What VAKIN does

VAKIN (Vatten och Avfallskompetens i Norr AB) is a municipally-owned utility company providing integrated water supply, wastewater treatment, and waste management services to residents of Umeå, Nordmaling, and Vindeln municipalities in Västerbotten County, northern Sweden. The company operates over 20 waterworks, multiple wastewater treatment plants, nine recycling centers, and manages approximately 300+ buildings, with the flagship Umeå waterworks delivering around 9 million cubic meters of drinking water annually to approximately 90,000 consumers. Technical operations include natural groundwater infiltration from Vindelälvsåsen, UV disinfection at all drinking water facilities, three-stage mechanical-chemical-biological wastewater treatment, and biogas production from sewage sludge for energy self-sufficiency. The company is ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certified.

VAKIN operates under a self-cost (självkostnadsprincipen) fee-based revenue model where each municipality independently sets service charges for water, sewage, and waste. Ownership is held by Umeå Vatten och Avfall AB (90%) and Vindeln/Nordmaling Vatten och Avfall AB (5% each), with the parent entities in turn owned by their respective municipalities. The customer base is structurally captive: all property owners and residents within the three-municipality service area are mandated users under Swedish law, with no churn risk but high regulatory and political concentration. Distribution is entirely direct — piped infrastructure, collection vehicles, recycling centers, and the Mina Sidor customer portal (authenticated via BankID) — with no resellers or intermediaries.

Beyond core utility operations, VAKIN runs an active international knowledge-sharing program (partnerships with WaterAid in Nepal, UNDP/Avfall Sverige in Costa Rica, Sida/ICLD in Kenya, Interreg Europe SUBTRACT, and the WaterAid Winnovators competition in eSwatini), delivers school education programs through Naturskolan in Umeå, and is preparing for the 2026 regulatory transition to mandatory home sorting (hemsortering) of paper and plastic packaging. The company has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no public API, and no external funding history.

Name

VAKIN

Legal name

Vatten och Avfallskompetens i Norr AB

Website

https://vakin.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

VAKIN is a municipally-owned Swedish utility providing integrated water supply, wastewater treatment, and waste management services to residents of Umeå, Nordmaling, and Vindeln municipalities in Västerbotten County, serving approximately 90,000+ consumers across three municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Waste Management

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Purple Pipe / Recycled Water Distribution Utilities (Networks, Pressure Zones) (EUANAGAE)

Keywords

• Municipal water supply
• Wastewater treatment services
• Household waste collection
• Recycling center operations
• Property-near packaging collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Umeå

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal tax/fee-based water and sewage services: VAKIN operates as a municipal company financed through tax-based fees under the self-cost principle (självkostnadsprincipen). Each municipality decides its own fees. Revenue comes from water and sewage service fees charged to property owners and residents in Umeå, Nordmaling, and Vindelns municipalities.
2. Waste collection and disposal fees: Fees for household waste collection, recycling center operations, and waste disposal services for residents and property owners in the three municipalities.
3. Property-based packaging collection services: Free basic service for property-near collection of packaging (paper, plastic, metal, glass) for multi-dwelling buildings and housing cooperatives, with supplementary paid services such as extra collections or tighter schedules.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VAKIN is a municipal utility company that provides drinking water supply, wastewater (sewage) treatment, and household waste management and recycling services to residents and property owners in Umeå, Nordmaling, and Vindelns municipalities in Västerbotten County, Sweden. The company operates over 20 waterworks and treatment plants, multiple recycling centers, and a digital customer portal (Mina Sidor) for self-service. Services are funded through municipal fees set under the self-cost principle (självkostnadsprincipen).

Product overview

VAKIN operates as a multi-service municipal utility providing water supply, wastewater treatment, and waste management across three northern Swedish municipalities. The company's digital offering centers on an integrated e-services platform comprising a customer self-service portal (Mina Sidor) and specialized service modules for household waste collection (Sophämtning), recycling centers (Återvinningscentraler), property-near packaging collection (Fastighetsnära insamling), sludge pumping (Slamtömning), and water/sewage services (Vatten och avlopp). Additional services include fault reporting (Felanmälan), home sorting solutions (Hemsortering), and a career portal. These services are interconnected through a shared customer account system, allowing residents to manage all VAKIN services from a single login.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Supply (Dricksvatten) Production and distribution of clean drinking water to residents and property owners across Umeå, Nordmaling, and Vindelns municipalities. Water is sourced via natural groundwater infiltration from Vindelälvsåsen and treated with UV disinfection as a safety barrier.
• Wastewater and Sewage Treatment (Avlopp) Collection and treatment of wastewater through mechanical, chemical, and biological treatment stages including phosphorus removal. Sewage sludge is digested in biogas reactors to produce electricity and heat for plant operations.
• Household Waste Collection (Sophämtning) Subscription-based collection of household waste from residential properties, including scheduling, extra collections, food waste bags, composting notifications, and holiday/pause subscription management.
• Recycling Centers (Återvinningscentraler / ÅVC) Physical drop-off facilities for household waste, construction and demolition debris, hazardous waste, garden waste, bulky waste, and recycling materials. ÅVC Plus membership offers extended access.
• Property-Near Packaging Collection (Fastighetsnära insamling) Near-property collection of packaging materials (paper, plastic, metal, glass) for apartment buildings and housing cooperatives, including bin ordering, signage, and collection registration.
• Sludge Pumping Service (Slamtömning) Scheduled emptying and maintenance of individual/private sewage systems, including pumping orders, interval modifications, and permit applications for private sludge systems.
• Mina Sidor (Customer Self-Service Portal) Online portal allowing customers to submit water meter readings, manage contact information, view invoices and subscriptions, check waste collection schedules, register property-near packaging collection, and access sludge pumping dates.
• Hemsortering (Home Sorting System) New source-separation waste collection system being introduced in 2026 for paper and plastic packaging; residents in villas and row houses will receive two additional waste bins for separated collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 million cubic meters of drinking water delivered annually from Umeå waterworks alone to approximately 90,000 consumers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WaterAidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022VAKIN partnered with WaterAid and the municipality of Godawari in Nepal in the three-year (2022-2025) Godawari-Prabalya WASH partnership program. Part of UN Habitat's Global Water Operators Partnership, co-financed by the EU. Focused on strengthening sustainable water, sewage, and waste management in Godawari through knowledge exchange, mentorship, and capacity building across three local projects: wastewater management, landfill, and sludge/waste.
• UNDP / Avfall Sverige (Zero Waste Strategy Project)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021VAKIN partnered in the UNDP/Avfall Sverige Zero Waste Strategy Project (2021) collaborating with Komúnitas in Costa Rica covering Curridabat, La Unión, Desamparados, Montes de Oca, and San José areas, contributing knowledge on waste management to promote circular economy and reduce landfill waste.
• Interreg Europe / SUBTRACT Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019VAKIN participated in the Interreg Europe project SUBTRACT (2019-2023) with six other countries to exchange knowledge and experiences about reuse and reuse centers, exploring how reuse centers could be developed and made economically sustainable.
• WaterAid (Winnovators / eSwatini)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019VAKIN participated as the first Swedish team in the WaterAid Winnovators competition (2019), addressing water challenges in Ka-Ben village in eSwatini. The team collected SEK 121,000 for WaterAid's work in eSwatini and competed against 33 teams from India, Australia, UK, and other countries.
• Sharing Cities SwedenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018VAKIN participated in the Sharing City Umeå project (2018-2021), part of the national Sharing Cities Sweden initiative, to inspire use of sharing services for a more sustainable society. VAKIN developed a new waste lesson for grade 4 school curriculum on sharing services, extended via the 'Yes Box' sharing box and associated website with sharing challenges.
• Sida/ICLD (Kajiado, Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017VAKIN participated in a Sida/ICLD-funded project (2017-2021) for knowledge sharing on water resource management and waste handling in Kajiado, Kenya. Delegations shared expertise on water purification, waste management, environmental impact reduction, sustainable resource use, and democratic processes. Delivered drafts for waste management plan, VA regulations, and local collaboration guidelines.
• Naturskolan i UmeåcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturskolan (Nature School) in Umeå delivers school information programs on behalf of VAKIN for year 4 students in Umeå, Vindelns, and Nordmaling municipalities. Two lessons per class cover water/sewage and waste/recycling topics, providing long-term environmental education to hundreds of students annually.
• Svenskt VattencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish Water and Wastewater Association — VAKIN is an active member, participating in networks, collaborations, campaigns, and industry events. Key industry body for water and wastewater operators in Sweden.
• Avfall SverigecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish Waste Management Association — VAKIN is an active member, participating in networks, collaborations, campaigns, and industry events. Key industry body for waste management in Sweden.
• 2SecureminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal third-party whistleblowing service provider. VAKIN uses 2Secure's external and independent whistleblowing platform (wb.2secure.se) to receive and manage whistleblower reports, ensuring anonymity and compliance with Swedish whistleblower legislation (2021:890).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norrvatten: Municipal water supply cooperative serving northern Stockholm suburbs. Directly comparable bulk water production and distribution model with municipal ownership, though focused on water supply without VAKIN's waste operations.
• Käppalaförbundet: Inter-municipal wastewater treatment association serving Stockholm area municipalities. Comparable wastewater treatment and sewage operations, though structured as a federation rather than a single integrated utility.
• Sydvatten: Regional water supply utility serving municipalities in southern Sweden with raw water production and distribution. Comparable bulk water production model and inter-municipal ownership structure to VAKIN.
• Sysav: Southern Sweden waste management company owned by multiple municipalities. Comparable waste collection, recycling, and disposal operations with similar municipal ownership structure and integrated recycling center network.
• VA Syd: Regional water and wastewater utility serving multiple municipalities in Skåne. Operates under similar cost-coverage principles and provides directly comparable water and sewage services to VAKIN's VA operations.
• NSVA: Nordvästra Skånes Vatten och Avlopp - inter-municipal water and wastewater utility in northwestern Skåne. Similar municipal ownership model and integrated VA service delivery across multiple member municipalities.
• Göteborgs Stad Kretslopp och vatten: Gothenburg municipality's water, sewage, and waste management organization. Directly comparable integrated business model and service offering under similar Swedish regulatory framework and municipal ownership structure.
• Stockholm Vatten och Avfall: Municipal water, wastewater, and waste utility serving Stockholm under the same Swedish municipal ownership model as VAKIN. Directly comparable integrated service offering and cost-coverage fee structure, but operating at significantly larger scale (~1 million residents).

Broad incumbents

• Tekniska verken: Municipal multi-utility in Linköping providing water, waste, energy, and biogas services. Broader service portfolio than VAKIN but operates under similar municipal ownership and integrated resource/circular-economy model.
• Mälarenergi: Municipal utility in Västerås providing electricity, district heating, water, and waste services. Broader energy portfolio but directly comparable water and waste operations under similar Swedish municipal utility framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Facebooksv-se.facebook.com/vattenochavfallskompetensinorr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vakin-vatten--och-avfallskompetens-i-norr-ab-
• Instagraminstagram.com/vakinswe
• Xx.com/vakinswe

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 VAKIN