Loowatt
Loowatt is a UK-headquartered sanitation company that designs patented waterless flush toilets and delivers a circular sanitation-as-a-service model — converting household waste into biogas and fertiliser — for residential, commercial, and emergency-response customers in water-scarce markets across Madagascar and South Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Loowatt does
Loowatt is a UK-headquartered sanitation technology company that designs, manufactures, and operates waterless flush toilets and circular waste-processing services for households, commercial premises, and humanitarian deployments in water-scarce and off-grid markets. Its core offering, "The Loowatt System™", is a patented waterless flush toilet that uses hermetic sealing technology to contain waste in a removable cartridge below the floor, eliminating the need for water or chemicals and saving more than 3,600 litres per household per year relative to low-flush alternatives.
The product portfolio extends beyond hardware to a full Sanitation-as-a-Service stack: toilets, service-management tools (scheduling, route optimisation, impact data capture), and a waste-transformation module that converts collected waste into biogas and fertiliser through anaerobic digestion. Operations are delivered through local brands — Kaloola in South Africa for residential and commercial customers, and Loowatt MG in Madagascar, where waste is routed to partner GasyGrow for circular processing. Loowatt cites a deployed base of 1,250 toilets in Antananarivo alone and an end-to-end closed loop from toilet to food production.
The business model combines subscription-based sanitation services with hardware sales to verticals such as glamping, off-grid hospitality, and emergency relief. Revenue is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company is privately held and appears primarily supported by development-finance and government innovation funding (Innovate UK, UKRI, DFC, Waterloo Foundation) alongside grant-style angel capital, with disclosed equity funding to date of approximately $53,896 in a 2016 round. Customers are concentrated in low-income residential segments in Madagascar and South Africa, with institutional exposure to development-aid capital cycles that, per company commentary, were disrupted in 2025 by USAID funding cuts.
Loowatt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Loowatt
- Legal name
- Loowatt
- Website
- https://loowatt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Loowatt is a UK-headquartered sanitation company that designs patented waterless flush toilets and delivers a circular sanitation-as-a-service model — converting household waste into biogas and fertiliser — for residential, commercial, and emergency-response customers in water-scarce markets across Madagascar and South Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Loowatt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sanitation Services
- NAICS
- Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Portable Toilet Rental & Servicing (BPALAMAF)
Keywords
Where Loowatt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Loowatt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sanitation-as-a-Service: Waterless toilet service model where containers are swapped out when full by servicing teams. Provides end-to-end sanitation solutions including toilets, service management, and waste transformation.
- Hardware Sales: Supply of beautifully designed, waterless, chemical-free toilets for diverse settings from homes to glamping to emergency relief.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Loowatt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Loowatt designs and supplies patented waterless flush toilet hardware and delivers an end-to-end sanitation-as-a-service blueprint that includes service management, container-swap operations, and waste-to-value processing (biogas and fertiliser via anaerobic digestion). The company operates the service directly in Madagascar (Loowatt MG) and South Africa (Kaloola brand) and supplies hardware globally for homes, glamping, and emergency relief.
Product overview
Loowatt offers a unified sanitation-as-a-service platform built around its patented Loowatt System™ waterless toilet technology. The portfolio comprises waterless, chemical-free toilet hardware, supported by service management tools for scheduling, route optimization, and impact tracking, and waste transformation capabilities that convert captured waste into biogas and fertilizer through circular processing partnerships. The company operates locally-rooted service operations in Madagascar (via GasyGrow partnership) and South Africa (via Kaloola brand).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kaloola: Home and commercial toilet services operating in South Africa, part of the Loowatt operational blueprint.
- Loowatt MG
Products and services
- The Loowatt System™ (Waterless Toilet Hardware) Patented, award-winning waterless flush toilet that hermetically seals waste in a lining material and transfers it to a container below the floor, locking away germs and odour while providing a clean bowl for every use. Beautifully designed, waterless, and chemical-free hardware sold for diverse settings from homes to glamping to emergency relief.
- Sanitation-as-a-Service Plug-and-play operational blueprint delivering end-to-end circular sanitation solutions that adapt to local context, bundling waterless toilets, streamlined service operations, route optimization, impact data capture, and waste-to-value conversion. Provided as a recurring service model with container swaps performed by local servicing teams in Madagascar (Loowatt MG) and South Africa (Kaloola).
- Waste Transformation Service Waste captured from Loowatt toilets is processed as feedstock for circular reuse, including biogas and fertiliser production through anaerobic digestion (delivered via the GasyGrow partnership in Madagascar). The service provides equipment, training, and expert advice to help close the waste loop and unlock value from sanitation waste.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,600+ litres of water saved per household per year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Loowatt
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Loowatt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Loowatt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GasyGrowcoreMadagascar-based partner that converts waste collected from Loowatt toilets into biogas and fertiliser using anaerobic digestion. This partnership delivers the circular economy model, transforming waste feedstock into valuable agricultural outputs (biogas and fertiliser) that support local farmers and create a complete closed loop.
- KaloolacoreSouth African brand under which Loowatt operates home and commercial toilet services. Kaloola serves as the operational brand in South Africa for delivering sanitation services to residential and commercial customers.
- BORDAcoreBordois for Appropriate Technology (BORDA) - international NGO focused on sustainable infrastructure solutions in developing countries. Listed as a strategic partner in Loowatt's network.
- WGACminorListed as a partner organisation supporting Loowatt's operations or development activities.
- GCDCminorGlobal partnership organisation listed as a supporter of Loowatt's sanitation solutions.
- SMAsmaminorListed as a partner organisation. Nature of partnership not specified in available source material.
- UCL (University College London)minorAcademic institution. CEO + Founder Virginia Gardiner is cited as a UCL source for Loowatt's global innovation with local impact positioning.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Loowatt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sanivation: Tanzania-based container-based sanitation company that upcycles collected waste into briquettes and compost — directly competing for development-finance funding and replicating the same urban sanitation-as-a-service model in East Africa.
- Clean Team (Ghana): Ghanaian container-based sanitation social enterprise serving low-income urban households with a swap-and-collect model analogous to Loowatt's household service offering.
- Sanergy: Kenya-based container-based sanitation startup operating Fresh Life toilets in Nairobi with circular waste-to-biogas/fertiliser processing — a directly comparable model to Loowatt's Madagascar operations, including urban informal-settlement focus and anaerobic digestion upcycling.
- SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods): Haiti-based container-based sanitation social enterprise that converts waste into compost, targeting the same bottom-of-pyramid urban sanitation market as Loowatt with a near-identical service and circular-economy model.
Emerging players
- Janicki Bioenergy: Winslow, Arizona-based waste-to-energy/OmniProcessor technology company developing circular sanitation solutions for emerging markets — an emerging technology competitor in the same waste-to-value category Loowatt operates in via GasyGrow.
Others
- Aqua for All: Dutch impact finance facility catalysing investment into WASH enterprises — directly relevant as a potential funder/source of capital analogous to Loowatt's existing development-finance relationships.
- Population Services International (PSI): Global health organisation that has historically operated and franchised sanitation networks in developing markets, overlapping with Loowatt's target customer base and donor ecosystem.
- BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association): Listed as a strategic partner of Loowatt and a global specialist in decentralised wastewater and sanitation infrastructure for developing countries — adjacent enabler/practitioner in the same WASH sector.
- WaterAid: Major international NGO focused on water, sanitation and hygiene in low-income countries — an adjacent sector actor and potential partner/funder analogous to those already backing Loowatt (Innovate UK, DFC).
- Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA): Multi-stakeholder network promoting sustainable sanitation technologies and business models in development contexts — an enabling/thematic community in which Loowatt and its peers operate.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Loowatt social profiles
Digital presenceLoowatt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Loowatt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Loowatt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Loowatt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Loowatt
What does Loowatt do?
Loowatt designs and supplies patented waterless flush toilet hardware and delivers an end-to-end sanitation-as-a-service blueprint that includes service management, container-swap operations, and waste-to-value processing (biogas and fertiliser via anaerobic digestion). The company operates the service directly in Madagascar (Loowatt MG) and South Africa (Kaloola brand) and supplies hardware globally for homes, glamping, and emergency relief.
Is Loowatt a public or private company?
Loowatt is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Loowatt founded?
Loowatt was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Loowatt based?
Loowatt is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Loowatt make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Sanitation-as-a-Service is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales.
Who are Loowatt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sanivation, Clean Team (Ghana), Sanergy and SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods). Janicki Bioenergy is listed as an emerging player. Others are Aqua for All, Population Services International (PSI), BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association), WaterAid and Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA).
Does Loowatt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Loowatt.
What industry is Loowatt in?
Loowatt's product category is Sanitation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALAMAF, Portable Toilet Rental & Servicing. Its NAICS code is 22132 and its SIC code is 4950.