What Colmar Agglomération does

Colmar Agglomération is a French public territorial cooperation establishment (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale, or EPCI) created in 2001 and headquartered at 32 cours Sainte-Anne in Colmar, France. The organization coordinates statutory public services across more than 20 member municipalities in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace, serving a population that grew from 94,000 to 116,000 residents between 2011 and 2018. Its operational portfolio includes household waste collection and recycling (five dedicated recycling centers plus a separate biodéchets collection program initiated in 2011), drinking water distribution, urban transport subsidies, public recreation facilities, environmental education, and economic development support for local businesses and entrepreneurs. The entity is led by President Eric Straumann and operates within a French public-law governance framework with no private shareholders.

The service portfolio is anchored by several operational assets and digital platforms. The Base nautique Colmar-Houssen aquatic complex features a 380-meter sand beach, a 1,000 m² aquaparc, and serves approximately 2,000 visitors daily during its May–September season, with online ticketing via loisirs-nautiques-colmar.elisath.fr. La Pep's is a 1,222 m² business incubator at 2 rue de Prague, offering offices from €200/month, workshops from €600/month, coworking at €10/day, and meeting rooms at €160/day, operated under a public service concession awarded to BGE Alsace-Lorraine effective July 2022. Digital infrastructure includes the Géo Colmar Agglo interactive cartographic platform providing public access to cadastre, urban planning documents, bus networks, and open data downloads under an Open Licence, plus the loisirs-nautiques-colmar.elisath.fr ticketing platform and an interoperable TRACE transport ticketing system deployed in 2021.

As a public EPCI, Colmar Agglomération is funded through the taxe d'enlèvement des ordures ménagères (household waste collection tax, with the rate reduced from 7.93% to 7.30%), contributions from its 20 member municipalities, and government and EU subsidies for specific capital programs. Notable co-financing includes €1,080,000 from the European Union's FEDER fund (60% of a €1,800,000 interoperable ticketing system for the TRACE public transport network) and combined contributions of €1,250,000 from the Department of Haut-Rhin, Région Grand Est, and the French State toward the €2,500,000 construction of La Pep's incubator. Recurring operational revenue includes transaction fees from recreational facilities, automobile impound fees, recycling services, and rental income from the business incubator. Service delivery is conducted through direct operation, delegated concessions, and partnerships with CCI Alsace Eurométropole (commerce support), BGE Alsace-Lorraine (incubation), eco-organisms including REFASHION (textile collection) and Agrivalor/Schroll (organic waste methanization and sorting), Colmarienne des Eaux (water distribution), and BlaBlaCar Daily (carpooling).

Name

Colmar Agglomération

Legal name

Colmar Agglomération

Website

https://agglo-colmar.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colmar Agglomération is a French public intermunicipal cooperation establishment (EPCI) coordinating waste management, water distribution, transport, recreation, and economic development services for 20+ municipalities and 116,000+ residents in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colmar

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Local Taxes and Public Funding: As a French établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI), Colmar Agglomération is primarily funded through local taxes including the taxe d'enlèvement des ordures ménagères (household waste collection tax), contributions from member municipalities, and government subsidies for specific programs.
2. Waste Management Service Fees: Residents contribute through household waste taxes. Controlled access to recycling centers requires a 'Pass'déchets' badge. Professional access is prohibited.
3. Recreational Facilities Entry Fees: Revenue generated from paid entry to municipal recreational facilities including the Base Nautique Colmar-Houssen. Standard and preferential (resident) pricing applies. Aqua park access billed per person per hour.
4. Automobile Impound Fees: Fees for vehicle immobilization, prior operations, towing, daily storage, and expert appraisal services at the automobile pound, charged according to vehicle category.
5. Incubator Rental Income: La Pep's business incubator generates rental income from office (from €200 HT/month) and workshop (from €600 HT/month) leases. Coworking spaces are available at €10 HT/day and meeting rooms at €160 HT/day. Revenue supplemented by an annual Colmar Agglomération contribution of approximately €100,000.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Colmar Agglomération is a French public intermunicipal cooperation establishment (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) that delivers collective public services to 20+ member municipalities in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace, serving approximately 116,000 residents. Its portfolio includes household waste collection and recycling (with separate bio-waste collection since 2018), drinking water distribution (zero-chlorine since March 2025), public transport subsidies including BlaBlaCar Daily carpooling, municipal recreation (Base Nautique Colmar-Houssen aquatic complex), economic development through La Pep's business incubator and the Colmar Agglo entreprend competition, commerce support programs in partnership with CCI Alsace Eurométropole, and community events such as L'été de l'agglo and the Beach Party.

Product overview

Colmar Agglomération is a public intermunicipal cooperation establishment (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale) providing collective services to its member communes in Alsace. The organization operates a diverse portfolio of public services including leisure facilities (Base nautique Colmar-Houssen aquatic complex), economic development (La Pep's business incubator, Colmar Agglo entreprend competition, commerce support programs), environmental services (waste collection/recycling, bio-waste program, composting), water management (zero-chlorine drinking water since 2025), transportation (BlaBlaCar Daily carpooling subsidies), public cartography (GEO Colmar Agglo platform), and community events (Beach Party, L'été de l'agglo summer program). Services are delivered through direct operation, delegated service contracts, and public-private partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Pep's: Business incubator and co-working space located at 2 rue de Prague, Colmar
• Base nautique Colmar-Houssen
• L'été de l'agglo
• Beach Party
• Colmar Agglo entreprend
• Colmar Agglo entreprend

Products and services

• Base nautique Colmar-Houssen (Colmar Plage) Outdoor aquatic recreation complex featuring a 380m sand beach with supervised swimming, 1,000m² aquaparc with diving boards, trampolines, climbing walls and water slides, paddle and pedalo rentals, and a 100m swimming lane. Targeted at residents and visitors of Colmar Agglomération with reduced resident pricing.
• La Pep's - Pépinière d'entreprises (Business Incubator) Business incubator and co-working space operated in partnership with BGE Alsace-Lorraine. 1,222m² facility with 4 workshops, 10 offices (~15m² each), 2 meeting rooms (67m²), and 84m² co-working space (40 seats). Provides office rental from 200€ HT/month, workshop rental from 600€ HT/month, and entrepreneurship support for startups under 3 years old for up to 4 years.
• Colmar Agglo entreprend Annual entrepreneurship competition rewarding the best business creation and takeover projects in the Colmar agglomeration. Offers prize money of 2,500€ for the Ambition territoriale category and 1,000€ for the Public Choice award.
• Commerce Support Program (Dynamiser votre commerce) Economic development initiative in partnership with CCI Alsace Eurométropole providing shop staging diagnostics, ecological maturity assessments, urban planning assistance, digital skills workshops (CapCut, storytelling, smartphone filming, Canva, TikTok, Instagram, ChatGPT), and support for obtaining the 'Commerçant d'Alsace' label.
• Waste collection and recycling services Comprehensive household waste management including selective collection of bio-waste (4,897 tonnes collected in 2018 representing 42kg per capita), yellow container sorting for packaging/paper, green container sorting for glass, three main recycling centers and two green waste centers, and specialized programs for textiles, composters, reusable diapers, and rainwater collectors.
• Zero-chlorine drinking water (Zéro chlore) Drinking water distribution without chlorine treatment implemented for communes connected to UDI Colmar et environs (Colmar, Horbourg-Wihr, Houssen, Ingersheim, Turckheim, Wintzenheim, Wettolsheim, Niedermorschwihr). Water sourced from Rhine phreatic aquifer via 100m-deep boreholes. Requires enhanced sanitary surveillance, new personnel (180,000€ annual budget), and 500,000€ in equipment investment.
• BlaBlaCar Daily carpooling support Carpooling financial incentive program subsidizing daily commute and occasional trip sharing via BlaBlaCar Daily app. Drivers receive approximately 2-3€ per passenger per trip; passengers pay only 0.50€ per trip thanks to the agglomeration subsidy.
• GEO Colmar Agglo - Interactive cartographic service Interactive mapping platform providing access to cadastre, urban planning documents, aerial photography, bus networks, and geographic data. Offers open data downloads under Open Licence, includes solar cadastre for Haut-Rhin and aerial thermography results for territorial planning.
• Zero waste workshops and ecological gardening program Environmental education program offering free workshops on topics including anti-food waste cooking, homemade cleaning products, natural hygiene/cosmetics, plant macerates, reusable menstrual products, wood object making, and Furoshiki wrapping. Complementary ecological gardening sessions cover mulching, seed reproduction, green fertilizers, and pruning techniques.
• Beach Party Annual beach party event held at the Base nautique Colmar-Houssen featuring local DJ performances selected via project call-for-proposals. Free admission with prior ticket reservation.
• L'été de l'agglo (Summer program) Annual summer events program spanning all member communes featuring apéros guinguette, concerts, outdoor cinema, and community festivals co-organized with local associations and subsidized by Colmar Agglomération.
• Automobile pound services (Fourrière automobile) Vehicle immobilization, prior operations, towing, daily storage, and expert appraisal services at the automobile pound, charged according to vehicle category.
• Animal pound services (Fourrière animale) Animal shelter services managed by the Société Protectrice des Animaux (SPA) de Colmar et environs under convention with Colmar Agglomération at 47 chemin de la Fecht, 68000 Colmar.
• Reusable cloth diaper financial aid Financial subsidy program reimbursing 50% of purchase price (TTC), capped at 100€ per household, conditional on attending an informational workshop or trial kit session.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CCI Alsace Eurométropole (Chambre du Commerce et de l'Industrie Alsace-Eurométropole)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Colmar Agglomération and CCI Alsace Eurométropole signed a new partnership convention (2025-2026) to continue their joint action program in favor of local traders. The partnership provides shop staging diagnostics, ecological maturity assessments, urban planning support for traders, collective workshops on digital skills (CapCut, storytelling, filming), and support for obtaining the 'Commerçant d'Alsace' label. Contact at CCI: Fabienne Raoux ([email protected] / 07 64 33 18 76). Contact at Colmar Agglomération: Thomas Staehle ([email protected] / 03 69 99 55 36).
• BGE Alsace-LorrainecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 April 2022Colmar Agglomération operates La Pep's business incubator (2 rue de Prague, Colmar) through a public service concession awarded to BGE Alsace-Lorraine by deliberation of April 7, 2022, effective July 1, 2022. BGE manages site operations, business support, coworking, room rentals, staff, promotion, and reporting. Colmar Agglomération contributes approximately €100,000 per year. BGE is part of the national BGE network: 42 associations, 1,164 staff, 530 reception points, 25,000 jobs generated annually, 400,000 companies created in 40 years.
• REFASHIONminorOthersColmar Agglomération partners with REFASHION, the approved eco-organism responsible for collecting and recycling Textiles, Household Linens, and Shoes (TLC). REFASHION facilitates deployment of TLC collection across the territory through dedicated containers and awareness campaigns.
• Pep's Co - Réseau de partenairesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPep's Co is the partner network associated with La Pep's business incubator, bringing together entrepreneurship support operators including ADIE, France Active Alsace, Initiative Alsace centrale/Sud Alsace, Sélestat, Réseau Entreprendre, and the Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants (section colmarienne). The network facilitates follow-up meetings, local networking events, and post-creation support.
• Agrivalor (Usine de méthanisation and Plateforme de compostage centr'Alsace compost)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColmar Agglomération organizes visits to Agrivalor's biogas (méthanisation) plant and centr'Alsace compost platform as part of its waste education program. Biodéchets collected from residents are processed through methanization, producing electricity and heat, while green waste from déchetteries is composted. The digestate is spread on agricultural land.
• Schroll (Centre de tri)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColmar Agglomération organizes visits to the Schroll sorting center where packaging and paper/cardboard collected from yellow bins are sorted and sent for recycling.
• Le Relais EST (Centre de tri TLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColmar Agglomération organizes visits to Le Relais EST's textile, household linen, and shoes sorting center, which processes collected TLC items for reuse and recycling.
• BlaBlaCar DailyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColmar Agglomération has financially supported the deployment of the BlaBlaCar Daily carpooling application on its territory since January 1, 2024. The agglomeration subsidizes drivers (average €2 per trip per passenger) and limits passenger cost to €0.50 per trip. This is the 7th Alsatian carpooling deployment. Supported by the State through the 'Fonds Vert' (France Nation Verte).
• Société Pictural (Jean-Marc Hédoin)minorOthersThe majority of photographs on the Colmar Agglomération website are the exclusive property of Société Pictural, Colmar, represented by Jean-Marc Hédoin. Reproduction requires prior written authorization.
• SPA de Colmar et Environs (Société Protectrice des Animaux)coreOthersColmar Agglomération has entrusted the management of its animal pound (fourrière animale) to the SPA de Colmar et Environs by convention, in application of Article L211-24 of the Rural Code.
• Colmarienne des EauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColmarienne des Eaux is the water network operator partnering with Colmar Agglomération on the zero-chlorine drinking water initiative launched in March 2025. They jointly implemented the Plan de Gestion de la Sécurité Sanitaire des Eaux (PGSSE), with an additional annual budget of €180,000 for new staff, and €500,000 planned for bacteriological analysis equipment. The entity also provides logistical support for the rainwater harvesting program.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2A): Largest Alsatian agglomeration outside Strasbourg; operates the same EPCI mandate of waste, water, transport, economic development, and recreation across multiple communes in Haut-Rhin. Closely comparable in size, statutory scope, and Alsatian context.
• Saint-Louis Agglomération: Alsatian agglomeration in Haut-Rhin providing identical inter-municipal public services (waste, transport, economic development). Comparable in territory scale and statutory role.
• Communauté d'agglomération de Haguenau: Alsace-Bas-Rhin agglomeration delivering the same suite of EPCI services including waste management, public transport, business support, and recreational facilities. Direct comparable peer in the same Grand Est region.

Regional players

• Eurométropole de Strasbourg: Larger Alsatian EPCI with overlapping mandate (waste, water, transport, economic development) but significantly greater population and budget. Useful as a scaled-up reference point within the same regulatory and regional ecosystem.
• Troyes Champagne Métropole: Grand Est agglomeration operating EPCI services including waste, transport, economic development, and water. Operates within the same French administrative framework and serves a similar population tier.
• Grand Annecy: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes agglomeration providing water, waste, transport, economic development, and recreational facility services. Comparable mid-sized French agglomeration with similar multi-municipal scope.
• Annonay Rhône Agglo: Ardèche/Rhône agglomeration operating waste collection, economic development, and recreational facility services. Operates under the same French EPCI legal framework with comparable scale.
• Valence Romans Agglo: Drôme agglomeration delivering the same multi-municipal public service mandate including waste, water, transport, business support, and recreation. Comparable scale and operational profile.
• Annemasse Agglo: Haute-Savoie agglomeration operating waste, water, transport, and economic development services. Comparable size and statutory EPCI mandate in a different French region.
• Pays de Montbéliard Agglomération: Franche-Comté agglomeration of comparable population tier delivering waste, transport, recreation, and economic development services. Comparable in scale and inter-municipal cooperation model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colmar-agglom%C3%A9ration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Colmar Agglomération