ABES-Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental

What ABES-Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental does

ABES (Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental) is a Brazilian non-profit professional association founded in 1966 and headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, operating as the largest sanitary and environmental engineering association in Latin America. It serves individual engineers, municipalities, sanitation utilities (including Copasa), regulators such as ANA, and exhibiting companies in the sanitation value chain. The association's core activities are technical events (most notably the biennial CBESA Congress and the FITABES trade fair), technical publications and bulletins, and policy advocacy on sanitation regulation and contracting. Its flagship 33rd CBESA Congress and FITABES 2025 in Brasília drew 100+ exhibitors and was associated with an R$36 million economic impact.

ABES monetizes primarily through individual and institutional membership dues, event sponsorship and exhibitor fees, registrations, and technical publications. Its go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-driven: it convenes members and partners through CBESA, FITABES, and the Plataforma Todos pelo Saneamento, and increasingly aligns its programming with national policy milestones such as the 2021 ANA partnership and the May 2025 launch of Espaço COP Saneamento in advance of COP30. Governance is exercised through an elected ABES Nacional board, with a new 2026-2028 term installed in 2025, and operational capacity is small at roughly 9 employees.

The association's strategic positioning combines intangible brand assets built over 59 years with a growing role in regulatory guidance (e.g., direction to municipalities on Copasa contracts) and a stated ambition to be a convening voice on sanitation and climate. There is no evidence of proprietary technology products, AI/ML systems, or venture-style funding; ABES is structurally a member-supported association, and its principal growth levers are event scale, policy influence, and the expansion of programs such as Espaço COP.

Name

ABES-Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental

Legal name

Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental - ABES

Website

https://abes-mg.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ABES is a Brazilian non-profit professional association founded in 1966, headquartered in Belo Horizonte, and the largest sanitary and environmental engineering association in Latin America, serving engineers, municipalities, sanitation utilities, and regulators through events, publications, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Engineering Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAKAI

WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYBPAGABAC

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYEUAHAIAK

Compliance Obligations Management (Permits-to-Controls Mapping)

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

Keywords

• Sanitary engineering association
• Environmental engineering services
• Professional industry events
• Technical training courses
• Water sanitation sector

Headquarters

HQ city

Belo Horizonte

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ABES generates revenue through annual membership fees from engineers and environmental professionals who join the association to access technical resources, networking opportunities, and professional development programs.
2. Event organizing: The association organizes the annual CBESA Congress and FITABES trade fair, generating revenue through attendee registration fees, exhibitor booth rentals, sponsorships, and related event services.
3. Technical publications and courses: ABES publishes technical bulletins (Boletim Afluentes), academic materials, and offers professional training courses on sanitary and environmental engineering topics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ABES is a non-profit professional association founded in 1966 that represents Brazil's sanitary and environmental engineering sector. The organization brings together engineers, sanitation companies, government agencies, and academic institutions to advance the field through industry congresses, technical fairs, training courses, thematic chambers, and the publication of technical content. Headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, it operates with a small core staff of 9 employees and serves as the principal collective voice for the Brazilian sanitation industry.

Product overview

ABES-MG is a professional association for sanitary and environmental engineering, not a product company. It does not offer a unified software platform, modules, or technology products. Its core activities are organizing sector events (such as the annual CBESA Congress and FITABES exhibition), publishing the Boletim Afluentes newsletter and academic materials, operating thematic chambers (CTGP and CTRS), providing training courses, and coordinating collaborative initiatives such as the Plataforma Todos pelo Saneamento and Espaço COP Saneamento for COP30. There are no named product brands, software offerings, or technology modules to enumerate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FITABES: Feira Internacional de Tecnologias de Saneamento Ambiental - largest sanitation technology fair in Latin America, held during the CBESA congress.
• Espaço COP Saneamento
• Plataforma Todos pelo Saneamento
• Boletim Afluentes

Products and services

• CBESA - Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental Brazilian Congress of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, a flagship industry congress that convenes professionals, companies, and government bodies to discuss advances, policy, and technology in the sanitation sector.
• FITABES - Feira de Inovação e Tecnologia em Saneamento Ambiental Trade fair of innovation and technology for environmental sanitation, organized to showcase products, services, and technological innovations from suppliers serving the Brazilian sanitation industry.
• Boletim Afluentes Periodic technical bulletin/newsletter distributed to members and the sanitation engineering community in Brazil, providing industry news, technical articles, and updates on association activities.
• Cursos de Capacitação (Training Courses) Technical training and continuing education courses delivered to sanitation engineering professionals, addressing current practices, regulation, and applied technology in water and environmental sanitation.
• Câmaras Temáticas (Thematic Chambers) Thematic working chambers that bring together member experts around specific sanitation and environmental engineering topics to develop studies, position papers, and sector recommendations.
• Sócio ABES (Membership) Professional membership program granting access to technical content, events, and the association's professional network for individual engineers, sanitation companies, and institutional partners in Brazil.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 33rd CBESA Congress gathered the entire sanitation sector around the theme 'Innovate to Universalize', demonstrating the association's capacity to convene industry stakeholders.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ANA (Agência Nacional de Águas)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2021ABES and ANA signed an agreement for information exchange about water resources. A Special Panel featuring both organizations was held, demonstrating ongoing collaboration between the association and the national water agency to advance sustainable water resource planning and management.
• SINDILURBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES-MG was invited by SINDILURB (Sindicato das Empresas de Limpeza Urbana de Minas Gerais) to participate in the technical programming of the 5th Mining Waste Fair, specifically integrating Panel 7 on 'Solid Urban Waste: Technological Challenges of Waste Reuse'. This demonstrates ABES's role as a technical partner in industry events.
• SarsanminorOthersSarsan appears as a partner/logo on the ABES-MG website partners section, indicating a collaborative relationship.
• SAMI MetricsminorOthersSAMI Metrics appears as a partner/logo on the ABES-MG website partners section, indicating a collaborative relationship.
• HidrobrminorOthersHidrobr appears as a partner/logo on the ABES-MG website partners section, indicating a collaborative relationship in the hydro/sanitation sector.
• CBHSF (Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio São Francisco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES-MG participated in a technical meeting promoted by CBHSF through Agência Peixe Vivo to discuss strategies for operation, management, and sustainability of collective sanitation systems financed by water usage charges in the São Francisco River basin. ABES-MG was represented by president Vitor Queiroz and directors Thiago Bressani Ribeiro and Leonardo Augusto dos Santos.
• COPAGRESScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABES participates in COPAGRESS (Comissão Permanente de Apoio ao Gerenciamento de Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde), with ABES representative Izabel de Andrade serving as President of the commission for the 2018-2020 term. The commission addresses health service waste management in Belo Horizonte.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Association (AWWA): US-based international nonprofit serving water utility professionals through standards, conferences (ACE), and publications. Closely mirrors ABES's membership-publication-conference model in a larger, more mature market.
• International Water Association (IWA): Global professional network for water professionals covering research, publishing, and events. Highly comparable in mission (knowledge dissemination, conferences, policy influence) though operating globally versus ABES's Latin America focus.
• Water Environment Federation (WEF): US-based technical and educational organization for water-quality professionals, running major conferences (WEFTEC) and publishing. Directly comparable event/conference and technical publication model to ABES's CBESA/FITABES and Boletim Afluentes.

Direct peers

• ABAS - Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas: Brazilian professional association focused on groundwater, with comparable membership, event, and publication activities. Direct peer in the Brazilian water-resources professional-association ecosystem.
• AIDIS - Asociación Interamericana de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental: Inter-American parent association for sanitary and environmental engineering. ABES originated from AIDIS Brazil sections in 1948 and continues to mirror AIDIS's mandate of regional water/sanitation professional convening.
• ABRH - Associação Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos: Brazilian association for water resources (ABRHidro). Comparable mission of advancing water-resource science and policy through congresses (SBRH) and publications, operating as a parallel national voice.

Emerging players

• Global Water Partnership (GWP): International network supporting integrated water resources management, with strong policy advocacy. Comparable in convening role and policy-shaping mandate, though operating at a global scale rather than national.
• ABRELPE - Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Limpeza Pública e Resíduos Especiais: Brazilian association of public cleaning and special waste companies. Comparable national-association structure focused on solid-waste management, which intersects directly with ABES's solid waste chamber (CTRS).

Others

• ANA - Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico: Brazil's national water and basic sanitation regulatory agency. Listed as a peer given its central role in ABES's sanitation policy ecosystem (formal partnership via Special Panel), though it is a regulator rather than a membership association.

Regional players

• Sindilurb - Sindicato das Empresas de Limpeza Urbana de Minas Gerais: Regional Minas Gerais union of urban cleaning companies collaborating with ABES-MG on solid-waste programming. Adjacent peer given shared regional scope and overlapping solid-waste thematic chambers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abesmg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCF2woINDSCN2k_4b-p-LKUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/abesmg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abes-mg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ABES-Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental