INFA GmbH

What INFA GmbH does

INFA GmbH (full legal name: INFA – Institut für Abfall, Abwasser und Infrastruktur-Management GmbH) is a privately held German consulting and software firm founded in 1993 and headquartered in Ahlen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company advises public-law disposal entities (örE), waste-management operators, and federal, state, and municipal government bodies on circular economy, wastewater, and infrastructure-management topics. Over three decades it has executed more than 3,000 projects for a customer base of 400+ organizations, primarily in Germany with selected engagements in Austria and at the EU level.

The firm's service portfolio spans four lines: management and strategic consulting, technical and environmental consulting, personnel development, and digitalization advisory. It complements these services with proprietary software products — most notably the INFA-DSQS quality-management system used by waste-management operators, and a compliance solution for the German Single-Use Plastics Fund (Einwegkunststofffonds) — and with the INFA-Akademie, which delivers training programs including seminars on circular economy and the EU AI Act. Recent applied R&D includes an AI-based computer-vision prototype for bio-waste contaminant detection developed with FH Münster (Digital.Pilot 2023) and participation in the Fraunhofer IOSB-INA-led NachWinD initiative.

INFA's revenue model combines project-based consulting fees, recurring software licensing (INFA-DSQS, Single-Use Plastics Fund tool), Akademie training priced at €129–€190 per online-seminar participant, and EU-funded research grants. The firm operates without external investors, has no parent company, and has not engaged in M&A. It is led by managing directors Dr.-Ing. Nico Schulte and Bernd Ewering M. Sc. and is registered in Münster, Germany.

Name

INFA GmbH

Legal name

INFA – Institut für Abfall, Abwasser und Infrastruktur-Management GmbH

Website

https://infa.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INFA GmbH is a German consulting and software firm advising public-law waste management entities, disposal companies, and government bodies on circular economy, infrastructure, and digitalization. Services span strategic consulting, proprietary software (INFA-DSQS), and training via the INFA-Akademie.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management Consulting and Software

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste Management & Hazardous Waste Compliance (RCRA, Universal Waste, Waste Characterization/Manifests) (EUAHABAC)

Keywords

• Municipal waste management consulting
• Public sector infrastructure software
• Circular economy advisory services
• Wastewater management consulting
• Street cleaning quality assurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Ahlen

HQ country

Germany

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. Consulting Services: Management and organization consulting, technical and environmental consulting, personnel development, and digitalization services for municipal entities and waste management companies.
2. Software Products: Software solutions for municipal service management, including administration, planning, and quality assurance. Includes software for single-use plastic fund reporting.
3. Research & Development: Applied research and development projects in cooperation with universities and industry partners, often EU-funded.
4. INFA-Akademie Training: Professional training seminars and online courses on waste management, digitalization, AI compliance, and operational topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

INFA supports public-law disposal entities, waste management companies, and EU/federal/state governmental bodies with consulting, implementation support, software, and training for municipal waste management, street cleaning, wastewater, and infrastructure operations. The integrated portfolio spans Management/Organization consulting, Technology & Environment advisory, Personnel Development, Digitalization consulting, the INFA-Software platform (administration, planning, QA), the INFA-DSQS quality assurance system, and the INFA-Akademie professional training program.

Product overview

INFA GmbH is a consulting and software company specializing in waste management, wastewater, and infrastructure management for municipal public services. The company offers a unified portfolio combining consulting services (Management & Organization, Technology & Environment, Human Resources Development, Digitalization) with proprietary software solutions for municipal service administration, planning, and quality assurance. The core software products include the INFA-Software platform for general municipal service management, the INFA-DSQS quality management system for street cleaning certification, and specialized modules like the Einwegkunststofffonds software for single-use plastics fund reporting. These are complemented by the INFA-Akademie training division and research & development activities, creating an integrated consulting-software-training ecosystem for public waste management and cleaning operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Management und Organisation Beratung Consulting service analyzing processes and structures of municipal service providers and delivering concrete optimization proposals; targets German public-law disposal entities, waste management companies, and governmental bodies.
• Technik und Umwelt Beratung Expert consulting for public-law disposal authorities and companies on municipal energy topics, climate protection activities, and technical/environmental issues; serves Entsorgungsbetriebe and EU/Bund/Länder bodies.
• Personalentwicklung (Personnel Development) Organizational and personnel development consulting to secure competitive positioning through employee engagement and modern leadership programs; targets municipal service providers and disposal companies.
• Digitalisierungsberatung Digital transformation consulting for administrations and municipal operations including waste management and street cleaning services; supports IT/software rollouts, identification systems, and process digitalization.
• INFA-Software Proprietary software suite for municipal service management covering administration, planning, and quality assurance in waste management, street cleaning, and public utilities; target customers are German municipalities and Entsorgungsbetriebe.
• INFA-DSQS Quality Management System (INFA-Dienstleistungs- und Servicequalitätssicherung) Quality assurance system used in certification of street cleaning operations, encompassing cleanliness analysis, citizen surveys, management interviews, and on-site audits; used by DEKRA and INFA for the "Ausgezeichnete Stadtreinigung" certification awarded to municipalities in Germany and Austria.
• Einwegkunststofffonds Software Solution INFA software module supporting municipalities with registration and performance reporting on the DIVID platform for the German Single-Use Plastics Fund (Einwegkunststofffonds).
• INFA-Akademie Training Programs Professional training and seminar division of INFA offering online courses for municipal service employees and waste management practitioners on AI competency, route planning, street cleaning, reverse-driving hazards, and circular economy fundamentals.
• KI-basierte Störstofferkennung in Bioabfällen (AI Bio-Waste Contaminant Detection) AI/computer-vision prototype using trained neural networks to identify contaminants (plastics, metals, glass) from photographs of the waste surface at bio-waste treatment plant delivery points; helps plant personnel make objective decisions on rejecting delivered batches.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of employees rate employer as trustworthy, appreciative, and supportive (vs. 56% average in Germany)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Fraunhofer IOSB-INAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Project partner in 'NachWinD' (Winter Service Optimization with Digital Support) project. Fraunhofer IOSB-INA leads the research consortium including INFA, ISFM e.V., Okeanos Smart Data Solutions GmbH, Kreis Lippe, ASP Paderborn, and Deutscher Wetterdienst. Project focuses on digital support for winter road maintenance.
• Prognos AGmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint work on Statusbericht der deutschen Kreislaufwirtschaft 2024, commissioned by 14 associations and IFAT.
• INZIN e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint work on Statusbericht der deutschen Kreislaufwirtschaft 2024, commissioned by 14 associations and IFAT.
• Fachhochschule MünstercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Academic partner for AI-based contaminant detection project in bio-waste. Joint development of prototype using trained neural networks to identify contaminants from photos.
• Kajima CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Long-standing collaboration since the 1990s when Dr. Takashi Mamiya from Kajima worked at INFA for 3 years to learn German waste management structures. Prof. Dr. Klaus Gellenbeck frequently traveled to Japan for projects. Joint work included optimization of disposal logistics, incentive-based fee systems, and advanced waste processing. Kajima is a member of INFA e.V. and participates in Kreislaufwirtschaftstage Münster.
• DEKRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Ausgezeichnete Stadtreinigung' (Outstanding Street Cleaning) certification. DEKRA conducts certification in collaboration with INFA GmbH as auditor.
• DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft)minorOthersMember of DWA professional association.
• VKU (Verband kommunaler Unternehmen)minorOthersMember of VKU for waste management sector.
• RETech GermanyminorOthersMember of RETech Germany network.
• WFZruhrminorOthersMember of WFZruhr (Wirtschaftsförderungszentrum Ruhr).
• GPM-IPMAminorOthersMember of GPM-IPMA (German Project Management Association).
• DMAW (Dienstleistungsagentur für Marketing und Wissen)minorOthersMember of DMAW.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IFEU – Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg: IFEU is a German environmental research and consulting institute that conducts waste and resource studies for public-sector clients. They overlap on R&D projects and environmental consulting for German municipalities and EU bodies, though they are more research-led than INFA's service-led model.
• Öko-Institut e.V. Öko-Institut is a leading German environmental research and policy consultancy covering waste, circular economy, and resource management. Comparable on advisory and research projects for German and EU governmental clients, though they are bigger and more policy/academic oriented.
• ConTerra GmbH: ConTerra is a German consulting firm specializing in waste management, circular economy, and municipal infrastructure — a direct competitor in the same client base of German public law disposal entities. They offer comparable consulting, software, and training services with similar buyer personas.
• BKRZ Beratungsgesellschaft für kommunale Recycling- und Entsorgungswirtschaft mbH: BKRZ is a long-standing German consulting firm focused on municipal recycling and waste management, with similar geographic coverage and target customers (German Entsorgungsträger). They are a direct competitor on organization, technology, and economic consulting engagements.
• fb consult GmbH: fb consult is a German waste management and environmental consulting firm serving municipalities and waste management companies. They offer strategy and operational consulting in a similar niche to INFA, with overlapping EU and German-language buyer base.

Others

• REMONDIS SE & Co. KG: REMONDIS is Europe's largest privately held waste and water management company and a buyer of consulting, software, and digitalization services for municipal waste management. They are not a direct competitor but represent the type of large operator that INFA counts among its client base.
• Interseroh Dienstleistungs GmbH: Interseroh is a major German environmental services provider, including the operation of recycling and circular economy systems. They are adjacent to INFA's customer base and ecosystem, occasionally partnering or overlapping on EU-funded circular economy work.
• PreZero Stiftung & Co. KG: PreZero is one of Germany's largest waste and recycling service companies, part of the Schwarz Group. While not a consulting peer, they represent the operational buyer side of INFA's customer base and influence the demand for circular economy consulting and digitalization services.

Broad incumbents

• Prognos AG: Prognos is a large European research and consulting firm; INFA and Prognos co-authored the Statusbericht der deutschen Kreislaufwirtschaft 2024. They overlap on policy and circular economy research commissions from German associations and EU bodies, but Prognos operates across many sectors beyond waste.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer UMSICHT: Fraunhofer UMSICHT is an applied research institute with strong coverage of circular economy, recycling, and waste-to-product technologies. Comparable on R&D and applied circular economy consulting for German and EU clients, though they operate at a larger scale and from a public research mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infa-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 INFA GmbH