United Technologies’ Puron

The Need

United Technologies had to name their new environmentally sound Freon® replacement. Freon was being eliminated from air conditioners because of environmental worries such as global warming. This project presented some challenges. The new name needed to:
  • Sound similar to Freon to simplify adoption
  • Be easy for dealers to explain to their customers
  • Be short to provide a “billboard effect” on trucks
  • Sound greener than the Freon name

The Name

Puron was the winning name. It had the same number of letters as Freon and had the same “-on” suffix, making it easy for retailers to explain to customers.
The “Pur-” root sounded friendly, environmentally correct and connoted to consumers a clean and safe refrigerant.
The “Pur-” root sounded friendly, environmentally correct and connoted to consumers a clean and safe refrigerant.