What 3drivers does

3drivers is a Lisbon-based environmental and sustainability consultancy founded in 2003 by researchers from Instituto Superior Técnico. The firm provides specialized consulting services across four core areas: Policy, Strategy & Planning; Corporate Sustainability; Environmental Compliance; and Research & Innovation. Its methodology stack includes Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), Material Flow Analysis, and Design Thinking, applied to waste management, circular economy strategy, decarbonization roadmaps, and environmental compliance for municipalities, government bodies, producer responsibility organizations, and industrial clients.

The company has built two proprietary digital platforms on top of its consulting practice: Circular EcoBIM, a BIM-based digital twin platform for automated LCA and circularity assessment throughout building lifecycles (funded by EEA Grants); and Bee2WasteCrypto, a blockchain-based waste management optimization tool with Pay As You Throw capabilities (funded by Portugal 2020). 3drivers also maintains an active R&D portfolio with participation in multiple Horizon Europe projects (START, SYNTECS, FLASH, BUTTERFLIES) and Portuguese PRR-funded decarbonization roadmaps for the foundry, naval, and construction sectors.

3drivers operates on a professional services revenue model with project-based engagements priced through direct quotation. The company serves named enterprise and public-sector clients including EDP, Lipor, Electrão, Valormed, Valorfito, and AVE. At the end of 2023, 3drivers was acquired by Grupo Quadrante, an 8-entity sustainability consultancy ecosystem, and now operates under the unified brand 3drivers – Quadrante, with access to a 20+ country geographic footprint spanning Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and North America.

Name

3drivers

Legal name

3drivers

Website

https://3drivers.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3drivers is a Lisbon-based environmental consultancy providing waste management, circular economy, decarbonization, and compliance services to municipalities, producer responsibility organizations, and industrial clients. Founded in 2003, it operates as part of Grupo Quadrante since 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Environmental consulting
• Waste management services
• Circular economy consulting
• Corporate sustainability advisory
• Life cycle assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consulting Services: Professional consulting services in sustainability, circular economy, waste management, decarbonization, and environmental compliance. Services are provided to public authorities, municipalities, and private sector clients through project-based engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

3drivers is a sustainability consultancy that delivers specialized environmental consulting services across four core areas: Policy, Strategy & Planning; Corporate Sustainability; Environmental Compliance; and Research & Innovation. Its services include Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) modeling, waste management strategy, circular economy transformation, decarbonization roadmaps, and policy support, complemented by digital tools such as the BIM-based Circular EcoBIM platform and the blockchain-enabled Bee2WasteCrypto waste management optimizer.

Product overview

3drivers is a sustainability consultancy that offers a portfolio of consulting services and digital tools. The core services are organized into four main areas: Policy, Strategy & Planning; Corporate Sustainability; Environmental Compliance; and Research & Innovation. Supporting these are specialized digital platforms including Circular EcoBIM (BIM-based LCA and circularity assessment), Bee2WasteCrypto (blockchain-based waste management optimization), and Be.Neutral (mobility carbon-zero quantification). The company also provides technical methodologies like LCA and LCC modeling, and participates in funded R&D projects including Horizon Europe initiatives (START, SYNTECS, FLASH) and national programs (PRR, Portugal 2020, EEA Grants).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy, Strategy & Planning Strategic consulting service developing strategies and action plans to solve critical environmental problems for both public and private sector clients, including national policy and municipal planning engagements.
• Corporate Sustainability Consulting service designing sustainable business models that respect planetary limits, including circular economy strategies and environmental metrics for corporate clients across industrial, energy, and commercial sectors.
• Environmental Compliance Service ensuring compliance with current and emerging environmental legal and regulatory requirements, including waste management system auditing and Weeelabex certification audits for WEEE operators.
• Research & Innovation Science and technology-based innovation services including participation in national and European R&D projects, funded by Horizon Europe, PRR, Portugal 2020, EEA Grants, and FCT, focused on waste, circular economy, and decarbonization topics.
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Services Science-based environmental performance assessment methodology used across consulting and R&D projects, including LCA of products, technologies, and processes at national and European levels for public and private clients.
• Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Services Economic analysis methodology complementary to LCA, evaluating life cycle costs of products and technologies to support eco-design strategies and sustainable decision-making for clients.
• Circular EcoBIM Platform Digital platform based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) that performs automated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and circularity assessment throughout a building's lifecycle. Includes a database of environmental performance of building materials, BIM software plug-ins for calculating circularity passports, LEVEL(s) indicators, and EPDs, plus a digital twin for environmental performance visualization.
• Bee2WasteCrypto Blockchain-based tool that defines best solutions for waste management, including a database of waste management technologies with technical, environmental and economic information, an optimization algorithm for waste management systems, and a blockchain-based Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system for establishing recycling credits.
• PRAC Azores (Regional Plan for Climate Change) Regional Plan for Climate Change tool that projects greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector, defines mitigation measures, and performs cost-effectiveness analysis for the Azores Archipelago.

Quantifiable outcome

• Development of National Strategy for Resource Efficiency for Portugal
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Grupo QuadrantecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt the end of 2023, 3drivers joined Grupo Quadrante, a global sustainability consulting group. This integration reinforced 3drivers' positioning and commitment to sustainability, enabling expansion to new geographies while maintaining quality values and identity. Under the unified Quadrante brand, 3drivers operates as part of a powerful ecosystem including Quadrante, Meta Engineering, Izharia, Right Analytics, Procesl, Ambconsult, Inprocess, and Ecoprogresso.
• Instituto Superior Técnico (IST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner from which 3drivers originated. Founded in 2003 by elements from Centro de Estudos em Inovação, Tecnologia e Políticas de Desenvolvimento do IST. Ongoing collaboration on research projects and talent development.
• NOVA-IMSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Bee2WasteCrypto project contributing to optimization algorithm development for waste management systems.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Bee2WasteCrypto project contributing expertise to blockchain-based waste management solutions.
• Smart Waste PortugalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partner for waste management innovation. 3drivers participates in Smart Waste Portugal initiatives including the TransformEC project and podcast collaborations.
• AmbicarminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWEEE management operator client for whom 3drivers conducted Weeelabex certification audits.
• VALORCARsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnd-of-life vehicle management entity partnered with 3drivers for automotive waste management training programs and certification projects.
• ValorpneusupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUsed tire management entity with ongoing collaboration with 3drivers in training, research and development activities for tire waste circular economy.
• SOGILUBsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUsed lubricating oil management entity partnered with 3drivers for training development in automotive waste management.
• CECOLAB Circular EconomysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircular economy research partner in the TransformEC project initiative to accelerate manufacturing industry transition to circular economy.
• CVR – Centro para a Valorização de ResíduossupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaste valorization research center partnering in TransformEC project for circular economy transition in Portuguese manufacturing SMEs.
• ACIF CCIMsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness association in Madeira providing technical support for TEXTIL project workshops on textile circularity.
• Direção Regional do Ambiente e Mar (DRAM)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional environmental authority in Madeira receiving technical support from 3drivers for TEXTIL project development.
• Associação Smart Waste PortugalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPromoting association for the Edifícios Circulares project funded by EEA Grants, in collaboration with 3drivers, FEUP, and PTPC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Circle Economy: Amsterdam-based impact organization providing circular economy strategy, metrics (Circularity Gap Report), and consulting to governments and corporates. Comparable to 3drivers' circularity consulting and policy advisory practice.
• Trinomics: Rotterdam-based consultancy exclusively focused on European environmental, climate, and circular economy policy for the European Commission and member states. Closely matches 3drivers' public-policy and EU-funded project work.
• Metabolic: Dutch sustainability consultancy and venture builder focused on circular economy, decarbonization, and environmental data tooling. Comparable to 3drivers in its integrated consulting-plus-digital-tools model and EU-wide client base.
• Eunomia Research & Consulting: Independent environmental consultancy specializing in waste management, circular economy, and resource efficiency policy across Europe. Highly comparable to 3drivers in service portfolio, public-sector client base, and LCA/policy orientation.
• Quantis: Global sustainability consultancy specializing in Life Cycle Assessment, eco-design, and science-based target setting for consumer goods and industrial clients. Closely matches 3drivers' core LCA/LCC methodology and enterprise decarbonization offerings.
• Sofies: Swiss sustainability and circular economy consultancy delivering strategy, LCA, and industrial symbiosis projects. Comparable in scale, academic foundation, and European public/private client mix.

Emerging players

• greenDelta GmbH: Berlin-based consultancy and software developer behind openLCA, providing LCA tools, data, and methodology support. Comparable to 3drivers' LCA delivery and underlying technology stack (e.g., Bee2WasteCrypto algorithms).

Broad incumbents

• COWI: Large international engineering consultancy with a dedicated sustainability and climate adaptation practice. Comparable to 3drivers on LCA and decarbonization for built environment and infrastructure clients.
• Ramboll: Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a strong sustainability, climate, and circular economy practice. Comparable to 3drivers' decarbonization roadmaps and built-environment LCA work (Circular EcoBIM).
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): World's largest pure-play sustainability consultancy offering EHS, climate change, and circular economy advisory to global enterprises. Represents the scaled incumbent against which 3drivers' specialist offering must differentiate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3drivers

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 3drivers