Every Drop Tells a Story: Water Sustainability at Sartorius Bangalore

In one of India’s fastest‑growing metropolitan areas, where water scarcity is part of everyday life, responsible water management is not a future ambition but an immediate necessity. At Sartorius’ Bangalore site, this challenge has become a catalyst for innovation. Instead of relying solely on traditional supply systems, the local team has rethought how water can be reused, reclaimed and even generated directly on site.

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From recycling wastewater to harvesting rain and extracting drinking water from the air, Sartorius Bangalore has been turning smart ideas into practical solutions since 2022. The result is an integrated approach to sustainable water use that demonstrates how industrial sites can actively contribute to the protection of local resources – both today and for future generations. 

The need for such measures is clear: Bangalore’s rapid urban expansion continues to strain already limited water supplies. The city depends heavily on water pumped from the Cauvery River nearly 100 kilometers away and on groundwater reserves that are increasingly depleted. Some districts, including Nelamangala taluk, where Sartorius is located, are now classified as “over‑exploited” groundwater zones. While our site’s direct contribution to local water stress is limited due to carefully managed and continuously reduced water use, operating in this challenging context makes responsible water stewardship even more important. Against this backdrop and to do our part, the team in Bangalore has focused on three straightforward solutions that make a difference.

In India, drinking water doesn’t simply come from the tap. It is drawn from groundwater or rivers and then purified at home or in treatment plants – a process that leaves behind a significant carbon footprint.

Anitha Nagasundara, Manager of Production & EHS, Sartorius Bangalore

Recovering Water Through Reverse Osmosis (RO)

To reduce freshwater consumption, the site set-up a multi‑stage RO recycling system that treats wastewater from the on‑site sewage treatment plant and purifies it to meet Indian drinking‑water standards. The recovered water now supports a wide range of operational needs, including boilers and chillers, production processes and general facility operations. This saves approximately 2,100 liters of freshwater every day, reducing wastewater discharge by the same amount. Over the last two years, this added up to roughly 1.3 million liters of water saved, enough to supply a family of four for about 6 years.

Sustainability is most powerful when quantified. By harvesting, recharging, recycling and reusing millions of liters of water, we have demonstrated how localized efforts can drive environmental conservation.

Anitha Nagasundara

Harvesting Rainwater to Recharge Groundwater

During the monsoon season from May to October, Bangalore gets an average annual rainfall of about 1,000 millimeters, offering a significant opportunity for rainwater harvesting. In September 2023, the local team introduced a comprehensive rooftop and surface runoff rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater collected from building roofs and paved areas is directed through a dedicated piping network into injection wells and a collection pond. 

In other words: Almost every drop of rainwater is captured and put to productive use. From 2024-2025 about 7.4 million liters of rainwater were harvested from a 6,300 m² rooftop area, and an additional 7 million liters went to recharging groundwater.

Generating Drinking Water From Air

To take advantage of the region’s high humidity, Sartorius adopted atmospheric water generation (AWG) technology in 2023. These AWG units extract clean, safe drinking water directly from moisture in the air, eliminating the need for bottled water and significantly reducing plastic waste and transportation emissions. 

As a high share of the production site’s energy demand is covered by solar power, the environmental benefits are even more significant. By using AWG systems, Sartorius India avoids the carbon emissions typically associated with pumping, treating, transporting, and bottling water, a major advantage in a fast‑growing, water‑stressed city like Bangalore. 

The systems used include a mineralization process that ensures safe, balanced drinking water, ready to consume. Today, 12 AWG units produce more than 240 liters of drinking water per day, saving approximately 75,000 liters of groundwater each year.

75,000 liters translate into thousands of person‑days of life‑sustaining drinking water in a country like India, which reports deaths every year caused by water scarcity and contamination.

Anitha Nagasundara

Together, these initiatives mark important progress in conserving local water resources. By recovering, harvesting, and even generating water directly on site, the Bangalore team ensures that every drop is used responsibly.