Students at the Pune Vidyarthi Griha, Nerul, Navi Mumbai have desks made of recycled carton packages. These desks were donated to the school under the Cartons2Classroom campaign launched in 2022 by Tetra Pak, in partnership with Nestle +, Reliance Retail and implemented by RUR Greenlife.  The campaign is powered by the intent of collecting over 10,00,000 used packages like Tetra Pak cartons and recycling them into 100 desks for less privileged schools. A set of 30 desks was donated to Mahim Police Colony School in 2022.

On behalf of the campaign partners, the desks were handed over by V Subramaniam, director, Reliance Retail said: “Together with Tetra Pak and RUR Greenlife, we have been part of the Cartons2Classroom and the larger social awareness journey since 2010. These desks are just an example of the impact we can create not just for us, but for the society at large through the simple act of recycling.”

Nirjhara Rastogi, communications director, Tetra Pak South Asia said, “Each time we donate a new classroom to a school in need, we bring alive Tetra Pak’s promise to protect people and protect the planet.” She added, “We have been on this journey for over 12 years. We are grateful to the people of Mumbai who continue to make the effort of depositing their used packages for recycling.”

Students at the Pune Vidyarthi Griha, Nerul, Navi Mumbai have desks made of recycled carton packages

Dinesh Pitambar Misal, principal, Pune Vidyarthi Griha, received the desks on behalf of the school. He said, “The best way to teach someone is to lead by example. These recycled desks are a great way for us to instil the importance and value of recycling in these young students.”

RUR CEO Monisha Narke who is at the helm of this transformative initiative said, ”We are excited to be part of this long partnership creating awareness on recycling and enabling us to work towards both environment and education.”

Tetra Pak cartons are paper-based, recyclable, and increasingly being recycled through a robust ecosystem nurtured by Tetra Pak over the last 18 years, working closely with various stakeholders such as urban local governments, NGOs, brand owners, academia, and consumers.