What EPEA does

EPEA GmbH, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany and operating as part of the Drees & Sommer Group, is a circular economy consulting firm built around the Cradle to Cradle design principle, which it co-developed. Founded in 1987 with 11-50 employees, EPEA serves as an accredited assessment body of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and offers a portfolio of services spanning two segments: for product manufacturers, it provides C2C Certified assessment, Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), ProCA Product Passports, Digital Product Passports (DPP) for ESPR compliance, and funding advisory; for the built environment, it provides Circularity Consulting, Urban Mining, Resource Passes, Building LCA, the Build Healthily low-emission assessment, and the Conpli platform for material declaration in sustainable buildings.

The firm's underlying technology is a materials-science-driven circular economy framework rather than a unified software platform; deliverables combine accredited third-party assessment, scientific advisory, and emerging software tooling (Conpli, ProCA, DPP). EPEA monetizes primarily through project-based and retainer professional services engagements, with subscription-style recurring revenue tied to the Conpli platform and ongoing DPP compliance work. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting manufacturers and built-environment professionals (building owners, architects, project developers), executed via direct inbound consultation, the company website, LinkedIn, and inbound referrals from Drees & Sommer's broader built-environment client base.

EPEA's disclosed customer base includes 23+ named enterprise clients spanning tire manufacturing (Schwalbe), sanitary ware (Kaldewei, Grohe), building systems (Schüco, Raico, Jeld-Wen, Holcim), FMCG and cosmetics (Werner & Mertz, Aveda, Lanur, Brands Fashion), toys (Schleich), brewing (Carlsberg), flooring (Tarkett, Mosa), lighting (Whitecroft), writing instruments (Stabilo), construction equipment (Liebherr), electrical (Schneider Electric), and confectionery (Ritter Sport), indicating a horizontally diversified enterprise portfolio with no single dominant account. Operations are concentrated in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Name

EPEA

Legal name

EPEA GmbH - Part of Drees & Sommer

Website

https://EPEA.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPEA is a Hamburg-based circular economy consulting firm and Drees & Sommer subsidiary that provides accredited Cradle to Cradle product certification, LCA/EPD assessments, Digital Product Passports, and circularity consulting for manufacturers, building owners, and architects across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability and Circular Economy Consulting

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Product Sustainability & LCA/EPD (Eco-design, PCF) (EUAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Circular economy consulting
• Cradle to cradle certification
• Life cycle assessment services
• Environmental product declarations
• Sustainable building consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cradle to Cradle Certification Services: EPEA conducts accredited assessments of products against the Cradle to Cradle Certified standard and charges fees for certification evaluation, testing, and ongoing compliance monitoring.
2. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) & EPD Services: EPEA produces carbon footprint calculations and Environmental Product Declarations for products and buildings, billed as consulting/project engagements.
3. Circularity Consulting for Buildings & Urban Districts: EPEA provides advisory and consulting engagements to building owners, architects, and project developers for integrating circular economy into construction, billed as project-based or retainer consulting services.
4. Digital Product Passport (DPP) & ProCA Platform Services: EPEA supports companies with Digital Product Passports and the Conpli platform for product testing and material declarations, likely as bundled consulting or subscription services tied to regulatory compliance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EPEA is a circular economy consulting firm that supports manufacturers and building professionals in developing healthy, circular, and recyclable products and buildings. The company co-developed the Cradle to Cradle design principle and serves as an accredited assessment body of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, providing Cradle to Cradle certification, life cycle assessments (LCA/EPD), Digital Product Passports (DPP), ProCA product passports, urban mining, and circularity consulting for buildings and infrastructure projects.

Product overview

EPEA is a circular economy consulting firm and part of the Drees & Sommer Group. Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of advisory services centered on the Cradle to Cradle® design principle. For products, the core offerings include Cradle to Cradle Certified assessment, Life Cycle Assessments (LCA & EPD), ProCA Product Passports, Digital Product Passports (DPP) for ESPR compliance, and Funding Advice. For buildings and infrastructure, EPEA provides Circularity Consulting, Urban Mining services, Resource Passes, Building LCA, Build Healthily assessment, and the Conpli platform for material declaration. The services are delivered by accredited assessors and integrate material science expertise with regulatory understanding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cradle to Cradle Certified Assessment Accredited third-party assessment and certification of products against the Cradle to Cradle Certified standard, enabling manufacturers to verify circularity, material health, and responsible manufacturing.
• Life Cycle Assessments (LCA & EPD) for Products Calculation of carbon footprint and environmental impact of products through Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), used for green building certification and regulatory compliance.
• ProCA Product Passports Product passport solution that documents product sustainability credentials, serving as a gateway to the green building market and enabling manufacturers to communicate material composition and circularity attributes.
• Digital Product Passports (DPP) Advisory and implementation support for Digital Product Passports to prepare companies for emerging EU ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) obligations requiring documented material traceability.
• Funding Advice Advisory service helping companies secure funding and advance circular economy and sustainable product development projects.
• Circularity Consulting for Buildings Advisory service supporting and optimizing Cradle to Cradle projects for building owners, architects, and project developers, integrating circular economy principles (material selection, urban mining, resource passes) into construction projects.
• Urban Mining Strategic material flow management service that selectively returns dismantled construction materials to the use cycle, creating economic and ecological value from existing resource stocks.
• Resource Passes Creation of resource passes for buildings documenting material inventories as proof of funding eligibility and certification requirements.
• Life Cycle Assessments (LCA & EPDs) for Buildings Calculation of the CO2 footprint of construction projects through building-level Life Cycle Assessments and Environmental Product Declarations for use in green building certification.
• Build Healthily Assessment service ensuring buildings are constructed with low-emission materials, supporting healthy and sustainable construction practices.
• Conpli Platform Digital platform for product testing and material declaration for sustainable buildings, enabling documentation, traceability, and compliance verification for construction material specifications.

Named customers23 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPEA is an accredited assessment body of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, the organization that administers the Cradle to Cradle Certified product standard. This accreditation enables EPEA to conduct official third-party assessments of products and materials against the Cradle to Cradle standard, positioning the firm as both a co-developer and certified evaluator of the framework.
• Drees & Sommer GroupcoreOthersEPEA operates as a subsidiary or division of the Drees & Sommer Group, a leading international consulting and solutions partner in the built environment. The relationship provides EPEA with technical know-how, materials expertise, regulatory understanding, and access to Drees & Sommer's broad client network across construction and real estate.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP: WSP is a global built-environment consultancy with a substantial sustainability and climate practice, including LCA, EPD, and circularity services — competing for the same enterprise and developer clients as EPEA.
• Ramboll: Ramboll is a global engineering, design, and sustainability consultancy with growing circularity and LCA practices serving the built environment — overlapping with EPEA's building circularity and resource pass services at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Sphera: Sphera (formerly thinkstep) provides LCA software and sustainability product/building footprint services, directly overlapping with EPEA's LCA/EPD and product sustainability offerings for manufacturers and construction clients.
• EcoAct: EcoAct (an Atos company) provides carbon footprint, LCA, and sustainable product advisory for enterprises — competing for the same corporate manufacturer and infrastructure mandates as EPEA.
• Anthesis Group: Anthesis is a global sustainability consultancy offering circular economy, product stewardship, and ESG advisory — closely mirroring EPEA's consulting portfolio for manufacturers and brand owners.
• Carbon Trust: Carbon Trust certifies products, buildings, and supply chains for carbon and circularity, providing assessment, certification, and advisory services that overlap with EPEA's C2C assessment and LCA portfolio.
• Quantis: Quantis provides LCA, carbon footprinting, and sustainable product strategy for global FMCG and industrial clients, competing with EPEA in product-level circularity and environmental assessment services.
• One Click LCA: One Click LCA is a leading LCA and EPD software platform for the built environment, competing directly with EPEA's building-LCA, EPD, and material declaration services for architects, developers, and product manufacturers.
• PRé Sustainability: PRé develops SimaPro, one of the most widely used LCA tools, and offers sustainability consulting — directly comparable to EPEA's LCA methodology work for products and supply chains.

Others

• Drees & Sommer: Parent company and built-environment consultancy that delivers sustainability, building certification, and engineering services — a direct channel partner for EPEA and the closest internal comparable for the services EPEA provides.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epea-gmbh-part-of-drees-und-sommer
• Xx.com/epea_c2c
• Facebookfacebook.com/EPEA.C2C

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 EPEA