The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment

What The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment does

The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA) is a UK-registered charity (Number 1180875) and learned society established in December 2009 to serve professionals working in land contamination risk assessment. It operates as a membership-based, community-led organisation drawing members from the private sector (consultants), public sector (regulators, local authorities), voluntary sector, and academia. Its stated objectives are to improve technical knowledge in risk-based decision-making related to land contamination applications and to enhance the professional status and profile of practitioners in the field.

SoBRA's core offerings include a two-tier accreditation scheme (RSoBRA for Registered Risk Assessors and ASoBRA for Fully Accredited Members) launched in July 2016, covering four practice areas: Human Health, Controlled Waters, Permanent Gases, and Vapour Intrusion. The society runs annual December conferences jointly with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Toxicology Group, summer workshops on specialised topics such as Advanced DQRA and CSM in Practice, and a growing programme of free Early Careers Webinars. Members access an exclusive library of conference presentations, technical reports (including the award-winning Controlled Waters and Climate Change guidance, v2 released February 2026), and Scrutineer-led peer review services. Over 100 risk assessors are listed on the public register.

Revenue is generated from three streams: annual membership subscriptions (£10-£50 per member depending on category), accreditation application fees (£200 per application) and renewals (£35-£50 per year), and event ticket sales (£25-£250 per delegate depending on event type and member status). As a not-for-profit, any surplus funds bursaries, scholarships, and research grants. The society has 1-10 employees, operates primarily from Edinburgh with events held across UK venues including London and Birmingham, and is governed by an elected Executive Committee currently chaired by Kate Baker.

Name

The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment

Legal name

The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment

Website

https://sobra.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA) is a UK-registered charity and learned society that supports land contamination risk assessment professionals through a two-tier accreditation scheme, annual conferences with the RSC, summer workshops, early-career webinars, and technical publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership and Accreditation Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAHAIAH

EMS Training & Competency Development

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Management Systems (EMS) & ISO 14001 Consulting

Keywords

• Land contamination assessment
• Brownfield risk assessment
• Professional accreditation services
• Contaminated land training
• Learned society membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to resources, events, and professional development. Standard membership at £25/year, concessionary rates at £10/year for not-for-profit sector and students, and accredited member renewal at £50/year.
2. Accreditation Application and Renewal Fees: Application fee of £200 to cover administration and review costs, including first year of accredited membership. Annual renewal fees of £50 for standard accredited members or £35 for not-for-profit organization employees.
3. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from conference and workshop tickets. Early careers workshops at £25 per delegate, advanced workshops at £185 for members and £250 for non-members, December conferences at £110 for members and £140 for non-members (in-person) with discounts for students and regulators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SoBRA operates as a learned society providing annual memberships, a two-tier professional accreditation scheme (RSoBRA Registered Risk Assessor and ASoBRA Fully Accredited Member) for land contamination risk assessment, plus ticketed educational events (annual December conferences jointly with RSC, summer workshops) and free early-careers webinars. The society also produces sub-group-authored technical guidance reports and maintains a members-only archive of conference and workshop presentation materials.

Product overview

SoBRA (Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment) is a learned society and registered charity (Number 1180875) offering membership-based services to land contamination risk assessment professionals. The core offerings include a two-tier accreditation scheme (RSoBRA and ASoBRA), educational events (annual conferences, summer workshops, early careers webinars), and access to technical publications. The accreditation scheme, launched July 2016, recognizes competency in risk assessment across four practice areas: Human Health, Controlled Waters, Permanent Gases, and Vapour Intrusion. Members receive access to reports, presentation materials, and priority booking for events. The society was established in December 2009 and holds annual December conferences jointly with the RSC Toxicology Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SoBRA Membership Annual membership providing professionals in land contamination risk assessment with access to exclusive resources, reports, presentations, webinar recordings, and member pricing on events. Standard membership at £25/year, with concessionary rate at £10/year for not-for-profit employees and students.
• SoBRA Accreditation Scheme (RSoBRA/ASoBRA) Two-tier professional accreditation scheme for land contamination risk assessors: RSoBRA (Registered Risk Assessor) for routine assessments without supervision and ASoBRA (Fully Accredited Member) for senior practitioners with thorough GQRA and DQRA command. Covers four practice areas: Human Health, Controlled Waters, Permanent Gases, and Vapour Intrusion. £200 application fee plus annual renewal (£50 standard, £35 not-for-profit).
• SoBRA Annual Conferences Annual December conferences jointly hosted with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Toxicology Group covering current issues in contaminated land risk assessment. In-person and online ticket options with member vs non-member pricing and discounts for students, retired professionals, not-for-profit employees, and regulators.
• SoBRA Summer Workshops Interactive annual workshop events held each July focusing on specific contaminated land topics such as Advanced DQRA and CSM in Practice, with morning presentations and afternoon breakout discussion groups. Includes early-careers workshops at reduced pricing.
• Early Careers Webinars Free lunch-time webinar series specifically designed for early-career brownfield risk assessment professionals, covering topics including CLEA, ground gas, controlled waters, human health risk assessment, statistical good practice, and accreditation guidance. Webinars are archived and freely accessible.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accreditation scheme launched July 2016 with over 100 registered/accredited risk assessors on the public register

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025SoBRA holds annual December conferences jointly with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Toxicology Group. These joint conferences focus on 'Current Issues in Contaminated Land Risk Assessment' and combine expertise from both organisations to address technical topics in the field.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM): Larger chartered UK body covering water and environmental management professionals; broader remit than SoBRA but overlapping membership in environmental risk and contaminated land practitioners.
• Environmental Industries Commission (EIC): UK trade association representing environmental goods and services suppliers, including contaminated land consultancies; comparable as a sector-facing membership body but oriented to industry lobbying rather than technical accreditation.
• Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES): UK professional body for environmental scientists; offers Chartered Environmentalist registration and serves an overlapping but broader audience than SoBRA's risk assessment focus.

Regional players

• International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH): Global professional association for hydrogeologists with significant UK membership; overlaps with SoBRA on groundwater and controlled waters risk assessment but operates internationally rather than UK-only.

Direct peers

• The Land Forum: UK cross-sector collaborative body on land contamination issues, referenced in SoBRA's accreditation documentation as the operator of the National Quality Mark Scheme — a closely linked peer in brownfield governance and standards.
• SiLC (Specialists in Land Condition): UK register for specialist land condition professionals; explicitly cited in SoBRA data as a complementary accreditation scheme whose registrants often pursue RSoBRA/ASoBRA status.
• Society for the Environment (SocEnv): Registers Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv) and Registered Environmental Technicians (REnvTech) in the UK; comparable as a UK environmental professional body offering credentials to overlapping practitioner groups.
• CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments): UK not-for-profit focused on contaminated land management and remediation, providing technical guidance, training, and research dissemination to a similar practitioner audience — directly comparable to SoBRA's role in brownfield risk assessment.

Others

• British Geological Survey (BGS): UK government geoscience organisation that produces data and research underpinning contaminated land assessment; an enabling/knowledge partner rather than a competing professional body, but adjacent to SoBRA's technical community.
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Toxicology Group: SoBRA's joint conference partner; broader scientific society whose Toxicology Group contributes to contaminated land risk assessment events — related but not a direct competitor, as it spans chemistry rather than land condition specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sobrauk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment