Englobe sells Canadian soil treatment plant

A contaminated soil treatment facility in Laval, Québec, has changed hands, with its Canada-based owner Englobe Corp. selling the facility to the Ortec Group engineering and contracting firm of France.

Along with the Canadian soil treatment site, Ortec Group has acquired other organic materials reprocessing sites in Canada and the United States and similar facilities in France and the United Kingdom from Englobe.

“The transaction positions the Ortec Group among the world leaders in site and soil remediation in Europe, Africa and North America,” Ortec says.

Ortec’s newly acquired business line, to be known as Biogénie, generates revenue of more than $130 million annually via its operation of soil treatment facilities, composting centers and beneficial reuse sites, plus site remediation services.

Some 320 former Englobe employees of Biogénie have joined the Global Services Division of the Ortec Group.

Ortec says the integration process will allow it to enter the North American and U.K. soil and organic waste treatment markets while strengthening these activities in France, where the company benefits from more than 25 years of operating experience.

“The expertise and assets of Biogénie, combined with the know-how of Ortec-Soléo, will position the Ortec Group among the world leaders in soil remediation,” Ortec Group CEO André Einaudi says.

“This key activity is at the heart of the environmental transition and decarbonization, through the fight against land artificialization. We are delighted with this new step and welcome all Biogénie employees.”

The Ortec Group's soil remediation and composting activities globally now consist of 500 employees in Europe, North America and Africa, with 33 soil treatment platforms, four composting centers and 12 rehabilitation and renaturation sites.

In a notice on its website, Englobe writes that it has sold its operations in France and the U.K., as well as its Canadian soils and organic waste treatment facilities. Although these facilities have now been sold, Englobe will continue to offer professional treatment and management services for contaminated soils across Canada.

“By joining Ortec, Biogénie is integrating a major player in environmental services, which will promote sustainable growth. Having worked together in the past, we know Ortec’s in-depth expertise, their services complementing our own and the reputation for trust and innovation of this independent, family-owned group," says Alain Robichaud, responsible for Biogénie’s activities in North America and the U.K.