost to philanthropic agencies for distribution in developing countries. Containing the disinfectant calcium hypochlorite and the flocculant iron sulfate, a PUR packet can purify 10 L of water. P&G says any profits it earns in the U.S. will be used to provide the packets in developing countries.