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Environmental Services Industry M&A

Waste disposal and recycling companies provide essential services to global communities, giving this sector a relatively high level of resistance to changing economic cycles. Urbanization, increasing populations, and consumer spending drive the ever-growing demand for waste and recycling services.

By the year 2050, global waste generation is expected to rise from 2.01 billion metric tons to 3.40 metric tons - an increase of 70%.

Of the massive amounts of waste created globally, less than one third of it is recycled. Canada and the United States lead the world in waste production, followed by Europe.

The management of sustainable materials, including recycling, can help conserve resources, reduce waste, and minimize the environmental impacts of materials. An increasing number of regions of the world are using sustainable management practices for regulation. National governments are developing long-term strategies that assess their country’s current waste situation and are setting targets for recycling, sustainability, citizen awareness, and rehab of contaminated sites. There is also a movement in low-income countries toward better recycling, and waste disposal in controlled or sanitary landfills.

 

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Environmental Consulting

A sub-sector of the environmental services industry is environmental consulting. Environmental consultants ensure company compliance with environmental regulations.

With the world’s heightened focus on environmental issues, this global market continues to expand. A relatively small group of firms dominates this market. In order for other firms in this industry to remain competitive, they need to focus on specialized expertise, targeted M&A activity, and dependable client relationships.

Waste and Recycling M&A

In the waste and recycling sector, mergers and acquisitions activity is stimulated by quality and consolidation. Positive debt financing and public equity performance drive M&A valuation higher for waste and recycling companies. Investing in waste management and remediation is especially attractive to private equity for several reasons, including:

  • Lower risk through essential services
  • High barriers to entry
  • Demonstrated track records
  • Modest capital investments outside the recycling sector
  • Large number of industry players

From a seller perspective, you should be aware of the three most common considerations for M&A deals in this sector.

  • The buyer’s strategic rationale: Does the transaction tap new markets, complement existing markets, or deliver new service offerings?
  • The health and growth of the target company: Does it have favorable contracts and strong assets that will not require a significant infusion of capital?
  • The company’s management team: Can the buyer be confident in a smooth transition and a good post-acquisition relationship?It is not uncommon for waste management companies that have more impressive management teams in place to garner higher valuations.

Owners should focus on removing any uncertainty surrounding their company. In the months leading up to a possible sale, contract negotiations are key. Owners should also be aware of the possibility for anti-trust issues to arise, even when the geographic impact is limited to a single local area. These issues can impact the timing and outcome of a deal so an anti-trust risk assessment should be conducted prior to going to market.

When to Sell

As a seller of a waste management company, determining when to sell can be a difficult decision, but certain factors should be considered.

  • Are contracts secure with favorable terms?
  • Are revenue streams are diverse and trending positive?
  • Is the fleet is in good condition?
  • What are the conditions of the market?

 

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Procure M&A Experts

Company owners in this sector who enlist experienced M&A advisors are less likely to leave money on the table in a sale. It is important to choose the right buyer, get proper valuation of the business, and exit at the right time.

Industry lenders have reported that there are many more unannounced deals in the waste industry than those anyone hears about. For this reason, it makes perfect sense for a buyer to partner with an expert to seek viable acquisitions. The waste industry is highly fragmented and, other than the top three major players, most companies post less than $20 million in annual revenue. Typically, they do not have the knowledge or bandwidth to blindly jump into the M&A market. The right M&A advisor can identify quality companies not being offered on the market and negotiate a successful sale.

Contact Us

If you are thinking that the time has come to sell your business or to formulate a growth strategy, contact us at Benchmark International today. Whether you are in the waste industry or any other industry, we can connect you with the right buyer. Our approach is proven to get results that exceed our clients’ expectations time and time again.

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Global Waste Management Outlook

The global waste management industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6% leading to 2025, with industry experts anticipating an overall value of $530 billion. An increase in environmental awareness, an increasing population, and a rise in urbanisation are all key to growth in the industry. Furthermore, implementation of stringent government norms towards dumping is anticipated to lead to further growth over the coming years. 

Where uncollected waste and dumping are impacting on health directly, this is expected to be another key factor leading to growth in the market. However, a lack of awareness and investment in developing countries is expected to hinder growth inthe industry inthose regions. With that being said, the general consensus is that the positive factors in the industry will exceed any negatives, hence the projected CAGR of 6%. Furthermore, emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa are contributing to growth in the industry through the implementation of solid waste management solutions, which will spread awareness in those regions and increase the number of regions developing them in the near future. 

Europe is expected to dominate the waste management market share over the coming years, owing to increases in favourable government initiatives, along with high-end technology adoption by management services. However, Asia is the region that is expected to drive the demand for waste management services, due to the presence of densely populated countries such as China and India where an increase in urban penetration is being witnessed. Moreover, as with Europe, government initiatives in the region are expected to increase the demand for waste management services.

 

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Key Industry Factors

  • In 1960 the United Nations found that the global urban population was just 34% revealing plenty of potential growth, last year that figure stood at 55%. Furthermore, estimates by the World Health Organization predict the figure to increase by approximately 1.84% every year until 2020, at a rate of about 1.63% per annum from 2020 to 2025, and around 1.44% per annum from 2025 to 2030. Naturally, as the urban population increases, the amount of waste being produced will also increase – in-fact the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW), a crucial by-product of urban lifestyle, is growing at an even higher rate than that of urbanisation.

 

  • The World Bank found that in 2016, the world’s largest cities generated 2 billion tonnes of solid waste, which amounts to a footprint of 0.74 kilograms per person, per day. With rapid global urbanisation, annual waste is expected to increase by 70% from 2016’s figure to 3.4 billion tonnes in 2050.

 

  • Increasing levels of environmental awareness regarding factors such as renewable waste management systems or rising carbon dioxide emissions are expected to lead to further growth opportunities in the industry. Businesses in the industry have been pivotal in ensuring as much MSW as possible is recycled and are conducting programs for non-hazardous industrial waste management to reduce pollution and mitigate environmental hazards. Moreover, untreated waste and dumping affect health directly and indirectly by spreading infectious diseases, thereby boosting the demand for waste management services. 

There are plenty of factors that give us reason to be confident about the future of the waste management industry. With no sign of urbanisation slowing down, waste management will continue to be an integral part of the global economy. 

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Waterwaste Treatment Industry Outlook

The global industrial wastewater treatment market was valued at $10.6B last year, and industry experts expect this figure to reach $16.6B by 2026 – at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. The global market is propelled by factors such as diminishing freshwater resources and stringent regulations related to emissions and treatment of industrial waste. Industries such as food, petroleum refining, textile dying, and power plants are some of the main contributors to industrial wastewater. 

Over recent years, new water recycling and process technologies have begun emerging, some include membrane bioreactors, wastewater monitoring and control systems, and granular sludge treatment processes using engineered microbial structures. Increasingly stringent wastewater discharge controls and tighter water quality requirements, nutrient removal, trouble maintaining complicated systems while keeping prices down are the major hindrances for the industrial wastewater treatment market. 

Key Industry Statistics

  • North America (35.5%) is expected to be the largest player in the industry, owing to the presence of huge infrastructure in the oil and gas sector, mining and strict regulations against wastewater treatment. Europe is the second largest accounting for 31.2%.
  • The largest segment of the wastewater treatment industry goes to power generation, which accounts for 62% of the total market share. Mining holds 30.6%, while chemicals hold 7.4%. 
  • Elsewhere, coagulants are anticipated to register the highest growth rate in the industry, at a rate of 6.4% through to 2026.

Water infrastructure has experienced several ups and downs. While the majority of market stakeholders were interested in business collaborations, natural disasters created a range of problems for water treatment manufacturers. Most of the top players have become focused on integration of advanced technologies to develop smarter and more effective solutions for water treatment and management.

The value chain for water and wastewater treatment equipment market is expected to witness changes in terms of investments, innovations, advancements and business opportunities. New technologies, business models and technologies are expected to be introduced, especially to support the changing requirements for water treatment. 

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Call Benchmark International today and speak with one of our analyst about your company's exit or growth strategies.

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