ZECH Umwelt

What ZECH Umwelt does

ZECH Umwelt GmbH is a German full-service environmental services company headquartered in Bremen and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the diversified Zech Group SE. Founded in 2003 through the acquisition of Umweltschutz Nord GmbH, the company provides contaminated soil remediation, groundwater and soil air treatment, demolition and excavation pit construction, landfill and material-flow logistics, and downstream sale of recycled construction materials (railway ballast, lime chippings, RC aggregates). It operates nine stationary biological soil treatment plants and five soil washing plants across Germany with a combined approved capacity of approximately 2.5 million tonnes per year, supplemented by own landfills (DK 0 to DK I) and quarries for clay, sand, and limestone. Distinctive proprietary technologies include the TERRAFERM biological soil treatment process and the TERRALAVAR soil washing process, both developed in-house and registered as trademarks.\n\nThe business serves industrial and commercial companies (manufacturing, chemical, energy, automotive), construction firms and project developers, and municipal and state government clients across Germany, with additional project work in Austria, Switzerland, and France. Named customers include DB Netz AG, Daimler Real Estate, AUDI, EWE AG, Buderus Edelstahl, and Clariant, as well as cities such as Ulm and Munich. The company pursues project-based acquisition through regional branch offices (Niederlassungen) with dedicated branch managers, supported by participation in industry events such as HOKO München, ITVA conferences, and Altlastentage. Revenue is generated through transaction fees for soil treatment and disposal (priced per tonne by contamination class), project contracts for construction and earthworks, transport fees from an owned truck fleet, and hardware sales of recycled construction materials.

Name

ZECH Umwelt

Legal name

ZECH Umwelt GmbH

Website

https://zech-umwelt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ZECH Umwelt GmbH is a German full-service environmental services firm and Zech Group subsidiary that remediates contaminated soil, treats groundwater and soil air, and supplies recycled construction materials via a nationwide network of biological and washing treatment plants serving industrial, construction, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Remediation Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (56291), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Remediation (Excavation, Stabilization/Solidification, Thermal Desorption) (EUAIALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brownfield Site Assessment & Remediation (BPALAKAA), Ex-Situ Treatment & Soil Washing / Stabilization (BPALAKAE), Groundwater Extraction, Treatment & Discharge (Pump-and-Treat, reinjection) (BPALAKAF), Decontamination & Demolition (Decommissioning, Industrial Facility Cleanup) (EUAIALAL), Site Assessment & Remedial Investigation (Phase II/III, Sampling & Characterization) (EUAIALAA)

Keywords

• Soil remediation services
• Contaminated site cleanup
• Biological soil treatment
• Waste management services
• Landfill operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Soil Remediation and Treatment Services: Project-based fees for soil remediation, biological treatment, and soil washing services. Revenue is generated through treatment fees based on tonnage processed and project complexity.
2. Disposal and Landfill Services: Fees for disposal of inert materials in company-owned landfills (DK 0, DK I) and fill/reclamation sites (LAGA Z0 to Z2). Revenue is based on material volume and contamination class.
3. Construction and Earthworks Services: Services including excavation, foundation pits, demolition, water management, and infrastructure construction. Revenue is generated through project contracts.
4. Building Materials and Construction Aggregates: Production and sale of construction materials including crushed stone, railway ballast, lime chippings, and recycled construction materials from treatment operations.
5. Transport and Logistics Services: Logistics services including truck transport with company-owned fleet, rail and ship terminal operations for material transport. Revenue from transportation fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ZECH Umwelt is a full-service environmental services contractor that remediates contaminated soils, treats groundwater and soil air, and recycles/reuses recovered materials across Germany. It delivers these services through a network of nine proprietary biological soil treatment plants (TERRAFERM®) and five soil washing plants (TERRALAVAR®), with a combined annual capacity of approximately 2.5 million tonnes, alongside landfills, earthworks and excavation pit construction, demolition, transport logistics, and recycled construction materials production.

Product overview

ZECH Umwelt is a full-service environmental services provider operating a multi-facility platform for contaminated soil remediation, waste management, and construction services across Germany. The core offering centers on two proprietary treatment technologies: TERRAFERM® (biological soil treatment) and TERRALAVAR® (soil washing). These are deployed through a network of nine biological soil treatment plants (capacity up to 2.5 million tonnes/year) and five soil washing plants (capacity up to 1 million tonnes/year), supplemented by landfill and filling sites (DK 0 to DK I, LAGA Z0 to Z2). The platform spans three integrated service clusters: Bauen (construction — earthworks, excavation pits, demolition, contaminated site remediation, water purification), Entsorgen (disposal — soil treatment, landfilling), and Ressourcen (resources — transport logistics, construction materials production). All operations are coordinated through a dense branch network covering northern, eastern, western, and southern Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TERRAFERM biological soil treatment Proprietary biological soil treatment process using microorganisms to break down organic contaminants, enabling treated soil to be returned to the construction-materials cycle. Deployed for clients with contaminated sites, brownfield redevelopers, and construction projects generating contaminated excavation material.
• TERRALAVAR soil washing Proprietary soil washing process that physically separates and removes contaminants from soil particles, allowing cleaned soil to be reused. Used by industrial clients, construction firms, and infrastructure projects for large-volume mineral-contaminated soil.
• Biological soil treatment plants service Industrial-scale biological soil treatment service provided through nine stationary facilities in Germany (Ganderkesee, Bremen, Hannover, Langhagen, Niederlehme, Gladbeck, Nürnberg, Wicker, Zwickau) with combined capacity up to 2.5 million tonnes per year, offered to industrial and public-sector customers under the EfbV disposal-specialist regime.
• Soil washing plants service Soil washing service via five stationary facilities (Langhagen, Coswig, Kriebitzsch, Niederlehme, Ulm) using the TERRALAVAR process with combined capacity of approximately 1 million tonnes per year, serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial customers with mineral-contaminated soil.
• Landfill and filling/recultivation site services Landfill and filling/recultivation operations accepting LAGA Z0 to Z2 materials and DK 0 to DK I waste, plus site restoration across own deposits at Haschenbrok, Stulln, and Wettenhausen. Offered to industrial waste producers, construction firms, and municipalities needing compliant disposal paths.
• Earth and landfill construction services Earthworks, hydraulic engineering, flood protection construction, and landfill construction including flood retention basins, dikes, vertical underground sealings, technical structures, noise barriers, roads, and railway embankments. Delivered to municipalities, infrastructure owners, and industrial clients.
• Excavation pits and demolition services Turnkey excavation pit construction including demolition, pit support, earthworks, disposal, dewatering and water purification, delivered from concept through execution to handover for industrial, commercial, and public-sector developers.
• Contaminated site remediation and land recycling Contaminated site remediation using in-situ and ex-situ methods, excavation and disposal of mineral materials, biological and washing treatment, immobilization and conditioning, surface sealing, and wastewater/groundwater management for industrial and public-sector clients with brownfield liabilities.
• Water and soil-air purification services Water and soil-air purification delivered via custom-designed modular systems (capacities 50 to 30,000 m³/h) using biological, chemical, physical (adsorption/activated carbon), and thermal treatment methods, plus equipment rental and sales of own systems. Target customers are remediation sites and industrial operators needing on-site water/air treatment.
• Transport and logistics services Logistics services including own modern semitrailer truck fleet, railway and ship transshipment facilities handling materials up to DK II, and round-the-clock transport for soil, construction materials, and recycling streams, marketed to construction projects and industrial waste producers.
• Construction materials production and sales Production and marketing of bulk construction materials including crushed stone, high-quality kaolinitic clays for the brick and ceramic industry, DB HPQ-certified railway ballast, lime chippings for road construction, and recycled building materials derived from soil washing and treatment by-products. Sold to construction firms, railway operators (notably Deutsche Bahn), and industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5 million tonnes contaminated soil treated annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• esm GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partneresm GmbH is a certified disposal facility (Entsorgungsfachbetrieb) operating in the Rhein-Main area. They partner with ZECH Umwelt to extend the service network in the Rhein-Main region for mineral waste disposal and treatment. esm operates the soil treatment center in Wicker (Bodenreinigungsanlage Wicker) and handles disposal services in the Groß-Gerau area. ZECH Umwelt holds 60% ownership in esm GmbH.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lobbe Industrieservice GmbH & Co. KG: German full-service environmental services provider specializing in soil remediation, contaminated site cleanup, and industrial water treatment. Directly comparable to ZECH Umwelt in customer base (industrial, chemical, energy) and treatment technologies.
• BAUER Resources GmbH: Specialty civil engineering and environmental services arm of BAUER Group, active in soil treatment, remediation, and waste management. Operates biological and thermal soil treatment capacity serving the same German market and customer segments as ZECH Umwelt.
• Eggersmann Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG: German family-owned group with operations in recycling, composting, and environmental services including contaminated site remediation. Closely comparable mid-sized German competitor in soil treatment and resource recovery.
• STRABAG Umwelttechnik GmbH: Subsidiary of European construction group STRABAG focused on environmental engineering, contaminated site remediation, and landfill construction. Comparable in construction-side delivery and earthworks/deponie offerings to ZECH Umwelt's 'Bauen' service cluster.
• Heim Holding GmbH: German environmental services group providing soil treatment, contaminated site remediation, and waste management with multiple facilities across Germany. Closely comparable in business model (multi-site treatment and disposal) and target market.

Broad incumbents

• Remondis SE & Co. KG: One of Europe's largest privately-held waste management and environmental services companies, with broad capabilities including soil remediation, landfill operations, and recycling. Overlaps with ZECH Umwelt but operates at a much larger scale across more geographies and waste streams.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Deutschland GmbH: Global environmental services group with significant German operations in waste treatment, soil remediation, and circular-economy solutions. Comparable to ZECH Umwelt in contaminated site services but part of a much larger international portfolio.
• Veolia Umweltservice GmbH: German arm of global environmental services group Veolia, offering industrial services, waste management, and site remediation. Competitor in the same German market but with a broader portfolio including water, energy, and municipal services.
• Bilfinger SE: German-listed industrial services provider serving process industry customers with maintenance, environmental, and consulting services including site decontamination. Comparable in industrial customer base and brownfield/decommissioning work, but with a much broader industrial-services portfolio.

Emerging players

• Hosch Group (HOSCH Gebäude & Umwelttechnik): German environmental services and water technology firm active in soil air purification, groundwater treatment, and remediation. Comparable niche specialist in the 'Wasser- & Bodenluftreinigung' service line where ZECH Umwelt also operates modular water purification systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zechumwelt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zech-umwelt-gmbh

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries10 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 ZECH Umwelt