The Cap Vert Development Group

What The Cap Vert Development Group does

The Cap Vert Development Group (Groupe Cap Vert) is a France-based, privately held multi-specialist environmental services platform organized around four expertise poles: Tree (Arbre), Landscape (Paysage), Water (Eau), and Infrastructure vegetation management. Headquartered at the 'La Canopée' environmental demonstrator building in Versailles and tracing its origins to the 1984 founding of SMDA, the group operates 15 wholly-owned subsidiary companies across 9 French regions, employing approximately 1,000+ people in aggregate (per subsidiary headcounts). Its service offering spans tree pruning and arboricultural engineering, landscape design and maintenance, irrigation and fountain systems, ecological engineering (eco-grazing, urban beekeeping, hydroseeding), and vegetation management along linear infrastructure corridors for operators including SNCF, RTE, ENEDIS, and GRTGAZ.

The group's technology stack centers on the proprietary GDA (Gestion Des Arbres) tree-inventory system, which has catalogued nearly 500,000 trees nationwide through 23 expert arborists, complemented by specialized diagnostic tools (penetrometer, tomograph, traction testing, root radar, multispectral drones) and the Menzi Muck M445X spider excavator. An internal R&D laboratory — the first in the sector — houses researchers, doctoral students, and scientists working on applied microbiology, soil engineering, and ecological engineering. Core operational technologies are arboricultural engineering, soil ecosystem engineering, ecological engineering, and water management systems for urban and peri-urban environments.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional-services contracts in B2G and B2B channels: public procurement tenders with French municipalities, metropoles, and government departments; long-term framework contracts with regulated infrastructure operators (rail, electricity, gas, waterways); and direct sales to real estate developers, property managers, and corporates (e.g., Nexity, Icade, BNP Paribas Immobilier, ENGIE, Casino, Château Margaux). Notable credentials include the Paris 2024 Olympic Village exterior-development project. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The group is backed by private equity — historically Perfectis (2008) and Calcium Capital (2015), and currently by sustainability-focused Ambienta alongside Evolem since 2021 — and has executed a continuous M&A program with eight disclosed acquisitions between May 2024 and June 2026, building out the four-pole platform and national territorial coverage.

Name

The Cap Vert Development Group

Legal name

Cap Vert

Website

https://groupe-capvert.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

France-based multi-specialist environmental services group operating four poles — Tree, Landscape, Water, and Infrastructure vegetation management — through 15 wholly-owned subsidiaries across 9 regions, serving public authorities, infrastructure operators (SNCF, RTE, ENEDIS), and large private developers and corporates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape and Vegetation Management Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Utility System Construction (2371)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & HOA Irrigation Services (Large-Scale Systems) (HSAIAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association Maintenance, Vendor & Capital Project Management (BPAJAHAM)

Keywords

• Tree care services
• Landscape maintenance
• Irrigation systems
• Vegetation management
• Ecological engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Trappes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tree Care and Pruning Services: Core revenue stream from professional tree pruning, tree surgery, tree removal, and ongoing tree maintenance for public and private clients. Includes specialized climbing and aerial work services.
2. Landscape Design and Maintenance: Landscape creation, garden design, green roof and wall installation, and ongoing maintenance of green spaces for private developers, public institutions, and property managers.
3. Irrigation and Fountain Systems: Design, installation, and maintenance of automated irrigation systems, fountains, misting systems, and outdoor lighting for landscapes. Combines hydraulic and electrical engineering expertise.
4. Infrastructure Vegetation Management: Specialized vegetation control along railways, roads, power lines, and other linear infrastructure for major infrastructure operators including SNCF, RTE, ENEDIS, and GRTGAZ. Includes mechanical and manual vegetation clearance and nocturnal interventions.
5. Ecological Services: Environmental services including eco-grazing, urban beekeeping, invasive species management, ecological niche creation, wood energy production, and green pest management.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cap Vert Development Group (Groupe CAP VERT) is a French multi-specialist environmental services group operating through 15+ subsidiaries organized into four expert poles: Tree (Arbre) covering arboriculture and tree pruning; Landscape (Paysage) covering green space design, creation and maintenance; Water (Eau) covering irrigation systems and fountains; and Infrastructure covering vegetation management along railways, roads, power lines and waterways. Services are delivered to public authorities, infrastructure operators (SNCF, RTE, ENEDIS, GRTGAZ), real estate developers and private corporations across 9 French regions.

Product overview

The Cap Vert Development Group (Groupe CAP VERT) is a multi-specialist environmental services company organized into four expertise poles: (1) Tree Pole (Pôle Arbre) covering arboriculture, tree pruning, felling, cabling, forest work, and wood energy; (2) Landscape Pole (Pôle Paysage) encompassing green space design, creation, and maintenance; (3) Water Pole (Pôle Eau) specializing in irrigation systems, fountains, and water feature solutions; and (4) Infrastructure Pole (Pôle Infrastructure) dedicated to vegetation management along railways, roads, power lines, and waterways. The portfolio includes subsidiaries SMDA (tree care with 13 agencies), Forêt de l'Île-de-France (national tree services), Sports et Paysages/SEPA (landscape, Île-de-France), Duc & Préneuf (landscape and ecological engineering, Dijon), N2B Arrosage and CCA Perrot (irrigation and fountains), SEFA Environnement (railway vegetation management), Groupe TGBL (railway vegetation, acrobatic work), Sauvarie Environnement (forestry and wood energy), Sanguinet (tree care, southwest), Bernard Bois (outdoor wood structures), and Ets. Julien (energy infrastructure vegetation). The Group also operates specialized services including arboricultural engineering with the proprietary GDA inventory system managing 500,000 trees, soil engineering, eco-grazing, hydroseeding, urban beekeeping, and aquatic play areas. The company pursues growth through organic development and targeted acquisitions, currently operating across 9 regions in France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SMDA (Soins Modernes Des Arbres): Core subsidiary focused on tree care, arboricultural engineering, and R&D. The original company of the group.
• SEPA (Sports et Paysages)
• Pôle Eau
• Pôle Infrastructure
• Duc & Préneuf Environnement

Products and services

• Tree Care and Arboricultural Services Professional tree pruning, tree surgery, tree removal, cabling, felling and ongoing tree maintenance services for public authorities, infrastructure operators and private clients. Includes specialized climbing and aerial work services delivered through subsidiaries such as SMDA, Forêt de l'Île-de-France, Sanguinet, Sauvarie Environnement, Raynal and Oxygène.
• Landscape Design and Green Space Maintenance Landscape creation, garden design, green roof and wall installation, and ongoing maintenance of green spaces for private developers, public institutions, property managers and corporate clients. Delivered through subsidiaries including Sports et Paysages (SEPA), Duc & Préneuf, Joigneaux Paysagiste, Caussat Espaces Verts, Créateck Paysage and Lefebvre Paysages.
• Irrigation and Fountain Systems Design, installation, and maintenance of automated irrigation systems, fountains, misting systems, pumping and outdoor lighting for landscapes. Combines hydraulic and electrical engineering expertise. Delivered through subsidiaries N2B Arrosage, CCA Perrot, and IDÉO Arrosage within the Pôle Eau.
• Infrastructure Vegetation Management Specialized vegetation control along railways, roads, power lines and other linear infrastructure for major operators including SNCF, RTE, ENEDIS, GRTGAZ and VNF. Includes mechanical and manual vegetation clearance, difficult-access interventions and specialized equipment (e.g., Menzi Muck spider excavator). Delivered through SEFA Environnement, Groupe TGBL, Ets. Julien and Sauvarie Environnement.
• Ecological and Environmental Services Environmental services including eco-grazing (using horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas for natural space maintenance), urban beekeeping (apiculture for pollination), invasive plant management, ecological niche creation for wildlife protection, wood energy production and hydroseeding for soil stabilization.
• Arboricultural Engineering and Tree Diagnostics (GDA) Tree inventory management system (GDA - Gestion Des Arbres) cataloguing nearly 500,000 trees nationally through 23 expert arborists, combined with high-precision diagnostics using penetrometer, tomograph, traction tests, root radar and multispectral drones. Includes tree preservation actions such as cabling, fertilization, propping, crown reduction and transplantation.
• Soil Engineering Services Specialized soil services including agro-pedological diagnostics, creation of fertile substrates from inert excavation materials, reintroduction of plant covers for soil stabilization and fertilization, and optimization of soil structure and porosity for ecosystem restoration of degraded soils.
• Outdoor Wood Structures and Furniture Design, manufacture and distribution of outdoor wood furniture and structures including terraces, urban furniture, bridges, chalets, pergolas and sports courses, with mastery of autoclave wood treatment processes. Delivered through subsidiary Bernard Bois.
• Aquatic Play Areas Design and installation of aquatic play areas with interactive water jets, themed fountains and splash play elements for children in secured environments with certified equipment and non-slip surfaces, delivered through subsidiary CCA Perrot.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500,000 trees inventoried and managed through GDA system nationwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nature & DécouvertesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature & Découvertes co-occupies 'La Canopée' headquarters building with Cap Vert in Versailles. The building was originally rehabilitated and initiated by Nature & Découvertes in 2019 as an environmental engineering project, now shared with Cap Vert.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• idverde: Europe's largest pure-play landscaping and green-space management group, operating across the UK, France, Germany, and the Nordics. Closest publicly comparable to Cap Vert's multi-pole landscaping, tree care, and irrigation services model at significantly larger scale.
• Serpe Group: French specialist in tree pruning, felling, and infrastructure vegetation management with national coverage. Direct competitor in the Arbre and Infrastructure poles, particularly against SNCF, RTE, and ENEDIS contracts.
• Greenkogroup: Iberian landscaping and environmental services platform with growing European footprint. Comparable business model spanning landscape construction, maintenance, and urban greening services.

Broad incumbents

• NGE (Guintoli): Major French multi-specialist contractor with significant environmental and landscaping subsidiaries (notably Guintoli). Competes for large public-projects that include landscape and vegetation works alongside civil engineering.
• Eiffage Route / Eiffage Construction: Major French construction and infrastructure group whose route and infrastructure divisions deliver linear-infrastructure works. Existing Cap Vert client on the Paris 2024 Olympic Village and a potential competitor/partner for combined infrastructure-vegetation tenders.
• Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services giant active in France across waste, water, and urban environmental management. Sets competitive benchmarks on municipal green-services tenders but at vastly broader scope.
• SUEZ (Water Technologies & Solutions / Recycling & Recovery): Global environmental services group with French municipal and water-cycle contracts. Indirect competitor on integrated municipal environmental tenders and a potential strategic acquirer of specialist platforms.
• Equans (Engie Solutions): Multi-technical services group active in French infrastructure maintenance, including vegetation management adjacent to rail and energy networks. Competes for some of the same infrastructure-operator contracts.

Regional players

• Heliance / Elag Eco: Smaller French regional tree-care and ecological-engineering specialists that compete with Cap Vert subsidiaries in specific territories and represent ongoing tuck-in M&A targets.

Others

• Nature & Découvertes (La Canopée co-occupant): French retailer of nature and sustainable-living products that co-occupies the 'La Canopée' Versailles headquarters with Cap Vert. Ecosystem/adjacent partner rather than a competitor, but signals access to consumer-facing sustainability distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-capvert

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A7 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Cap Vert Development Group