Environmental Consulting Services Industry Profile

Companies in this industry provide advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on environmental issues. Major US-based companies include Tetra Tech and Veolia Environmental Services North America, as well as the environmental and consulting divisions of engineering and construction firms such as AECOM, Bechtel, and Jacobs. Other major companies include Arcadis (the Netherlands), Environmental Resources Management (the UK), Golder Associates (Canada), and RPS (the UK).

Worldwide, the environmental consulting industry generates about $35 billion in revenue annually, according to Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine. Growth is expected to come primarily from Asia-Pacific, particularly China as it works to clean up its manufacturing sector. North America and Western Europe are major but mature markets for environmental consulting services with steady demand and about 75% of global revenue.

The US environmental consulting services industry includes about 10,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $15 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by the needs of businesses and government agencies to comply with new, existing, or anticipated environmental laws and regulations. The profitability of an individual company depends on its ability to accurately predict project costs and to secure contracts with large organizations such as the US government. Large firms have the advantage of providing a wide range of environmental expertise and can, thus, offer "one-stop shopping" for clients. Small firms are able to compete by specializing in ...