Municipal Environmental Action UAN

What Municipal Environmental Action UAN does

Kommunale Umwelt-AktioN UAN e.V. (UAN) is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1985 in Hannover, Germany, and operating under the trusteeship of the Niedersächsischer Städte- und Gemeindebund (NSGB). It is the first and only municipal environmental association in Germany, serving cities, municipalities, municipal associations, and municipal enterprises primarily in Lower Saxony on environmental and sustainability challenges including wastewater management, flood protection, heavy rain preparedness (Starkregen), waterway management, climate adaptation, and sustainable municipal development. The association combines advisory, networking, and software services: its core software product DiWa5 (Digitales Wartungsprotokoll) manages maintenance documentation for small sewage treatment plants and addresses a German installed base of over 1.7 million such plants.

UAN's service portfolio includes the Starkregen-Netzwerk Niedersachsen (statewide heavy rain network), Hochwasserpartnerschaften (regional flood partnerships along river basins such as Hase, Aller, and Oberweser), the mobile flood protection information service ('Augen auf für Überflutungsschutz'), traveling climate awareness exhibitions ('KlimaEinFluss'), practical guidance publications (e.g., the 'Leitfaden Kommunale Starkregenvorsorge'), and the bimonthly information service 'Rathaus und Umwelt' with a circulation of 2,000 copies. The association operates recurring forums such as the WaterWiseForum (4th iteration scheduled August 2026). Underlying technology is primarily content-driven rather than software-platform-driven; DiWa5 is the single notable software asset with standardized data export to municipalities, associations, and water authorities.

UAN's business model is a hybrid of three streams: (1) supporting membership fees from municipalities and municipal enterprises, (2) project funding predominantly from the Lower Saxony Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate Protection and NBank-administered programs, which finances the majority of services free of charge for members, and (3) commercial revenue from the economic business operation 'Rathaus-Service' including paid publications and DiWa5 licensing. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging NSGB institutional credibility for direct access to member municipalities across Lower Saxony, supplemented by publications, events, networks, and online resources.

Name

Municipal Environmental Action UAN

Legal name

Kommunale Umwelt-AktioN UAN e. V.

Website

https://uan.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kommunale Umwelt-AktioN UAN e.V. is Germany's first and only municipal environmental association, founded in 1985 and operating under NSGB trusteeship. It provides advisory, software (DiWa5), networking, and publication services to Lower Saxony municipalities on wastewater, flood protection, and climate adaptation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Environmental Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Municipal environmental services
• Flood risk management
• Wastewater maintenance software
• Climate adaptation advisory
• Municipal sustainability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Municipalities, municipal associations, and municipal enterprises pay membership fees that create the financial foundation for project work.
2. Project Funding: Many services are financed through projects funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate Protection, making them free for municipalities.
3. Rathaus und Umwelt Publication: Environmental information service for municipalities, published bimonthly with an annual subscription price of 51.15 EUR including postage and VAT. Current circulation of 2,000 copies.
4. Economic Business Operations (Rathaus-Service): Some services and products are sold through the economic business operation 'Rathaus-Service'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kommunale Umwelt-AktioN UAN e.V. is a municipal environmental association that helps municipalities, municipal associations, and municipal enterprises in Lower Saxony solve local environmental and sustainability challenges. It provides advisory services, networking programs (Starkregen-Netzwerk, Hochwasserpartnerschaften), publications (Rathaus und Umwelt, Leitfaden Starkregenvorsorge), traveling exhibitions, and the DiWa5 maintenance software for small wastewater treatment plants, with most project-based services funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Environment.

Product overview

UAN offers a portfolio of environmental management services, software, and publications focused on municipal-level environmental and sustainability challenges in Germany. Its primary software product is DiWa5 (Digitales Wartungsprotokoll), a maintenance log management tool for small wastewater treatment plants. Complementing this are advisory and networking services including the Starkregen-Netzwerk Niedersachsen (heavy rain network), the mobile flood protection information service, and traveling exhibitions such as "KlimaEinFluss." UAN also publishes the bimonthly environmental bulletin "Rathaus und Umwelt" and the "Leitfaden Kommunale Starkregenvorsorge" practical guide for municipalities. The Hochwasserpartnerschaften (flood partnerships) program facilitates regional cross-municipal cooperation on flood risk management. All services are oriented toward German municipalities, with most project-based offerings provided at no cost to member municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DiWa5 (Digitales Wartungsprotokoll): A modern software for persons involved in the operation and monitoring of small sewage treatment plants.
• Rathaus und Umwelt
• Starkregen-Netzwerk Niedersachsen

Products and services

• DiWa5 Digitales Wartungsprotokoll

Named customers3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie und KlimaschutzcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023State ministry providing funding for UAN's projects including 'Kommunale Starkregenvorsorge in Niedersachsen' (Project period: 01.04.2023 - 31.03.2025). Many services are financed through project funding, making them free for municipalities.
• Niedersächsischer Städte- und Gemeindebund (NSGB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985NSGB is the parent organization and sponsor of UAN. The association is in the trusteeship of the NSGB, providing institutional backing and direct access to member municipalities across Lower Saxony. This is a foundational partnership that enables UAN's operations.
• NBank (Niedersachsen Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBank administers the funding guidelines for 'Kommunale Starkregenvorsorgekonzepte' (municipal heavy rain preparedness concepts). UAN advises municipalities on the application process and guidelines for these state-funded programs.
• NLWKN (Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNLWKN's Hochwasserkompetenzzentrum (Flood Competence Center) supports and accompanies all flood partnerships (Hochwasserpartnerschaften) that UAN coordinates. Provides technical expertise in flood management and heavy rain preparedness.
• VGH VersicherungenmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Zukunftsprojekt Gemeinde 5.0' project alongside NSGB and UAN, supporting the mobile information offering on flood protection for the population of Lower Saxony.
• HochwasserKompetenzCentrum (HKC) e.V.moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHKC provides the mobile flood information vehicle (Infomobil) that appears at various exhibition stations, offering expert consultation on flood protection measures.
• LeineverbandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates implementation and construction of flood protection projects from the flood protection concept in the individual partner municipalities of the Oberweser flood partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Städtetag: Federal association of larger German cities. Sits at the same intersection of municipal and association governance as UAN's parent NSGB, but covers all policy domains for cities rather than specializing in environmental and sustainability services.
• BDEW (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft e.V.): Federal association for the German energy and water industries, with significant municipal utility membership. Comparable on water-sector representation and member services, but national scope and broader energy mandate differentiate it from UAN's municipal environmental focus.
• VKU (Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e.V.): German association of municipal utilities and enterprises. Comparable to UAN in serving municipal organizations on environmental and infrastructure services, but operates at the national level for municipal companies rather than concentrating on individual municipalities in Lower Saxony.
• DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e.V.): Germany's primary technical-scientific association for water management, wastewater, and waste. Directly comparable to UAN in the wastewater and water management domain, but operates nationally and across multiple wastewater stakeholders rather than focusing exclusively on municipal-level support in a single state.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V.): One of Germany's largest environmental and nature conservation NGOs. Comparable as a non-profit environmental organization with member-supported structure and project-based funding, but national/regional focus includes conservation advocacy beyond UAN's narrow municipal environmental support remit.
• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V.): Major German environmental NGO with regional state-level presence. Comparable to UAN as a non-profit environmental advocacy/service organization with state branches, but pursues broader environmental policy goals rather than services tailored specifically to municipal government clients.

Regional players

• Niedersächsischer Landkreistag (NLT): Association of Lower Saxony counties. Peer to UAN's parent NSGB at the regional municipal-association level, with overlapping members and similar convening role in Lower Saxony, though focused on county-level issues rather than municipal environmental services.
• NLWKN (Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz): Lower Saxony's state operator for water management, coastal and nature protection. Works alongside UAN on flood partnerships and heavy rain programs, providing technical expertise. While a state agency rather than a non-profit, it is materially comparable in the regional water/climate-adaptation mission that UAN serves.

Direct peers

• RENN.nord (Regionale Netzstellen Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien Nord): Regional sustainability network active in northern Germany and listed as a UAN project partner. Directly comparable as a regional sustainability network organization delivering programs to municipalities and citizens on sustainability and climate topics — an explicit collaborator with UAN.
• HKC (HochwasserKompetenzCentrum e.V.): Flood competence center partnering with UAN on the mobile flood information service. Directly comparable in the heavy rain and flood preparedness domain targeting municipalities and citizens in Lower Saxony — overlapping programmatic remit on Starkregenvorsorge.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Municipal Environmental Action UAN