cipel

What cipel does

CIPEL (Commission internationale pour la protection des eaux du Léman) is a Franco-Swiss intergovernmental commission founded in 1962 to coordinate the protection and monitoring of Lake Geneva across the France-Switzerland border. The organization is governed by a bilateral mandate between the two sovereign states and concentrates on limnological monitoring — sampling water temperature, Secchi transparency, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, phosphorus, plankton, fish, sediments, and invasive species — across core measurement points including SHL2 and GE3. CIPEL publishes quarterly limnological bulletins, annual scientific reports (compiled since 1969), and the 2021-2030 Action Plan, which organizes 29 actions under three strategic axes and 12 themes.

The organization's portfolio spans scientific monitoring campaigns, specific studies (sediment analysis, micropollutants, Quagga mussel invasion, macrophyte surveys), and public-facing digital tools including the Beach Map webapp covering 120 beaches, the Léman Live real-time data platform, the Limnothèque data catalog, and a dashboard with nearly 60 environmental indicators. Education and outreach are delivered through the Ateliers Lémaniques workshops, traveling exhibitions, participatory writing projects, and a multi-channel communication strategy spanning newsletter, social media, and earned media. Long-standing partnerships with INRAE CARRTEL for sampling and various cantonal/departmental authorities underpin execution.

CIPEL is not a commercial entity: it is funded by its two member states (Switzerland and France), employs a small permanent secretariat of approximately four staff plus an annual intern, and provides all services, data, and publications free of charge. Stakeholders include Swiss and French governmental authorities, the scientific community, lakeside municipalities, the general public (including more than 900,000 drinking water consumers), nautical users, and youth audiences. Headquartered in Geneva, CIPEL operates across the Lake Geneva region covering 200 km of shoreline.

Name

cipel

Legal name

Commission internationale pour la protection des eaux du Léman (CIPEL)

Website

https://cipel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CIPEL is a Franco-Swiss intergovernmental commission, founded in 1962, that coordinates scientific monitoring and cross-border protection of Lake Geneva's waters and ecosystems for governmental authorities, municipalities, researchers, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Water Protection Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH)

Keywords

• Lake water monitoring
• Limnological research
• Intergovernmental water protection
• Environmental data publishing
• Cross-border ecosystem management

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Intergovernmental Funding: CIPEL is funded by its member states (France and Switzerland) as an intergovernmental commission. It does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CIPEL coordinates the scientific monitoring and protection of Lake Geneva through annual limnological monitoring campaigns (water temperature, transparency, oxygen, phosphorus, plankton, micropollutants), quarterly bulletins, scientific reports, and specific studies on sediments, fish, and invasive species. The organization publishes free data via the Limnothèque catalog, the Beach Map WebApp covering 120 beaches, and the Léman Live real-time visualization platform, and runs educational workshops and travelling exhibitions on lake ecosystems.

Product overview

CIPEL (Commission internationale pour la protection des eaux du Léman) is an intergovernmental Franco-Swiss organization for the protection of Lake Geneva, not a commercial technology company. Its offerings consist of environmental monitoring services, scientific data products, and public communication tools. The core portfolio includes annual scientific monitoring campaigns, quarterly limnological bulletins, scientific reports published since 1969, and the Limnothèque data catalog. Digital products comprise the Beach Map webapp for water quality information, the Léman Live real-time data platform, and a dashboard with environmental indicators. Communication services include newsletters, educational workshops (Ateliers Lémaniques), a travelling exhibition on natural environments, and the 2021-2030 Action Plan. Research offerings encompass specific studies on sediments, fish contamination, micropollutants, invasive species, and phosphorus management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Léman Live: Real-time data platform showing lake dynamics and temperatures through innovative models designed by regional researchers
• Limnothèque
• Ateliers Lémaniques

Products and services

• Scientific Monitoring Campaigns (Campagnes de suivi)
• Limnological Bulletin (Bulletin limnologique) Quarterly newsletter presenting measurement data including temperature, Secchi transparency, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a concentration from monitoring points SHL2 and GE3.
• Beach Map (Carte des plages) - WebApp Interactive web application displaying water quality for 120 beaches around Lake Geneva, with water analysis results and useful information for visitors.
• Léman Live Real-time data platform featuring innovative models designed by regional researchers to visualize key lake indicators including water movements and temperatures.
• Scientific Reports (Rapports scientifiques) Annual scientific reports presenting results from monitoring campaigns and specific studies, with comprehensive analysis of Lake Geneva water quality status, published since 1969.
• Quarterly Newsletter Quarterly email newsletter providing latest lake analysis results and CIPEL news updates to subscribers.
• Action Plan 2021-2030 Fourth strategic action plan organized around three strategic axes, 12 themes, and 29 actions to guide CIPEL's studies and environmental protection efforts for 2021-2030.
• Ateliers Lémaniques (Educational Workshops) Immersive educational workshops designed for various audiences to discover Lake Geneva and its unique ecosystems, offered in different formats for environmental enthusiasts, youth, and nature lovers.
• Travelling Exhibition (Exposition itinérante) Illustrated exhibition on natural environments around Lake Geneva featuring six rollup displays available for free loan to regional events, covering five distinctive environments.
• Specific Studies (Études spécifiques) Additional studies complementing regular monitoring, including sediment analysis, fish flesh contamination, wastewater treatment plant modeling, invasive species inventories, pesticide characterization, macrophyte vegetation surveys, and phosphorus flux assessments.
• Limnothèque (Data Catalog) Comprehensive data catalog where users can view and download CIPEL studies and monitoring data, serving as a digital archive for Lake Geneva research.
• Environmental Indicators Dashboard (Tableau de bord) Dashboard with nearly 60 indicators providing valuable information on the state of natural habitats and measures implemented in the CIPEL region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% reduction in phosphorus levels in Lake Geneva since the 1980s
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INRAE CARRTEL (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962Long-standing partnership with the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, specifically their CARRTEL research station in Thonon. CARRTEL conducts the water sampling campaigns and provides scientific expertise for CIPEL's annual monitoring programs, including temperature, Secchi transparency, turbidity, and chlorophyll measurements.
• Swiss and French Government AuthoritiescoreOthersCIPEL coordinates with cantonal authorities in Switzerland (Vaud, Geneva, Valais) and departmental authorities in France (Haute-Savoie) for the implementation of the Action Plan 2021-2030, which includes 29 actions across governance, communication, scientific research, and technical domains.
• FabWildPixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with YouTuber FabWildPix for creating educational videos about Lake Geneva's natural environments, including reed beds, macrophytes, and the Quagga mussel invasion.
• Museum of Lake Geneva (Musée du Léman)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the 'Les Mots bleus du Léman' participatory writing project, combining science communication with literary arts to engage the public with Lake Geneva.
• International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO/EURO-INBO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIPEL participates in international knowledge sharing and best practice exchange with other basin organizations for lake and water body management.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR / IKSR): Intergovernmental commission coordinating cross-border protection of the Rhine between Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Operates the same intergovernmental mandate model as CIPEL, with similar scientific monitoring, action plans, and cross-border political coordination.
• International Commission for the Protection of Lake Constance (IGKB): Tri-national (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) intergovernmental body for Lake Constance, conducting limnological monitoring, water quality assessment, and ecosystem protection. Closest analog to CIPEL due to similar lake-focused mandate and tri-lateral governance.
• International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR): Intergovernmental body coordinating Danube River basin protection across 14 countries. Comparable to CIPEL as a transboundary water governance organization with action plans, monitoring programs, and stakeholder coordination.

Regional players

• Rhône River Intergovernmental Commission (durable agreement framework): Coordinates Rhône water management at the French national level with Swiss tributaries. Relevant regional comparator given CIPEL's direct hydrological connection to the Rhône (Léman's main tributary and outflow).

Broad incumbents

• European Environment Agency (EEA): EU agency providing environmental data, monitoring, and reporting across Europe. Provides the broader framework within which CIPEL's lake-level monitoring contributes data and aligns with EU Water Framework Directive objectives.
• Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN / OFEV): Switzerland's national environmental authority, a primary funder and supervisory partner of CIPEL on the Swiss side. Operates broader national water quality monitoring that complements CIPEL's lake-specific work.

Others

• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): French national research institute that conducts CIPEL's sampling campaigns via its CARRTEL center in Thonon. A core scientific partner providing field operations and research capacity that CIPEL itself does not maintain.
• International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO / EURO-INBO): Global network of river and lake basin organizations in which CIPEL actively participates. Provides comparable transnational coordination model and peer knowledge exchange for intergovernmental water bodies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cipeleman
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcJcHUWQH3NoI2ihXt78ShA
• Facebookfacebook.com/cipeleman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cipel
• Instagraminstagram.com/lemancipel

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 cipel