Did you know India loses between 30% and 38% of its treated water before it reaches users? Government benchmarking studies and NITI Aayog reports confirm this. Cities like Bengaluru and Chennai face supply gaps of 40–60 percent. Yet most taps and showers in Indian homes still release far more water than needed for daily use.
Eco365 Water Savers was founded to change that. Its motto reflects a simple truth: in a country where cities may run a few hours of water per day, “conserving every drop” is no longer optional. The startup addresses a pressing need: while India’s urban population uses ~150L per person daily, much of it goes unused and untreated. Eco365’s mission is to turn the tap around by cutting waste at the source with affordable, easy fixes.
| Company | Eco365 Water Savers |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Goutam Surana |
| Sector | Water & Sanitation |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| Core Problem Addressed | Fresh water is wasted daily in Indian homes and buildings due to high-flow fixtures and low awareness. |
| Primary Solution | Retrofit devices such as aerators, low-flow showers and waterless urinals that reduce consumption without changing user experience. |
| Business Model | Sells water-saving hardware to homes, offices and institutions through direct sales and partnerships. |
| Verified Highlights | • Saved 100+ crore litres of water across 2,000+ sites (YourStory) • 1 million+ units sold (MissionSustainability) • 500,000+ households reached (MissionSustainability) • A Chennai building cut usage by 55% with Eco365 aerators (Times of India) • Won the National Entrepreneurship Award 2019 for water conservation (AIM2Flourish) |
The Problem
Urban India suffers from both waste and apathy. Taps and showers built for high flow spill water unnecessarily, and consumers have little incentive to care: water is cheap, and “water literacy is very poor in our country”, notes founder Goutam Surana (YourStory). There are a few regulations or mandates to enforce efficiency. Compounding this, many simple retrofit devices are clogged in India’s hard water conditions. People didn’t realize small leaks and unregulated faucets were causing billions of liters of waste.
The Founder
Goutam Surana, an Assam native, embodied the urban-water paradox. Raised by a riverbank in Goalpara, he never knew scarcity in childhood. However, studying in Mumbai and Hyderabad exposed him to cut-offs and tankers for the first time. By 2010, Surana saw “rapid urbanisation lead to an unsustainable way of living”. He quit a secure IT job in March 2010 to tackle the crisis. After six months of research and prototyping, he formally launched Eco365 in October 2010 with a single goal: conserve fresh water and spread awareness.
The Turning Point
The decisive moment came when Surana realized minor design tweaks could yield major savings. He began by importing water-free urinal kits popular in Europe. A homeowner volunteering to try one saw instant conservation: 100% of urine no longer needed flush water. This “light-bulb” effect led Surana to expand the idea. He built his own aerators for taps and showers, demonstrating that mixing air with a faucet’s stream could drastically cut flow without sacrificing rinsing power. With initial success in hand, Surana shifted focus from theory to scale.
The Solution
At its core, Eco365’s idea is almost paradoxical: use less to waste less. Instead of inventing new plumbing systems, the startup “retrofits” what’s already there. A standard tap delivers a heavy jet (~12–15 L/min), so Eco365’s nozzle splits it into a gentle umbrella of spray (~3 L/min). Toilets keep their existing tank, but a “Tank Bank” insert displaces 3 liters per flush without any mechanical overhaul. Showers are replaced by low-flow heads (6–8 L/min vs. 15–20). Even the urinal gets a waterless cartridge. These are engineering tweaks, not lifestyle changes: the sinks still rinse well and showers still feel powerful, but the device handles the math. In short, Eco365’s innovation was to make every fixture mindfully efficient – a plug-in upgrade to everyday routines.
Alongside this, Eco365 now manufactures certified compostable packaging such as bags and films that break down into natural compost within 60–180 days. This gives homes and businesses a way to reduce plastic waste as well.
The Business Model
- Product suite: Retrofit water-saving fixtures – faucet aerators, showerheads (AquaMax), “Tank Banks” for toilets, waterless urinals – that reduce flow to ideal levels while preserving user experience.
- Sales channels: Direct-to-business and consumer. Eco365 targets property managers (corporates, housing complexes, schools) and individual homeowners alike. Clients range from small offices to major campuses. (It even became a trusted vendor for 10 of India’s top 20 IT firms.)
- Pricing & ROI: Devices cost only ₹80–400 each. A single kitchen-tap retrofit pays for itself in 2–4 months through water and energy savings, typically preserving ~20,000–30,000 L/year per tap.
- Operations: Installation is plug-and-play (no plumber needed). Eco365 educates clients via workshops and field support to ensure uptake.
- Funding/Partners: Seed funding (2023) from Atal Incubation Centre – Shiv Nadar University. Eco365 also collaborates with environmental groups, plumbing retailers, and local governments to spread its products and mission.
The Challenge
Adoption wasn’t instant. Initially, many mistrusted the new gadgets. Customers thought “only plumbers can do this,” recalls Surana. There were technological hurdles too: low-quality urban water often clogged the devices, forcing repeated design improvements. Culturally, people felt no urgent need to save “free” water. Thus, awareness became a major battle. Surana’s team poured effort into education: community talks, social media demos and even school programs on water use. They showed that rising utility bills and looming shortages were personal problems, not just environmental slogans.
The Impact
Eco365’s approach delivered solid numbers. By mid-2017, the startup reported 2,000+ installations – from office campuses to apartment towers, collectively saving over 100 crore liters of water. Its product claims are backed by engineering: converting a steady tap flow into a fine spray cuts faucet usage up to 98%, showers to 60%, and full 100% on urinals (no flush needed). In the field, results matched theory: a Chennai building saved ~55% of its water by adding Eco365 aerators to sinks. By 2024, Eco365’s own estimates put 500,000+ households served and ~1 million units sold. In 2019 the Government of India honored Eco365 with a National Entrepreneurship Award for water conservation.
The Outcome
Today Eco365 operates with a lean, passionate team. Its products are sold nationwide and even exported to several countries. The business is profitable and self-sustaining, proving conservation can be a viable enterprise.
The Insight
Eco365’s story offers a clear lesson: scale is built on simplicity. Surana notes that even 2–3% of people embracing green habits in India equals millions of users. By making devices intuitive and tangible (see and feel your water spray change), he turned an abstract cause into a direct personal benefit. Water may feel endless in monsoons and precious in droughts, but with Eco365’s model, it became neither invisible nor unimportant. In essence, the startup demonstrates that modest tech adaptations can move the needle when combined with education.
Sources:
1. YourStory – Eco365 profile & interview with Goutam Surana
https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2017/08/world-environment-day-startups-saving-water
2. AIM2Flourish – Detailed case study on Eco365
https://aim2flourish.com/innovations/eco365-everyday-eco-solutions
3. EdexLive – Founder’s motivation and origin story
https://www.edexlive.com/green/2018/mar/26/eco-365-the-start-up-that-is-saving-litres-and-litres-of-water-every-day-2528.html
4. Mission Sustainability – Coverage on product design, adoption, and units sold
https://missionsustainability.org/project/eco365/
5. Times of India – Case study where a Chennai building saved 55 percent water
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/saving-water-one-drop-at-a-time/articleshow/64131857.cms
6. BounceWatch – Notes on market traction and top corporate clients
https://bouncewatch.com/company/eco365-everyday-eco-solutions/
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