ABES Saneamento

What ABES Saneamento does

ABES — Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental (Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering) is a private, non-profit professional association founded in 1966 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It operates as the principal membership-based organization for engineers, technicians, students, companies, and government entities engaged in sanitary and environmental engineering in Brazil. ABES delivers value through three primary revenue streams: recurring annual membership dues (anuidades) across individual, corporate, and student categories; event revenue from flagship gatherings such as Brazil Water Week, the CBESA Congress, the PNQS national sanitation quality award, and various thematic seminars; and publication/education revenue via two peer-reviewed journals (Revista ESA, ISSN 2764-5576, and RBCIAMB) distributed through partnerships with SciELO, plus technical book sales through Livraria ABES.

The organization runs a national footprint of approximately 25 state sections (Seções Estaduais) across all major Brazilian states, supplemented by digital platforms including the ABES Knowledge Platform (Plataforma ABES de Conhecimento), the ABES Conecta YouTube webinar channel, Uniabes distance-learning programs, and the Jovens Profissionais do Saneamento (JPS) development program. Underlying technology is conventional digital content delivery — publishing platforms, video streaming, and a knowledge LMS — with no disclosed AI/ML capability. Strategic differentiation rests on the 59-year institutional brand, formal regulatory representation on bodies such as Conama, and a network of international partnerships (World Water Council, IWA, BID, SIWI, APESB, ANA) that anchor ABES as Brazil's reference interface for global water and sanitation governance.

Name

ABES Saneamento

Legal name

ABES - Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental

Website

https://abes-dn.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ABES is Brazil's 59-year-old non-profit professional association for sanitary and environmental engineering, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, serving individual professionals, companies, students, and government entities across 25 state sections through membership dues, flagship events (Brazil Water Week, CBESA, PNQS), and peer-reviewed publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAHAAAC

EIA/ESIA Documentation & Technical Studies (Air/Water/Noise/Traffic)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Environmental engineering membership
• Sanitation sector publications
• Water sector conferences
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues (Anuidades): ABES generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees collected from individual members (efetivo individual), collective members (empresas), and students. Fees vary by category (individual, corporate, student) and are collected annually with different rates for 2026 as documented on the association's membership value page.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from major sector events including the Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental (CBESA), Brazil Water Week, seminaries, and workshops. These events include registration fees, sponsorship, and exhibition space.
3. Publication Subscriptions and Bookstore: Revenue from journal subscriptions, technical book sales through Livraria ABES, and fee waivers for article submissions for members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ABES is a nonprofit professional membership association serving the Brazilian sanitary and environmental engineering sector. It sells annual memberships (individual, corporate, and student tiers), hosts major international events (Brazil Water Week, CBESA Congress), publishes two peer-reviewed technical journals (Revista ESA and RBCIAMB), runs professional development programs (PNQS quality award, JPS young professionals, Uniabes), and provides advocacy/representation in sector regulatory bodies. The association operates through 25 state sections across Brazil and generates revenue through membership dues, event registration/sponsorship, publication subscriptions, and bookstore sales.

Product overview

ABES (Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental) is a non-profit professional association, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of professional services including: events and conferences (Brazil Water Week, CBESA Congress, Loss Management Seminars), scientific publications (Revista ESA, RBCIAMB), awards programs (PNQS), research indices (Ranking da Universalização), and professional development programs (JPS, Uniabes). The organization operates primarily through membership, partnerships with government agencies and international organizations (World Water Council, BID), and state-level sections across Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jovens Profissionais do Saneamento (JPS): A continuous development program aimed at awakening skills and leadership among young professionals working in environmental sanitation.
• ABES Conecta
• Brazil Water Week
• Premio Nacional da Qualidade em Saneamento (PNQS)
• Revista ESA
• Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais (RBCIAMB)

Products and services

• ABES Individual Membership (Pessoa Física) Annual membership subscription for individual professionals in the sanitary and environmental engineering sector, including access to Revista ESA and RBCIAMB, thematic chamber participation, member portal, and congress discounts.
• ABES Corporate Membership (Pessoa Jurídica/Empresas) Annual corporate membership for water and sanitation companies, environmental service providers, and engineering firms, offering brand visibility, employee development, networking at events, and alignment with the PNQS quality program.
• Brazil Water Week (BWW) Annual international event on water and sanitation in Brazil, gathering specialists from various countries to discuss water, sanitation, and environmental sustainability themes.
• Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental (CBESA) Annual congress of sanitary and environmental engineering in Brazil, the most important event in Latin America for the sector, covering technologies, operation, management, and public policies related to sanitation.
• Revista ESA (Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental) Peer-reviewed technical journal (with ISSN 2764-5576) on sanitary and environmental engineering topics, available digitally to ABES members through the SciELO partnership.
• Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais (RBCIAMB) Peer-reviewed Brazilian Journal of Environmental Sciences, available in digital format to ABES members, covering environmental sciences and sanitation topics.
• Prêmio Nacional da Qualidade em Saneamento (PNQS) National Quality Award in Sanitation, described as the only award in the world recognizing management excellence in the sanitation sector, evaluating organizational performance and quality of sanitation companies.
• Seminário Nacional de Gestão de Perdas de Água e Eficiência Energética National seminar on water loss management and energy efficiency, the main technical space in Brazil for discussion of water loss reduction, efficiency, and sanitation regulatory issues.
• Ranking da Universalização do Saneamento Annual ranking index that evaluates and ranks Brazilian municipalities and states based on their progress toward universal access to sanitation services.
• Programa Jovem Profissional do Saneamento (JPS) Continuous development program aimed at awakening skills and leadership among young professionals working in environmental sanitation though training, networking, and development activities.
• Plataforma ABES de Conhecimento Digital knowledge platform offering educational content, courses, webinars, and technical materials for sanitation and environmental professionals and ABES members.
• Uniabes Distance learning and training program operated in partnership with educational institutions, offering courses and certifications for professional development in sanitation and environmental areas.
• Livraria ABES Online bookstore (Livraria ABES at www.livrariaabes.com.br) selling technical books and publications in the sanitation and environmental engineering field.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brazil Water Week is the most important international event on water and sanitation in Brazil, gathering specialists from multiple countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Water Council (WWC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with the World Water Council, a key international body focused on water issues. ABES displays the WWC logo on its partnerships page, indicating a formal collaborative relationship.
• Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento (BID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES maintains a cooperation agreement (convênio) with the Inter-American Development Bank for technical cooperation in water and sanitation regulation. The partnership includes workshops, research initiatives, and support for civil society organizations. A research study was conducted with BID on consumers, companies, and professionals in the sanitation sector.
• AIDISBANminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AIDISBAN (Asociación de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente), the Latin American association for sanitary engineering and environmental sciences.
• United Nations (UN) - ODS 2 (Sustainable Development Goal 2)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), displayed on ABES partnerships page.
• SIWI - Stockholm International Water InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), where ABES organizes the Brazilian national competition to select the representative for the international competition in Stockholm, Sweden.
• PNQS - Prêmio Nacional da Qualidade em SaneamentocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES co-organizes the PNQS award, described as the only award in the world recognizing management excellence in the sanitation sector, equivalent to 'The Oscar of Sanitation in Brazil'.
• APESB - Associação Portuguesa de Engenharia Sanitária e AmbientalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Portuguese Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering for the Silubesa (Luso-Brazilian Symposium of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering).
• APRH - Associação Portuguesa de Recursos HídricosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Portuguese Association of Water Resources for joint initiatives in water management and sanitation.
• Conama - Conselho Nacional do Meio AmbientecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES holds a seat on the National Council of the Environment through its civil society representation, particularly in the Technical Chamber of Environmental Quality and Waste Management. ABES returned to the chairmanship of this technical chamber.
• ANA - Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento BásicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brazil's National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency for regulation discussions and sector policy development. ABES participates in regulatory hearings and discussions on sanitation universalization.
• IWA - International Water AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the International Water Association for alignment of performance measurement guides (GRMD) with international standards. IWA is the world reference for water indicator work.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI): International water policy institute that partners with ABES on the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Brazil. Comparable in convening global water experts and policy advocacy, with broader international scope.
• American Water Works Association (AWWA): Largest US-based water-sector association, with parallel membership, journal (Journal AWWA), standards, and conference model. Operates in a different regulatory geography but structurally very comparable.
• Water Environment Federation (WEF): US-based nonprofit association for water quality professionals with similar membership, publications (Water Environment Research), and event model. Comparable scale and structure despite North American focus.
• International Water Association (IWA): Global reference network for water professionals, with formal ABES partnership on performance measurement (GRMD) alignment. Comparable in publishing, conferences, and standards development but operating at much larger international scale.
• World Water Council: International multi-stakeholder platform organizing the World Water Forum, formally partnered with ABES. Comparable policy-advocacy and event-driven mission but with a broader global remit.

Regional players

• Australian Water Association: Australia's leading water industry association with parallel membership, journal (Water e-Journal), and events model. Comparable nonprofit structure but operating exclusively in the Australian market.
• Canadian Water and Wastewater Association: Canada's national association for the water and wastewater sector, with similar membership, training, and policy advocacy model to ABES but serving a different geography.
• APESB - Associação Portuguesa de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental: Portuguese counterpart association for sanitary and environmental engineering, running the joint Silubesa symposium with ABES. Same membership-based, journal-publishing model serving the Iberian market.

Direct peers

• AIDISBAN: Asociación de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente branch organization, formally partnered with ABES for joint Latin American initiatives. Closest direct peer in regional sanitary engineering association space.
• AIDIS - Asociación Interamericana de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental: Pan-American sanitary and environmental engineering association, directly comparable to ABES in mission, journal publishing, and sector advocacy across Latin America. Already an ABES partner via AIDISBAN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abes_dn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ABESDN
• Facebookfacebook.com/abesdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abes-dn
• Instagraminstagram.com/abes_saneamento

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries21 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 ABES Saneamento