Hakuhodo's PMG India launches initiative to convert event waste into school furniture

New Delhi: PMG India, part of the Hakuhodo Group, has introduced a new initiative titled ‘Scrap to School’, aimed at repurposing leftover materials from corporate events into school furniture for underserved institutions. The project seeks to address two key issues, the large volume of waste generated by the event industry and the shortage of furniture in many Indian schools.

The corporate event industry in India, currently valued at Rs 92,000 crore and expanding at an annual rate of 19%, produces significant quantities of waste, particularly from temporary structures like wooden stages and booths that are discarded after single use. At the same time, data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) cited in a NITI Aayog report for 2019–20 indicates that around 42% of schools in India lack basic furniture.

The 'Scrap to School' programme is designed to bridge this gap by upcycling event waste into durable desks and chairs. In its first phase, the initiative has converted discarded materials into 60 seats and 30 desks. The furniture was distributed in collaboration with Sudha Society and Janm Foundation.

"PMG’s Scrap to School initiative has turned a humble setup into a real school. What may be basic elsewhere — a desk and chair — has brought immense joy here and elevated the quality of teaching and learning for both students and teachers,” said Mrs Shivani Malhotra, Executive Director, Sudha Foundation.

Dhruv Jugran, Vice President at PMG India, who led the project, added: “We didn't just rethink event waste – we reinvented its purpose. This initiative is a defining moment for the sector bringing corporates, event agencies and social impact to the same table. We've broken the cycle. Event materials don't have to be wasted anymore. This changes everything for the event industry and the brands."

Following the initial phase, PMG India plans to develop a toolkit to help others in the industry adopt similar practices. The agency has called on event organisers, corporate stakeholders, institutions, and individuals to help scale the model, with the broader aim of creating shared value for businesses, communities, and the environment.