5 Top Green Startups in India to Watch

Aerial view of Bangalore.

India’s size and growth give it an increasingly prominent role within the global economy, but it’s not just sheer size that India’s businesses are known for. The country has firmly established itself as a leader in environmental, social, and corporate governance.

The country’s specific ESG initiatives span all three of these disciplines, but there’s a particularly heavy emphasis on developing environmentally positive solutions. Here are some of the most noteworthy Indian companies leading in environmental innovation and other ways.

Sustainable Startups in India to Follow

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Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation, tech, and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the most exciting green Indian startups of 2024 that startup lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow. 

Disclaimer: With so many exciting sustainable startups launching and growing in India, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order. 

1. Mitticool

  • Founders: Mansukhbhai Prajapati
  • Founded In: 2001
  • Investors Include: Anil K. Gupta

Mitticool manufactures and sells a range of earthenware products. The company’s products now include cookware, tableware, pots, incense sticks, and more. The company’s original and most innovative product is an earthenware cooling “refrigerator” that requires no electricity.

The earthenware “refrigerator” extends the shelf life of dairy products by about four days on average. In India, where many people are without electricity and some struggle with food insecurity, such a substantial increase was especially significant.  

Most of Mitticool’s sales continue to be domestic within India.

2. Eco-Eclectic Tech

  • Founders: Dr. Binish Desai
  • Founded In: 2016
  • Investors Include: Emmanuel Upputuru

Dr. Binish Desai founded Eco-Eclectic Tech to benefit the environment. The company has thus far developed more than 150 products, which include packaging materials, bricks and cladding, indoor flooring, faux wood products, and yoga mats.

The bricks that Eco-Eclectic Tech has developed demonstrate how the company approaches environmental innovation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Desai and his team transformed discarded masks into concrete bricks. The solution had an immense and immediate impact, as the number of discarded personal protective equipment spiked toward the latter part of the pandemic.

Eco-Eclectic Tech has won numerous accolades for its innovation and has also published documentaries on environmental issues and innovation. 

3. PI Green Innovations

  • Founders: Irfan Pathan
  • Founded In: 2016
  • Investors Include: Opus Consulting Solutions, Harshal Morde

PI Green Innovations’ stated mission is to increase access to clean air. The company accomplishes this by providing air filtration systems for vehicles, government buildings, commercial spaces, manufacturing facilities, and similar buildings.

The air filtration systems that PI Green Innovations makes are uniquely filterless. The systems use vacuums to manipulate air and remove contaminants, unlike more common mechanical filters.

4. ThinkPhi

  • Founders: Samit Choksi, Priya Choksi
  • Founded In: 2015
  • Investors Include: Khattar Group Companies, Nish Kumar Shetty, Shiven Malhotra

ThinkPhi creates sustainable outdoor public spaces. The spaces integrate greenery, water, and energy together in modular ways, which provide flexible, environmentally-friendly solutions. The solutions either greatly decrease or nullify net energy consumption. All the while, functionality and aesthetics are maintained.

ThinkPhi is based in Mumbai but seeks to provide worldwide solutions via its partnerships.

5. ITC Brand

  • Founders: Various
  • Founded In: 1910
  • Investors Include: Various Institutional Investors

ITC Brand is one of India’s oldest companies and has become one of the country’s largest. The company began as the India Tobacco Company back in 1910. Today, ITC is a conglomerate of brands across industries, including luxury hotels.

As a conglomerate, ITC has made substantial investments in ESG undertakings. The company has consistently received a AA MSCI ESG Rating and an A- CDP Score. Specific undertakings include developing new eco-conscious products, reducing energy consumption, and increasing access to green technology throughout the country and the world.