Platinum Equity to Acquire Global Environmental Services Business Urbaser from China Tianying for $4.2 Billion.

Global investment firm Platinum Equity today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Urbaser, one of the world’s largest providers of environmental services, from China Tianying Inc. for an enterprise value of approximately $4.2 billion (€3.5 billion). The sale is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2021, subject to China Tianying shareholder and customary regulatory approvals.

Urbaser is a leading global environmental management company oriented towards sustainability and innovation, serving more than 70 million people in 25 countries through a network of more than 50,000 employees. Currently, it is responsible for cleaning more than 8 million kilometers of streets in different cities around the world and maintaining 25 million square meters of green areas. It operates 133 waste treatment facilities with a total of 20 million tons treated; produces 1,500 GWh of electrical energy from waste and in the last year has avoided the emission of almost 2 million tons of CO2 equivalent.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Urbaser’s core business comprises three segments – Urban Services (waste collection, street cleaning and water management), Municipal Waste Treatment, and Industrial Waste Treatment – concentrated primarily in Spain, Chile, Argentina, France, and the Nordic region. The company generated approximately $2.8 billion (€2.3 billion) in revenue for fiscal year 2020.

“Urbaser is a complex company that is both vital service provider and important caretaker of the environment,” said Tom Gores, founder and CEO of Platinum Equity. “It is a leader in a sector that requires both operational excellence and ESG best practices.”

In addition to its core services, Urbaser has made substantial investments in R&D with a focus on circular economy solutions like bioplastics, bioproducts, compost, waste oil from vessels recovery, and advancements in innovative waste collection practices. The company’s commitment to innovation is a competitive advantage and fundamental to providing solutions for the sustainable development of urban services, integrated water management, and treatment of municipal and industrial waste. 

“Urbaser is a highly scalable platform with an attractive value proposition across the entire spectrum of waste management services,” said Platinum Equity Managing Director Igor Chacartegui. “The environmental services sector is in a period of growth and consolidation, and we will leverage the company’s scale and technical capabilities to accelerate its expansion both organically and through targeted M&A investments in key geographies.”

Citi and Santander are serving as investment advisors to Platinum Equity on the acquisition of Urbaser. Latham and Watkins is serving as the firm’s legal counsel.