ECOSTP Technologies | Zero Power Sewage Treatment Plants

Water

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 9 – Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Company Overview

ECOSTP Technologies Private Limited is a Bengaluru-based company that develops decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs) built on biomimicry. Its design draws on the digestive process of a cow’s stomach, using microorganisms, gravel and plants in underground chambers to treat sewage by gravity. The company states that the plants run without electricity, chemicals or operators, and that they have no moving parts.

The company was founded in 2017 by Tharun Kumar, who serves as Founder and CEO, together with co-founders including Lokesh Rajashekaraiah. Early work focused on consultancy. After mentoring from the Brigade Group’s Real Estate Accelerator Program, the business shifted toward product development. It operates from the Brigade Gateway Campus in Bengaluru and works only on sewage treatment.

The technology is delivered as a licence rather than a factory-built unit. Clients construct the plant on site from locally available materials, following design and quality instructions supplied by ECOSTP. The company reports that its plants conform to Pollution Control Board specifications and that it holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Milestones reported by the company include a feature on BBC News, selection as a best-practice case study in a United Nations ESCAP sustainability report, and inclusion in the Biomimicry Institute’s AskNature database. It was also selected by the Museum of Design Atlanta for an exhibition on circular design. The company reports more than 350 installations across 25 Indian states, the Maldives and Bangladesh. It also publishes a live impact meter showing cumulative sewage treated, power saved and coal saved.

Why These SDGs Matter

SDG 6 is the core link. The plants treat domestic and industrial sewage to Pollution Control Board norms, and the treated water can be reused for gardening, flushing and washing. That reuse reduces demand on freshwater supplies and keeps untreated effluent out of lakes and drains.

SDG 9 applies because the technology is a patented, nature-inspired alternative to motor-driven treatment systems. It is delivered through a licensing model that lets local contractors build infrastructure with local materials.

SDG 11 is relevant because the plants are built for apartments, villas, campuses and commercial properties. These are urban settings where centralised sewage networks are often missing or overloaded.

SDG 12 connects through water reuse and the avoidance of chemical dosing. Treated water is returned to productive use rather than discharged.

SDG 13 follows from the elimination of electricity use in treatment. Conventional STPs depend on blowers, pumps and motors, so removing them lowers operational emissions. The company reports power and coal savings through its public impact meter.

Products & Services
  • ECOSTP DIY Kit technology licence for sewage treatment
  • Decentralised four-stage sewage treatment plant design
  • Retrofit solutions for existing sewage treatment plants
  • Site space calculation and co-creation of plant layouts
  • AutoCAD design drawings and bill of quantities support
  • Construction supervision with quality control checkpoints
  • Bacterial seeding and system inoculation
  • Water and sustainability consulting services
  • Sustainability education programmes for institutions
Business Challenges Solved
  • High electricity and diesel costs of conventional sewage treatment plants
  • Reliance on trained operators for daily plant management
  • Chemical dosing and sludge handling in wastewater treatment
  • Non-compliance with Pollution Control Board discharge norms
  • Untreated sewage entering lakes and groundwater in developing areas
  • Limited freshwater availability for gardening, flushing and cooling
  • Upgrading underperforming or non-functional existing treatment plants
  • Site constraints for treatment infrastructure in built-up properties
Approach & Methodology

ECOSTP applies biomimicry to sewage treatment. Its design copies the functional principles of a ruminant's digestive system, in which microbial communities break down organic matter in sequential chambers. The plant is built underground in four stages. The first three are treatment chambers and the fourth is a plant bio-filter for tertiary treatment. Flow moves by gravity, so no pumps, blowers or exhaust fans are needed.

Delivery follows what the company calls a 3C model: Co-create, Co-execute and Co-evolve. The company describes a seven-step engagement. It begins with a space calculation, which the company gives as 2.6 square metres per kilolitre per day for the first three stages and 1.2 square metres for the bio-filter. Next come a customised layout, a modular DIY design drawing and a jointly prepared bill of quantities.

The client then builds the plant with local labour and materials. ECOSTP applies a lean Six Sigma based mistake-proofing discipline with more than 45 quality control checkpoints. Work proceeds to the next step only after each checkpoint is met. The final step is seeding each chamber and gravel filter with naturally occurring bacteria, with a catalyst added to speed up the biological process.

This licence-and-supervise model keeps construction costs tied to local supply chains. It also lets the company support projects in many regions through regional offices.

Market Position

ECOSTP operates in the decentralised sewage treatment segment of India's water sector. Its primary customers are real estate developers, apartment communities, factories, commercial properties, educational institutions, hotels and resorts. Public bodies such as the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board appear among the clients shown on its site.

The company competes with conventional STPs that rely on motors, blowers and operators, and with other nature-based and decentralised treatment providers. Media coverage describes its running cost as lower than conventional systems, though that figure comes from company statements in press reports. Its differentiation rests on a patented, gravity-driven design and a licence-based delivery model. The company reports a single-focus strategy on sewage treatment, backed by an in-house consulting team and a products team with membrane and water treatment expertise.

Procurement Considerations
  • Confirm available land area, since underground chambers need roughly 3.8 square metres per kilolitre per day across all stages
  • Verify local contractor capacity for civil construction, because the client builds the plant under ECOSTP supervision
  • Check the current Pollution Control Board consent and discharge requirements for the site
  • Request the quality control checkpoint record and the ISO 9001 certificate
  • Ask for operating data and references from installations of similar scale and climate
  • Compare total lifecycle costs against conventional STPs, including energy, chemicals and operator costs
  • Confirm the post-construction support and monitoring arrangements
  • Check suitability for very large or high-strength industrial loads, since coverage in the press notes conventional systems for large-scale needs
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Seed funding of about 250,000 USD, with Habitat for Humanity listed as an investor
  • Supported by the Villgro Innovations Foundation
  • Undisclosed stake held by the Brigade Group, with the company based at the Brigade Real Estate Accelerator Program
  • Mentored by the Biomimicry Institute in Montana, USA
  • Selected as the only Asian startup at the Museum of Design Atlanta exhibition on circular design
  • FICCI Water Innovation Award
  • Economic Times Leaders of Tomorrow awards, including Startup Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Most Sustainable Sewage Treatment Technology Developer 2022, Global Health and Pharma
  • Featured in the United Nations ESCAP SDG report as a best-practice case study
Natnavi Analysis

ECOSTP matters because sewage treatment is a persistent infrastructure gap in Indian cities, and many conventional plants depend on diesel power and daily operator attention. Its gravity-driven, no-moving-parts design addresses that dependency directly, and the licence model allows deployment in places a factory-built unit would struggle to reach.

The scale of deployment is a strength. The company reports more than 350 installations across 25 Indian states and two neighbouring countries, with a growing record of awards and media coverage. Its operating model also keeps value in local construction supply chains, and the founding team combines technology, operations and water research experience.

The delivery model also shapes how buyers should assess it. Because clients construct the plant, outcomes depend on the quality of local contractors and the strength of ECOSTP's supervision. Space requirements are larger than compact mechanical systems, which may limit use on constrained sites. Reported savings and treatment volumes come largely from company disclosures, so independent performance data would help buyers compare it with conventional alternatives.

Overall, ECOSTP is a credible example of nature-based, low-energy wastewater infrastructure for the Indian market.

Sources & References
Website
Founded: 2017
Company Stage: Startup
Headquarters
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Geographic Presence
ECOSTP is headquartered in Bengaluru and reports installations across 25 Indian states, as well as in the Maldives and Bangladesh. It lists regional contact offices in Bangalore, Pune, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Chennai. Its customers are concentrated in India's real estate, industrial, institutional and hospitality sectors. The company has also been featured in international media and exhibitions, including in Germany and the United States.
Solution Type
Consultancy, Service Provider, Technology Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Carbon Reduction, Circular Economy, Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency, Sustainable Infrastructure, Water Conservation
Industries Served
Automotive & Electric Mobility, Commercial Buildings, Construction & Real Estate, Energy & Utilities, Government & Public Sector, Hospitality & Tourism, Manufacturing, Mining & Metals
Certifications: ISO 9001
Last Reviewed: October 9, 2026

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