Altola
Altola AG is a Swiss hazardous waste management company founded in 1969, operating three processing sites with own treatment infrastructure to collect, recover, and dispose of special waste for industry, municipalities, and trade across Switzerland. It is the country's largest substitute fuel producer for the cement industry.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersOlten, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Altola does
Altola AG is a Swiss hazardous waste management company founded in 1969 and headquartered in Olten, Switzerland, specializing in the collection, recovery, and disposal of special waste (Sonderabfälle). The company operates three processing sites — Olten, Pieterlen (Perles), and Zuchwil — supported by an in-house laboratory (ICP spectrometry, XRF, Karl Fischer titration, PCB analysis), 400 m³ of solvent storage capacity, drum suction stations processing 300-500 drums/day, four-level vertical fluidized bed dryers, cryocondensation air treatment units, and a railway transfer terminal linked to SBB Cargo. Altola runs a fleet of 55 specialized vehicles for dangerous goods transport and serves chemical, automotive, mineral oil, manufacturing, municipal, and trade/garage customers across Switzerland, offering tailored enterprise solutions as well as municipal household hazardous waste collection partnerships.
The company is Switzerland's largest substitute fuel producer by volume, converting liquid solvents and waste oils (and, at Zuchwil, used wood) into secondary fuels for the cement industry — a symbiosis anchored by a 1986 partnership with parent affiliate Ciments Vigier SA. Altola has held ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications since 1996, 1996, and 2018 respectively, and operates as a certified SENS and SWICO e-waste recycler. Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based professional services for waste collection and treatment, transaction-based fees for substitute fuels, LSVA pass-through weight-based pricing, training courses (CHF 300-720 per person), and a 24/7 webshop (altolashop.ch) for pickup and container orders.
Altola has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vigier Holding AG since 1999, and Vigier itself is part of the French Vicat Group (since 2001). The Vigier group employs approximately 750 people across its cement, concrete, rail, and waste management business units, with Altola contributing roughly 95 employees. Distribution is sales-led via regional customer advisors, complemented by the webshop, emergency response hotline, and partnerships with Brings! (municipal collection), SENS/SWICO (e-waste), SBB Cargo (rail logistics), and a network of regional transport partners.
Altola firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Altola
- Legal name
- Altola AG
- Website
- https://altola.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Altola AG is a Swiss hazardous waste management company founded in 1969, operating three processing sites with own treatment infrastructure to collect, recover, and dispose of special waste for industry, municipalities, and trade across Switzerland. It is the country's largest substitute fuel producer for the cement industry.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Altola industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hazardous Waste Management
- NAICS
- Administrative and Support Services (561)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Sludge & Byproduct Management (BPALAHAG)
Keywords
Where Altola is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Olten
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Altola business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Waste Collection and Treatment Services: Core revenue from collecting, recycling, and disposing of special/hazardous waste materials. Services include disposal and recovery, electrical and electronic waste handling, logistics with 55 vehicles, customer-specific solutions, municipal collections, evacuations, analytics/laboratory services, container service, courses/training, and substitute fuels production. Pricing includes LSVA (heavy vehicle fee) passed through to customers based on weight.
- Substitute Fuels Production: Altola is the largest substitute fuel producer in Switzerland. Converts hazardous waste into secondary fuels (liquid and solid) for cement industry, providing both environmental and economic value recovery
- Laboratory/Analytical Services: In-house laboratory analyzes waste composition using ICP spectrometry, halogen moisture measurement, flash point testing, XRF spectrometry, calorimetry, pH measurement, Karl Fischer titration, photometry, organochlorine testing, PCB analysis, and potentiometric titration
- Training Courses: Professional development courses on hazardous waste sorting and chemical triage for collection point operators. Basic course: CHF 720/person, Advanced course: CHF 300/person
- Webshop (altolashop.ch): Online platform for 24/7 pickup order entry and empty container ordering, generating transaction-based revenue
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Heavy vehicle fee (LSVA) passed through based on shipment weight |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Basic Hazardous Waste Sorting Course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Advanced Hazardous Waste Sorting Course |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Altola product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Altola AG specializes in the collection, recycling, and disposal of special/hazardous waste materials from industrial, trade, and municipal sources across Switzerland. The company operates three processing sites (Olten, Zuchwil, Pieterlen) with 55 specialized vehicles and produces CO2-neutral substitute fuels for the cement industry. Integrated services span disposal and recovery, electrical/electronic waste recycling, hazardous-goods logistics, laboratory analytics, container service, emergency response, and professional training courses.
Product overview
Altola is a hazardous waste management company operating as a single unified service offering with multiple integrated operational divisions rather than a modular software platform. The core offering consists of collection, recycling, and disposal of hazardous waste (Sonderabfälle), supported by specialized logistics, laboratory analytics, container services, emergency response, and training courses. Key products include Entsorgung und Verwertung (disposal and recovery), Elektro- und Elektronikschrott (e-waste recycling), Logistik (hazardous goods transport), Analytik (in-house laboratory), Gebindeservice (container service), Kurse (training), and Ersatzbrennstoffe (alternative fuels). The company operates three processing sites (Olten, Zuchwil, Pieterlen) and provides a customer web shop (altolashop.ch) for online ordering. Altola is a subsidiary of Vigier Holding AG, which belongs to the French Vicat Group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Entsorgung und Verwertung (Disposal and Recovery) Safe, sustainable, and legally compliant recovery and disposal of hazardous/special waste materials. Waste is processed into secondary raw materials in Altola's own facilities where possible and sensible.
- Elektro- und Elektronikschrott (Electrical and Electronic Waste Recycling) Collection and recycling of electrical and electronic waste through certified SENS and SWICO partnerships. Services include sorting, dismantling, and proper disposal of hazardous components such as CFC, PCB, cadmium, and lead.
- Logistik (Hazardous Goods Logistics)
Quantifiable outcome
- Switzerland's largest substitute fuel producer by volume
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Altola
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Altola technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Altola partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Vigier (Vicat Group)coreSince 1986, Altola has supplied secondary raw materials and substitute fuels to Vigier cement operations. Vigier is the parent company (100% ownership since 1999) and part of French Vicat Group. Altola is one of five business units within Vigier Holding AG.
- SBB CargocoreRailway logistics partner for transport of collected hazardous waste. Altola loads waste into rail wagons at various loading stations across Switzerland for delivery to their Olten terminal. Railway integration reduces truck transport and carbon footprint.
- SENS eRecyclingcoreCertified recycling partner for electrical and electronic waste. Processes lighting sources, appliances, consumer electronics, batteries. Handles dangerous components including CFC, PCB, cadmium and lead-containing elements.
- SWICOcoreOfficial recycling partner for ICT and electronic equipment under SWICO certification program. Certified recycler license obtained.
- Brings! (Swiss Waste Collection Chain)coreSwiss household hazardous waste collection chain partner. Altola cooperates with Brings for container-based waste collection services.
- SEG24 (SchnellEinsatzGruppe)minorOfficial emergency response organization for hazardous material incidents. SEG24 provides rapid response capability for battery and chemical accidents.
- Addario Transporte AGminorRegional transport partner for hazardous waste logistics
- AST Birrer GmbHminorRegional transport partner for hazardous waste logistics
- Co.Ge.Fra. TrasportiminorRegional transport partner for hazardous waste logistics
- Mohler Transporte-Entsorgung AGminorRegional transport partner for hazardous waste logistics
- Raia Transporte GmbHminorRegional transport partner for hazardous waste logistics
- ISS Kanal Services AGminorIndustrial cleaning and services partner
- INOBATminorOfficial lithium-ion battery emergency service organization. INOBAT provides emergency response for critical lithium-ion battery incidents.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves22 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Altola competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PreZero (Schwarz Group): European environmental services provider covering waste collection, recycling, and disposal across multiple countries including DACH. Comparable as a broad incumbent in environmental services with hazardous-waste capabilities; a potential competitor if it expands deeper into Switzerland.
- Remondis Schweiz AG: Swiss arm of the German Remondis Group, one of Europe's largest privately held waste and recycling companies. Operates hazardous waste, recycling, and service logistics in Switzerland; comparable as a broad-based waste-management incumbent competing for industrial and municipal hazardous-waste contracts.
- Veolia Umwelt Service Schweiz (Veolia Switzerland): Veolia's Swiss subsidiary provides integrated environmental services including hazardous and industrial waste collection and treatment across Switzerland. Comparable as a broad waste-management incumbent operating in the same geography with overlapping industrial and municipal customers, though it serves a wider portfolio beyond Altola's specialized focus.
Others
- SENS eRecycling: Foundation coordinating the Swiss eRecycling system under which Altola is a licensed recycler. Not a competitor but an enabling partner; comparable as a structural piece of the same Swiss e-waste compliance ecosystem Altola participates in.
Regional players
- Interseroh (ALBA Group): German recycling services provider within the ALBA Group, operating across DACH with significant e-waste, packaging, and raw-material recovery operations. Comparable as a regional DACH recycling and e-waste operator with overlapping SENS/SWICO-style compliance ecosystems, though it does not directly serve Switzerland at Altola's scale.
Emerging players
- Kompogas (BKW Gruppe): Swiss operator of anaerobic digestion plants converting biogenic waste into biogas and digestate. Comparable as a Swiss-based waste-to-energy specialist with industrial feedstock partnerships, though its technology (AD) and outputs (biogas) differ from Altola's thermal substitute-fuel model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Altola social profiles
Digital presenceAltola compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Altola financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Altola leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Altola funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Altola M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Altola
What does Altola do?
Altola AG specializes in the collection, recycling, and disposal of special/hazardous waste materials from industrial, trade, and municipal sources across Switzerland. The company operates three processing sites (Olten, Zuchwil, Pieterlen) with 55 specialized vehicles and produces CO2-neutral substitute fuels for the cement industry. Integrated services span disposal and recovery, electrical/electronic waste recycling, hazardous-goods logistics, laboratory analytics, container service, emergency response, and professional training courses.
Is Altola a public or private company?
Altola is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Altola founded?
Altola was founded in 1969. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Altola based?
Altola is headquartered in Olten, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Altola make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Waste Collection and Treatment Services are the primary driver. The others are substitute Fuels Production, laboratory/Analytical Services, training Courses and webshop (altolashop.ch).
Who are Altola's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PreZero (Schwarz Group), Remondis Schweiz AG and Veolia Umwelt Service Schweiz (Veolia Switzerland). SENS eRecycling is listed as an others. Interseroh (ALBA Group) is listed as a regional player. Kompogas (BKW Gruppe) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Altola have an API?
No public API is recorded for Altola.
What industry is Altola in?
Altola's product category is Hazardous Waste Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALAHAG, Industrial Sludge & Byproduct Management. Its NAICS code is 561 and its SIC code is 4950.