P&G hits milestone in clean drinking water

Procter & Gamble (P&G) have announced it has delivered its 10 billionth litre of clean drinking water through its non-profit Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program.

Beginning in 2004, the programme works with more than 150 partners and organisations to provide clean drinking water to those who lack access to clean water.

P&G works alongside NGOs and government and private sector partners in 20 countries including Brazil, UK, Germany, Nigeria, South Africa, Indonesia and Singapore. The 10 billionth litre was shared with Margarita, Gabriel and their children Alejandro and Lorena who are part of a World Vision community project near Oaxaca, Mexico.

“We are proud to share P&G’s water purification technology to help transform the lives of millions of people around the world, like Margarita, Gabriel and their children,” said David Taylor, President and CEO. “Clean water can improve people’s health, help children stay in school and provide better economic opportunities for their families.”

To mark the occasion for every dollar that was donated to the fund in May, P&G matched it with a donation of US$10. The company outlines that it only takes US$7.50 to provide a year’s worth of clean water to a child and US$30 to share a year’s worth of clean water with a family of five.

P&G scientists used cleaning technology research to invent the Purifier of Water packets in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sachets “pack the power of a water treatment plant” into a small 4-gram sachet. The technology consists of a bucket, a spoon, a cloth and the small packet enabling people to purify 10 litres of dirty, potentially deadly water in only 30 minutes providing enough drinking water for a family of five for one day.