What Greenfield Environmental Trust Group does

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group, Inc. is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1988 and headquartered (with a fully remote workforce) in the United States, operating as an independent court-appointed fiduciary for environmental response and custodial trusts. The firm owns, remediates, and facilitates the responsible reuse of contaminated sites on behalf of federal and state government beneficiaries, bankrupt industrial responsible parties, and impacted communities. Its portfolio spans seven major trusts (Penobscot, Multistate, Montana, Savannah, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Michigan) covering 2,686 sites across 31 states, including federal Superfund and RCRA facilities, former service stations, mine-scarred lands, and legacy industrial properties.

Greenfield's core offering is trust administration and site stewardship—not a software or technology product. Capabilities are operational, managerial, legal, financial, and regulatory: site ownership, environmental investigation, remediation (capping, sediment removal, groundwater treatment, creek realignment, demolition), regulatory compliance, real estate transactions, financial administration of trust funds, and community engagement. The firm pioneered the environmental custodial trust model in 1989 and has secured three national Phoenix Awards for brownfields redevelopment plus international recognition (2019 FIDIC Merit Award).

The business model is fee-based fiduciary compensation governed by trust agreements and court orders rather than published pricing. Greenfield does not sell services through traditional sales channels; new engagements arise exclusively from federal court appointments, DOJ and EPA designations, state government procurement, and recommendations from environmental NGOs following litigation. Revenue is supplemented (indirectly) by property sale and lease proceeds that are reinvested into trust cleanup activities. Primary customer/beneficiary segments are federal and state environmental and legal agencies, former industrial owners resolving bankruptcy-driven environmental liabilities, and local communities surrounding contaminated sites.

Name

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group

Legal name

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group, Inc.

Website

https://greenfieldenvironmental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group is a privately held fiduciary firm that manages court-appointed environmental response and custodial trusts, owning and remediating 2,686 contaminated sites across 31 U.S. states on behalf of federal/state government beneficiaries and impacted communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Remediation & Trust Management Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Remediation & Site Cleanup (Soil/Groundwater) (IMAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Field Services (Sampling/IAQ/Inspections) (IMAIAGAF), Asbestos, Lead & Mold Abatement (Building/Infrastructure Remediation) (EUAIALAK), Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ), Demolition, Decommissioning & Asset Retirement (Environmental Scope) (IMAIAGAH)

Keywords

• Environmental remediation services
• Custodial trust management
• Brownfields redevelopment
• Superfund site cleanup
• Environmental fiduciary services

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Fiduciary Trust Management Fees: Greenfield earns fees as the court-appointed or government-designated trustee of environmental response and custodial trusts. Revenue is derived from trust funds—settlement or bankruptcy proceeds—managed on behalf of beneficiaries (federal government, states, communities) to fund environmental cleanup, property management, and redevelopment. Greenfield does not bill clients directly in the conventional sense; its compensation is governed by trust agreements and court orders. The company also generates proceeds from property sales and租赁that are reinvested into trust cleanup activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group serves as an independent court-appointed and government-designated fiduciary for environmental response and custodial trusts. The company owns, remediates, and facilitates the responsible reuse of contaminated sites across the United States—including federal Superfund sites, RCRA facilities, mine-scarred lands, former industrial properties, and former service stations—on behalf of federal and state government agencies, bankrupt industrial responsible parties, and impacted communities.

Product overview

Greenfield Environmental Trust Group provides professional fiduciary services as an independent environmental response and custodial trustee for government, industry, and communities. The company manages a portfolio of seven major environmental trusts across multiple states (Penobscot, Multistate, Montana, Savannah, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Michigan), overseeing remediation and redevelopment of hundreds of contaminated sites including Superfund sites, RCRA facilities, former service stations, and mine-scarred lands. The core offering is trust administration services—owning contaminated properties, directing cleanup investigations and remedial actions, managing environmental funds, and facilitating site reuse for economic benefit. The company does not offer a software product but rather professional services backed by multidisciplinary expertise in environmental science, engineering, law, real estate, and finance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed Industri-plex Superfund site (Woburn, MA) from EPA's 5th most contaminated site to a hub generating $210 million in annual employment income, $3.7 million in annual property taxes, and 4,300+ jobs.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Recognized as a key partner in the transformation of the East Helena Superfund site, contributing to habitat restoration and conservation.
• Georgia PowerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborated with Sulfco and Greenfield on development of a 5-acre, 1.2-megawatt community solar farm on a closed landfill at the Savannah site, part of EPA's RE-Powering America's Land initiative.
• Oakland CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Oakland Companies purchased land from METG for the Highland Meadows subdivision in East Helena (2018) and subsequently purchased over 750 acres for the Prickly Pear Estates mixed-use project (2022), working with Greenfield/METG on remediation to residential standards.
• Dulany Industries, Inc. / Sulfco LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Greenfield sold approximately 750 acres of the Savannah site—including the operating sulfuric acid plant and former R&D facility—to Dulany Industries/Sulfco LLC. Dulany assumed site cleanup responsibilities with proceeds financing remediation activities.
• Tronox IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Greenfield was appointed trustee of the Multistate Environmental Response Trust as part of the 2011 Tronox bankruptcy settlement. Greenfield assumed ownership, cleanup, and redevelopment responsibility for hundreds of contaminated sites formerly owned by Tronox/Kerr-McGee. Greenfield served as chair of the advisory board in the fraudulent conveyance lawsuit against Anadarko, leading to a $5.15 billion settlement.
• Maine People's Alliance and Natural Resources Defense CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011These organizations selected—and the Court appointed—Greenfield as independent Trustee for the Penobscot Estuary Mercury Remediation Trust and Beneficial Environmental Projects Trust in 2022, following their 22-year lawsuit against Mallinckrodt.
• U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy LaboratoryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2011Provided technical assistance for Greenfield's application for a renewable energy feasibility study at the Savannah site under EPA's RE-Powering America's Land initiative.
• ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009As part of the ASARCO bankruptcy settlement, Greenfield was appointed trustee of the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust and accepted ownership of four hazardous waste sites in Montana that were once owned by ASARCO, including the 2,000-acre former lead smelter in East Helena.
• Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2009Contractor partner for the Montana Environmental Trust Group on the Prickly Pear Creek realignment project and other remediation activities. Teamed with METG on engineering and environmental services.
• Prickly Pear Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in East Helena redevelopment, helping turn community vision for parks and trails into reality on former ASARCO lands. PPLT and East Helena schools created an outdoor education program connecting students with the landscape.
• Helena Area Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Developing the Rose Hills neighborhood, an innovative mixed-income community on former ASARCO lands in East Helena, focused on affordable, inclusive homeownership.
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009State regulatory agency beneficiary and partner for Montana cleanup activities, overseeing Superfund cleanup at Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex, Black Pine Mine, and Iron Mountain sites.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989EPA appointed Greenfield as Trustee of the nation's first-ever environmental custodial trust for the Industri-plex Superfund Site. EPA continues as primary regulatory oversight agency across all Greenfield trust portfolios.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Large environmental consulting and engineering firm with deep Superfund and RCRA remediation practices. Overlaps with Greenfield's site remediation and redevelopment work but serves a much broader set of commercial and government clients globally rather than specializing as a fiduciary trustee.
• Arcadis: Global design and environmental consultancy with a major remediation practice serving EPA, DOJ, and private responsible parties. Comparable to Greenfield in technical scope but operates under a traditional consulting fee model rather than a court-appointed fiduciary structure.
• AECOM: Diversified infrastructure and environmental services firm with significant Superfund and brownfields remediation work for federal clients. Comparable technical capabilities but operates at much larger scale with conventional consulting contracts.
• Clean Harbors: Largest North American provider of hazardous waste management, treatment, and disposal services. Comparable in handling hazardous waste streams at sites like those managed by Greenfield, but operates as a commercial service provider rather than a fiduciary trustee.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global environmental consulting firm advising on contaminated site management, remediation, and redevelopment for industrial and government clients. Comparable subject matter expertise though operating primarily as a paid consultant rather than a court-appointed fiduciary.

Direct peers

• Brown and Caldwell: Environmental engineering and consulting firm focused on water, environmental remediation, and federal site cleanup work, including EPA and Superfund clients. Comparable to Greenfield in serving federal environmental programs but as a contractor rather than trustee.
• Haley & Aldrich: Environmental and geotechnical engineering firm with deep Superfund, brownfields, and site redevelopment expertise for both government and private clients. Closely comparable technical services portfolio to Greenfield's remediation and redevelopment work.
• Roux Associates: Environmental consulting and engineering firm specializing in site investigation, remediation, and redevelopment of contaminated properties, including complex federal and state hazardous waste sites. Direct functional comparable to Greenfield's remediation practice.
• Anchor QEA: Environmental engineering and science consultancy serving federal, state, and private clients on complex sediment, river, and Superfund remediation projects. Comparable in handling complex contaminated sites including Penobscot-style mercury remediation work.
• Apex Companies: Environmental consulting, engineering, and remediation services firm serving federal agencies, responsible parties, and communities on contaminated site cleanup. Comparable in scope to Greenfield's site remediation and redevelopment offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greenfield Environmental Trust Group