World Earth Day gift to Mahim Police Colony School

Delhi, India (April 22, 2022): ‘Cartons 2 Classroom’ was launched last year as an extension of Tetra Pak’s ‘Go Green with Tetra Pak’ Program. It brings together two important goals - increasing awareness around recycling used beverage cartons and providing quality education infrastructure for less-privileged children. This is a joint initiative between Tetra Pak, Nestlé a+, Reliance Retail and RUR Greenlife

Today on World Earth Day, the first milestone of the program was celebrated by handing over much needed desks, to Mahim Police Colony school, Mumbai. The school currently accommodates students upto 8th standard, and caters to approximately 150 students from lesser privileged families. More desks will be handed over to other schools in need over the next few months.

Shri Mohan Bhogade, Principal, Mahim Policy Colony school said, “Our constant effort is to provide quality education to all our students and having a strong infrastructure aids students’ productivity and academic progress. The joy of receiving these desks among the students was unparalleled and we are thankful for the support we have got from all the partners. ‘Cartons to Classroom’ program ensures that the basic necessities to acquire education are not compromised upon. Lastly, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has championed this initiative.”

Ashutosh Manohar, Managing Director – Tetra Pak South Asia, said “We are grateful to Mumbaikars for supporting our Go Green with Tetra Pak program since 2010, and now extending the same love & support to Cartons to Classroom. Not only are we able to support schools that need better infrastructure, but it also acts as an inspiration for the community about the difference we all can make by adopting simple environment-friendly practices like recycling.”

Commenting on this latest development under the initiative, Mehernosh Malia, Head – Dairy Business, Nestlé India, said, “It’s truly heartening to see Nestlé a+ Cartons to Classroom Program come to life. It is a unique program where Nestlé a+ milk and other used cartons will be collected and converted into school desks. For this uplifting purpose, our partners across our value chain have come together - from our packaging partners Tetra Pak to our retail partners Reliance Retail. I am delighted to see the pilot in Mumbai city now set in motion and am looking forward to scaling it up to other cities.”

“Reliance Retail has always been committed to building a greener and cleaner future for the generations to come. Supporting Cartons to Classroom has been extremely gratifying and it’s heartwarming to see these desks making a significant impact in the lives of these children.” adds Vinay Adhye, Vice President and Business Head – Reliance Retail.

Beverage cartons such as the ones made by Tetra Pak, are paper-based, recyclable and can be converted into useful items like classroom furniture. A key catalyst in increasing recycling of cartons are environmentally conscious consumers. With an intent to make this initiative accessible to all Nestlé a+ consumers, 54 collection points across Reliance Smart Superstores and Sahakari Bhandar outlets have been made available in Mumbai.