CSR and Social Business Models

STEP has been partnering with organisations to develop, accelerate and deploy solutions, promote public & private investment, and engage communities to spread awareness on WASH and provide safe drinking water and affordable sanitation.

Key projects:

• Social business model integrating drinking water supply and affordable sanitation facilities for Turbhe Stores, Navi Mumbai; a Corporate CSR Project funded by BASF where BASF products are used for community benefits. The project was developed keeping in mind shared values and effectively structured to include field exploration, partner identification, technical evaluation of facilities, operation and maintenance budgets, community engagement, baseline and midline surveys and impact assessment.

• BASF- ecovio® Plus Project - “WBePP” in Kalyani, West Bengal.  The project involved testing of biopolymer ecovio® as a replacement for plastic liners and mulch films. The purpose was to demonstrate how food waste collected in ecovio® bag and delivered to a commercial composting facility, transformed into a nutrient rich soil amendment (compost) and applied into agricultural soils, can improve soil health, soil carbon content and a range of attendant benefits for West Bengal agriculture and horticulture.

Multiple stakeholder engagements with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), beneficiaries/ residents, academia, waste pickers, recyclers were conducted followed by Community Engagement (CE) programs and Behaviour Change Campaigns (BCC). Through these programs the waste segregation levels were improved from ‘No segregation’ to ‘70% households segregating waste’. The other activities involved monitoring segregation pattern, measurement of waste segregated, recording stakeholder engagements & livelihood generation, midline surveys, reduction in plastic waste generation, documentation of issues & possible interventions. Structured training was imparted to Self-help group ladies and waste collectors who were involved in the project execution. Regular feedback mechanism and communication channels were designed to ensure two-way communication. As an outcome of project, a circular economy-based waste management model was developed for a medium city/ municipality town.

• Assessment of market potential for J-Omni-processor Technology for faecal sludge treatment, project supported by STEP platform of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The technology is based on circular economy in sanitation sector with generation of energy and purified water which can be recycled.

STEP shortlisted 5 Indian cities considering diversity of size, geographic location, level of sanitation and potential use case. Interviews with stakeholders were conducted across the project development value chain in waste, sanitation, and energy sectors. Visits to Municipal Corporations, review of city sanitation plans and faecal sludge management plan prepared under National Urban Sanitation Policy was conducted and existing facilities for sewage treatment were reviewed.  Based on policy framework and  stakeholder consultations, ranking criteria were developed and best fit city for implementation was suggested.

Major Clients:

RTI Project Funded by: