Élément Terre

What Élément Terre does

Élément Terre SAS is a French environmental engineering company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Île-de-France. It provides end-to-end contaminated-site and soil/groundwater remediation services to industrial operators, real estate developers, and public-sector clients across France and adjacent territories. Its service portfolio spans diagnostic studies, engineering design, and turnkey remediation works — covering venting, biodegradation/bioaugmentation/biostimulation, chemical oxidation/reduction, vacuum extraction, thermal desorption, sparging, and soil washing — supported by an in-house laboratory and an R&D innovation pole that pre-validates treatment techniques before field deployment.

Two proprietary technologies anchor its offering. The mobile soil washing installation (described as unique in France) processes material on-site at 50 tonnes/hour, recovers 70-90% as recycled aggregates compliant with NF EN 12620, XP P 18-545, and NF EN 206-1/CN, and has cumulatively treated over 300,000 tonnes of polluted material. The proprietary Test de Désorption Massique© (TDM) is a diagnostic technique for residual chlorinated-solvent mass in aquifers, designed to prevent rebound effects. The company is tri-certified under NFX 31-620 (LNE) across Domains A, B, C and D, and has held MASE safety certification since 2018, renewed and extended in 2025/2026.

Commercially, Élément Terre operates on a direct enterprise-sales model with project-based, bespoke pricing and multi-year contracts, each managed through a single point of contact. Revenue is generated primarily from professional-services fees and remediation-works contracts, with a secondary transaction-fee stream from sales of recycled eco-materials produced on-site. Named customers span real estate (Auchan, Carrefour, Nexity, Icade, Eiffage Immobilier), glass recycling (Sibelco), data center infrastructure (Equinix), and energy/fuel retail (Certas Energy); flagship work includes the Paris 2024 Olympic Athletes' Village. The team of roughly 18 employees is supplemented by active participation in national research networks (ADEME, GISFI, UPDS) and event-led demand generation (Pollutec, Effervescence, SMCL).

Name

Élément Terre

Legal name

Elément Terre SAS

Website

https://element-terre.solutions

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Élément Terre is a French environmental engineering firm (founded 2016) providing end-to-end contaminated soil and groundwater remediation — diagnostics, engineering design, and turnkey works — for industrial operators, real estate developers, and public clients across France, supported by proprietary mobile soil washing and TDM diagnostics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Remediation Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Site Assessment & Remedial Investigation (Phase II/III, Sampling & Characterization) (EUAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Site Remediation & Contaminated Soil Handling (IMAFAKAG), Site Assessment & Remediation (Phase I/II, Cleanup Oversight) (BPAHAJAC), Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK)

Keywords

• Contaminated site remediation
• Soil decontamination services
• Brownfield redevelopment
• Groundwater treatment services
• Environmental engineering consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cormeilles-en-Parisis

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contaminated Site Remediation Services: Full-service remediation projects from diagnostic studies and feasibility assessments through to design and turnkey execution of soil and groundwater depollution works. Services span the entire remediation lifecycle, including site characterization, treatment design, and construction management. Projects are project-based with bespoke pricing reflecting site-specific complexity, contaminants, volume, and duration. Revenue is generated through professional services fees, engineering studies, and remediation works contracts, primarily with industrial companies, real estate developers, urban developers, and public entities.
2. Laboratory Testing and R&D Services: Internal laboratory conducts preliminary validation of treatment techniques before full-scale deployment. R&D services support technical feasibility studies, dimensioning tests, and ongoing optimization of treatment solutions. Revenue derived from specialized technical studies and pilot testing.
3. Soil Washing and Materials Valorization: Mobile washing installation processes excavated materials on-site, recovering 70-90% as recycled aggregates for construction use (roadways, hydraulic concrete, morters) and topsoil for green spaces. Revenue can be generated through treatment fees and the sale of recycled eco-materials produced from contaminated site remediation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Élément Terre is a French environmental engineering company that diagnoses, designs, and executes the remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater on industrial sites and brownfields. Its service range spans preliminary diagnostic studies, in-situ and on-site treatment works, and turnkey delivery of soil rehabilitation projects for industrial owners, property developers, and public-sector clients. Differentiated offerings include a proprietary mobile soil-washing installation and the Test de Désorption Massique (TDM) diagnostic protocol.

Product overview

Élément Terre is an environmental engineering company specializing in polluted site and soil management. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio spanning three core service phases: pollution diagnosis using national methodology tools, remediation work execution (including venting, biodegradation, chemical oxidation, and washing), and industrial brownfield rehabilitation. Proprietary offerings include a unique-in-France mobile soil washing installation and the Cartorisk spatial decision-support tool. The company operates an internal laboratory and R&D department, and has developed the Test de Désorption Massique© (TDM) as an innovative diagnostic technique. All services are delivered within an circular economy framework emphasizing on-site treatment and material reuse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diagnostic des sols pollués et études préalables

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000+ tonnes of polluted materials treated by washing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Groupement des Entreprises des Boucles de la Seine (GEBS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2025Elément Terre hosted the GEBS regional business group meeting on February 13, 2025, at its offices. The event provided an opportunity to present the company's contribution to finite resource management and circular economy. GEBS is a regional business network in the Boucles de la Seine area.
• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEME is referenced as a partner through research collaboration and project co-development. Elément Terre presented a research poster co-supported by ADEME (AMA project) at the 5th National Days of Research. ADEME is France's government agency for ecological transition.
• GISFI (Groupement d'Intérêt Scientifique sur les Friches)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGISFI is a Scientific Interest Group on Brownfields. Elément Terre is a member of GISFI, indicating active participation in national scientific and research networks for contaminated land management.
• UPDS (Union des Professionnels de la Dépollution des Sols)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPDS is the French professional union of soil remediation operators. Elément Terre is a member, indicating participation in industry advocacy, standard-setting, and professional knowledge networks.
• Research network partnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe company references a network of partners comprising major research actors and operational specialists, supporting its R&D and technical capabilities. Partners include 'grands acteurs du domaine de la Recherche et spécialistes opérationnels' (major research domain actors and operational specialists).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique): France's public agency for ecological transition, a research and funding partner of Élément Terre. Not a competitor but a key stakeholder that funds remediation R&D and influences national contaminated-site policy direction.
• UPDS (Union des Professionnels de la Dépollution des Sols): French professional trade association for soil remediation contractors of which Élément Terre is a member. Not a competitor but an industry body that shapes standards, advocacy, and procurement frameworks relevant to the firm's market.

Direct peers

• SARP Industries (Veolia): Veolia's hazardous waste treatment and soil remediation subsidiary in France. Closely comparable on contaminated soil/groundwater treatment services and serves the same industrial and public-sector customer base as Élément Terre.
• Séché Environnement: French listed environmental services group with a dedicated soil remediation and industrial site rehabilitation division. Directly competes with Élément Terre in the French contaminated site market, with a broader service portfolio and greater scale.
• Sol-Environnement: French specialist in soil and groundwater remediation with national footprint. Competes head-to-head with Élément Terre on site diagnosis, in-situ treatment, and brownfield rehabilitation projects.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification company with an EHS consulting practice that includes contaminated site assessment and cleanup oversight. Adjacent competitor in the study/assistance phase where Élément Terre holds Domain A certification.
• Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services incumbent with substantial soil and groundwater remediation capabilities in France via SARP Industries. Competes broadly with Élément Terre but is a much larger and diversified operator.
• Colas Environment (Colas Group): Environmental services arm of the Colas/Bouygues construction group, offering soil remediation and site decontamination as part of a wider civil engineering and infrastructure portfolio. Larger scale but less specialized than Élément Terre.
• ENGIE Solutions: ENGIE's energy and environmental services arm, including site decontamination and brownfield redevelopment capabilities. Larger and more diversified than Élément Terre, with overlap on industrial decommissioning projects.
• Suez (Suez Recycling and Recovery): Major French-headquartered environmental services group offering soil remediation and waste management services. Competes in adjacent segments with broader geographic and service reach than Élément Terre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elementterre

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Élément Terre