What Clean Technology Centre, MTU does

The Clean Technology Centre (CTC) is an environmental consultancy and research centre operating within Munster Technological University (MTU) in Cork, Ireland. Founded in 1992 by lecturers Dermot Cunningham and Noel Duffy from the then Cork Institute of Technology on a 'waste prevention' principle, CTC delivers resource efficiency solutions across energy, water, waste, and carbon footprint domains. It serves private-sector firms in manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, seafood, retail, construction, and pharmaceuticals; Irish government agencies (EPA, government departments, state agencies); all Irish local authorities; and community groups. CTC is neither a state agency nor a private consultancy, positioning itself as an independent national resource for sustainability expertise.

CTC's offering consists of four core service lines — Business Support (resource efficiency assessments and audits), Training (ISO accreditation, food waste prevention, online e-learning), Research (national and international projects), and Carbon Footprint Quantification (events, office, manufacturing, product life cycle) — alongside management of national programmes such as Green Business, Green Hospitality, Stop Food Waste, Green Healthcare, Local Authority Prevention Network, and Green Seafood. Its proprietary assets include the EPA TREE Tool (an online self-assessment platform producing resource-efficiency scores and action plans) and detailed on-site food waste characterisation methodologies. CTC has participated in over 120 research projects with more than 140 partners across 32-40 countries and has worked with over 400 Irish companies.

CTC operates as a non-profit academic centre. Revenue is generated through a mix of government research contracts (EPA, EU Commission, government departments), private-sector consultancy fees, training services, and managed national programmes. Many programme-based services are free to participants, funded by EPA and government agencies, while private-sector engagements are delivered at project-based rates. Distribution is primarily direct, via on-site consultancy teams and online training platforms. The centre is headquartered at the Melbourn Building on the MTU Bishopstown campus, with 11 staff (nine senior environmental/energy consultants plus administrative and design support).

Name

Clean Technology Centre, MTU

Legal name

Clean Technology Centre

Website

https://ctc-cork.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clean Technology Centre is an environmental consultancy and research centre within Munster Technological University in Cork, Ireland, providing resource efficiency, carbon footprint, and sustainability advisory services to businesses, government agencies, and local authorities across Ireland and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cork

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: Commissioned research projects from EPA, EU, and government departments. CTC has worked on 120 national and international research projects.
2. Business Consultancy Services: Fee-based environmental consultancy to private sector firms and public bodies for resource efficiency assessments, environmental management systems, and sustainability projects.
3. Training Services: Training programmes for businesses, local authorities, and communities on resource efficiency, ISO accreditation, and food waste prevention.
4. National Programme Management: Management of national environmental programmes funded by EPA and government agencies, including Green Business Programme, Green Hospitality Programme, Stop Food Waste Programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CTC provides environmental consultancy, sustainability research, and training services focused on resource efficiency in energy, water, waste, and carbon footprint reduction. It delivers four core service lines—business support, training, research, and carbon footprint quantification—alongside management of national programmes for the EPA (Green Business, Green Hospitality, Stop Food Waste, Green Healthcare, Green Seafood). CTC also developed the EPA TREE Tool, an online self-assessment platform for SMEs.

Product overview

The Clean Technology Centre (CTC) at Munster Technological University operates as an environmental consultancy and research organization rather than a software product company. Its service portfolio consists of four core service lines: Business Support (resource efficiency consultancy), Training (environmental education programs), Research (national and international environmental research), and Carbon Footprint Quantification. These core services are delivered alongside national programs including the Green Business Programme, Stop Food Waste Programme, Savour Food Programme, Green Hospitality Programme, and Green Healthcare Programme. CTC also developed the EPA TREE Tool, an online self-assessment resource efficiency tool for SMEs. All offerings are advisory and consultancy-based rather than software products with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Support Services Consultancy services providing resource efficiency assessments and support to private sector firms and public bodies across energy, water, and waste management.
• Training Services Environmental and sustainability training programmes for businesses, local authorities, and communities, including online training, ISO accreditation preparation, and food waste reduction training.
• Research Services Pure and applied research projects at national and international levels, project management, and research capabilities for public and private sector clients.
• Carbon Footprint Quantification

Quantifiable outcome

• €14 million in cost savings identified for 400 SMEs through Green Business Programme
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner commissioning research projects, managing national programmes (Green Business, Green Hospitality, Stop Food Waste, etc.), and funding CTC activities. EPA is the main public funder for environmental research and programmes.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by various Directorates of the European Commission for international research projects. Worked on EU Horizon 2020 projects (EnergyWater) and Interreg programmes.
• Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner since 2010 on Green Seafood Programme. BIM funds CTC to provide resource efficiency support to Irish seafood processors. Also partnered on Food Heroes Interreg project and marine litter studies.
• Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Reuse Quality Mark Pilot Project (ReMark) and post-consumer textiles research. CTC assists in engaging with pilot members and conducting consumer surveys.
• Marine InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by Marine Institute for Socio-Economic Study of Seaweed Harvesting in Ireland. Project led by MTU with support from Benton Ecological Solutions & Technology.
• RPS GroupsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on national waste characterisation studies. Partnered on Municipal Waste Characterisation, Household Waste Characterisation, and waste policy projects.
• EU Horizon 2020 Consortium (EnergyWater)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 10-partner consortium from 8 countries led by Instituto Tecnológico de Castilla Y Leon (Spain). Project aims to reduce energy costs in industrial water processes.
• OECDsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by OECD to support country-level work on green growth policies for SMEs in Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan under EU4Environment project.
• Interreg North West Europe ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Heroes project - multi-country Interreg NWE Programme project on reducing food waste through seafood processing efficiency improvements.
• Cork City Fire BrigadesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrish partner in Erasmus+ Green Skills for Firefighters project alongside Technical University of Denmark and fire services from 6 EU countries.
• Munster Technological University (MTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTC is housed within MTU (formerly Cork Institute of Technology). MTU affiliation provides institutional continuity and access to academic resources and researchers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EcoAct: International carbon and climate consultancy delivering carbon footprinting, net-zero strategy, and sustainability advisory. Highly comparable in service mix — particularly the carbon footprint quantification work that CTC has built into its core offering.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and sustainability consultancy with strong waste, resource efficiency, and energy practices. Operates a similar advisory + assessment model targeted at industrial and public-sector clients, making it a close direct comparator.
• Aether: UK-based environmental consultancy specializing in climate, air quality, carbon footprint, and policy support. Comparable in mid-size scale, technical depth, and its reliance on government/agency contracts for programme work.
• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability consultancy focused on resource efficiency, carbon, and circular economy advisory. Anthesis is comparable in mission (helping organizations operate more sustainably) and in the cross-sector SME-to-enterprise delivery model CTC pursues.
• Carbon Trust: UK-based independent sustainability consultancy that delivers national programmes for government (much like CTC's EPA-funded programmes) and provides carbon footprinting, resource efficiency, and advisory services to businesses. Closest analogue in mission and public-private operating model.
• RPS Group: Ireland-origin environmental and engineering consultancy with deep public-sector and EPA exposure. RPS is also a long-standing CTC partner on national waste characterisation studies, making it the closest direct comparable in scale, geography, and service mix.

Regional players

• DCarbon: Ireland-based sustainability and carbon consultancy operating in the same domestic market as CTC. Comparable in service area (carbon, ESG, resource efficiency) and customer base, but smaller and more commercially focused.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with a sizable environment and sustainability practice spanning carbon, waste, water, and resource efficiency. Competes with CTC for the same corporate and government clients but at far greater scale and geographic reach.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with a well-developed sustainability and climate practice covering carbon, energy, and resource efficiency. Overlaps with CTC's broader advisory toolkit but embedded within a much larger engineering portfolio.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): World's largest pure-play environmental and sustainability consultancy, offering carbon, resource efficiency, and ESG advisory to large enterprises. Much larger and broader than CTC, but directly comparable in core service lines and target outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clean-technology-centre-mtu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Clean Technology Centre, MTU