European Federation Of Tank Cleaning Organisations

What European Federation Of Tank Cleaning Organisations does

EFTCO (European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations) is a Belgian non-profit association (aisbl/vzw) headquartered in Brussels that represents 630 tank cleaning depots across 25 European countries. Its members operate through national tank cleaning associations such as APLICA in France and SerTCA in Serbia, which in turn aggregate local depots that clean road tankers, tank containers, railcars, and IBCs serving the chemical, food, and dry bulk polymer transport industries.

The federation's core technology asset is the EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD), a standardized, multilingual cleaning record owned by EFTCO and issued by authorized member depots. Each ECD carries unique numbering that enables traceable provenance verification across borders, and the federation maintains over 100 standardized cleaning codes (translated into multiple languages, Revision 33 effective January 2025) that allow consistent interpretation of cleaning operations throughout the European supply chain. The Electronic ECD (eECD) provides a digital counterpart, and complementary programs include the EFTCO Food Assessment (with 58 accredited food assessors and 641 assessed companies in the database), the Cleaning of Lined and Coated Tanks Memorandum (2025), the CO2 Emissions Guideline (2025 version harmonized with SQAS), and the jointly published Polymer Industry Cleaning Specification (CEFIC Issue 5, November 2024).

EFTCO is governed as a membership federation and generates revenue through membership fees from national associations and their member depots; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market operates through national associations as channel partners, with strategic cooperation from the European Chemicals Council (Cefic), the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA), the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO), and the Safety & Quality Assessment System (SQAS). Recent activity shows geographic expansion into Serbia and Lithuania (2026) and continued product/standards updates, consistent with steady, incremental federation growth rather than venture-style scaling.

Name

European Federation Of Tank Cleaning Organisations

Legal name

EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF TANK CLEANING ORGANISATIONS

Website

https://eftco.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EFTCO is a Belgian non-profit federation representing 630 tank cleaning depots across 25 European countries through national member associations. It owns the multilingual EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD) standard and Cleaning Codes used to certify and document chemical, food, and polymer tank cleaning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Cleaning Standards and Certification

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAEAHAN

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Energy Infrastructure & Services (EPC, O&M, Field Services)/Inspection, Testing & Certification (ITC) / NDT for Energy Infrastructure

SECONDARYAFALADAI

Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) Design & Regulatory Verification

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Regulatory Compliance Testing & Consulting (FDA/USDA/EFSA, HACCP)

SECONDARYEUAHAJAF

Product Sustainability & LCA/EPD (Eco-design, PCF)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Sustainability, ESG & Corporate Environmental Reporting

Keywords

• Tank cleaning standards
• Cleaning documentation services
• Food safety assessment
• Chemical transport logistics
• Industry federation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: EFTCO is a non-profit association representing 630 tank cleaning depots across 25 European countries. Revenue is generated through membership fees from national tank cleaning associations and their member companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EFTCO is a non-profit federation that develops and maintains the EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD) system — a standardized, multi-lingual proof of tank cleaning with unique numbering for traceability. It also runs the EFTCO Food Assessment certification program for food-grade tank cleaning and publishes industry guidelines (Cleaning Codes, CLCT Memorandum, CO2 Emissions Guideline, Polymer Industry Cleaning Specification) used by 630 tank cleaning depots across 25 European countries.

Product overview

EFTCO operates as a non-profit federation representing 630 tank cleaning depots across 25 European countries. The core product is the EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD), a multi-lingual standardized record of cleaning services with unique numbering for traceability. The ecosystem includes the Electronic ECD (eECD) for digital documentation, over 100 EFTCO Cleaning Codes for standardizing processes across countries, the EFTCO Food Assessment program for food safety certification, the CLCT Memorandum for lined/coated tank guidelines, and the CO2 Emissions Guideline for environmental compliance. Additional offerings include the Polymer Industry Cleaning Specification (joint with CEFIC), the EFTCO Food Logo program, and directories for Cleaning Stations, Assessed Companies, and Accredited Food Assessors. The products function as a unified quality assurance and documentation system for the tank cleaning supply chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD)

Quantifiable outcome

• 630 tank cleaning depots served in 25 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Serbian Tank Cleaning Association (SerTCA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 June 2026Newest EFTCO member representing tank cleaning companies in Serbia (SerTCA). Members include Food Tank Cleaning (FTC) Zmajevo, Euro tank Stari Banovci, and Elixir Prahovo.
• Sitra LT filialas Panevėžyje, UABminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 February 2026Second tank cleaning facility in Lithuania appointed as associate member of EFTCO, authorized to issue the EFTCO Cleaning Document (ECD).
• European Chemicals Council (Cefic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFTCO cooperates with Cefic on matters of safety, environment, and technical improvements in tank cleaning. CEFIC released issue 5 of the Polymer Industry Cleaning Specification in November 2024.
• European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFTCO works together with ECTA on matters of Safety, Environment, Education and Technical improvements in the chemical transport sector.
• International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFTCO cooperates with ITCO on tank container industry standards and cleaning requirements.
• Safety & Quality Assessment System (SQAS)coreTechnology or IntegrationEFTCO works together with SQAS on assessment standards. The EFTCO Guideline for CO2 emission calculation is harmonized with SQAS Questionnaire requirements (2025 version). Many assessed companies hold both EFTCO Food and SQAS certifications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: World-leading testing, inspection and certification company with extensive industrial and chemical logistics assessment services; comparable to EFTCO as a third-party quality assurer serving industrial supply chains.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification (TIC) incumbent operating across industrial verticals including chemical logistics. Comparable as a third-party assessment and certification provider, though far larger and more diversified than EFTCO.
• Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council): Federation representing the European chemical industry and a strategic cooperation partner of EFTCO. Both organizations set technical standards for chemical logistics, but Cefic operates at a much broader industry-wide scope.
• Intertek: Global TIC provider offering quality assurance, testing and certification across industrial and consumer sectors; overlaps with EFTCO in supplying trusted third-party compliance verification for industrial operations.
• ITCO (International Tank Container Organisation): International body representing tank container operators and lessors; cooperates with EFTCO on tank container cleaning requirements, sharing the same target ecosystem but with a global rather than European remit.
• TÜV SÜD: Large international testing and certification body active in industrial, chemical and food safety assurance; comparable to EFTCO in providing independent certification services across European supply chains.
• ECTA (European Chemical Transport Association): European association of chemical transport operators and logistics providers; a core strategic partner of EFTCO addressing safety, environment, education and technical improvements in chemical transport.

Direct peers

• SQAS (Safety & Quality Assessment System): Industry-wide assessment system for chemical logistics service providers; EFTCO's guidelines are explicitly harmonized with SQAS and many assessed companies hold both SQAS and EFTCO Food certifications, making SQAS the most directly comparable assessment body.
• CDI (Chemical Distribution Institute): Not-for-profit organization that develops and promotes standards and assessments for chemical logistics safety, quality and security; structurally the closest analog to EFTCO in mission and membership-based governance.

Regional players

• NACD (National Association of Chemical Distributors): US-focused trade association for chemical distributors that sets Responsible Distribution verification standards; comparable in mission to EFTCO but operating in North America rather than Europe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-federation-of-tank-cleaning-organisations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Federation Of Tank Cleaning Organisations