CleanR Grupa, which operates Latvia’s leading environmental services companies, closes 2024 with steady growth and positive financial results—the group’s turnover has grown by 19%, amounting to EUR 121 million, according to the group’s unaudited 12M financial results.

The CleanR Grupa earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in the twelve months of 2024 have increased by EUR 5.5 million, reaching EUR 25.1 million, compared to 2023, when the indicator stood at EUR 19.6 million. As one of the largest Latvian companies, which employs over 1800 employees, CleanR Grupa paid EUR 23.3 million in taxes in 2024, making a significant contribution to the country’s economy.

“In 2024, CleanR Grupa continued strengthening its leading position in the waste management and environmental services sector, making strategic investments, expanding operations, and working out the group’s strategy for 2025–2027, which sets its priorities and key directions for development. The consistent approach to sustainability and implementation of climate-neutral solutions, as well as the next stage of reorganization, including merger and acquisition deals, has had a positive impact on the financial results,” states Juris Gulbis, CleanR Grupa Chairman of the Management Board.

As part of the reorganization, CleanR Grupa strengthened its corporate governance model, forming two new subsidiaries: CleanR Industry comprises the group’s plastic recycling plant and industrial waste processing centre, while CleanR NĪ manages the group’s real estate.

To strengthen its position in the waste management industry, in November 2024, CleanR acquired Lautus, a company specializing in medical and hazardous waste management, as well as sanitation services.  The deal broadened CleanR’s competence and is especially important for ecological safety and public health.

At the same time, Vizii Urban, a group subsidiary, acquired 49% of the Tranzīts L share capital in the reporting period. This investment will boost the company’s regional expansion and competence transfer, ensuring provision of services in different parts around Latvia.

Waste management

In the waste management sector, year 2024 began with the expansion of the range of waste subject to mandatory sorting, defining biodegradable waste as recyclable from January 1. Separate collection of BIO waste must be ensured by all waste managers in cooperation with the municipality. This is an important initiative which forms part of the country’s long-term strategy to reduce the amount of land-filled waste.

Last year, CleanR succeeded in several municipal tenders. The company won a tender organized by the local government of Ogre municipality for the provision of services in the town of Ikšķiles and the rural territory of Tīnūži for the next seven years. Also, the company signed a contract for waste management in Ķekava municipality and Jūrmalas State city.

CleanR also continued investing in the waste management infrastructure in the reporting period by developing its underground waste container network.  In Riga, the company put into operation 65 sites with 245 containers, while in Jūrmala—two sites including eight containers.

At the same time, the CleanR Grupa industrial waste and construction and demolition waste management company CleanR Verso carried out sweeping modernization of Nomales, Latvia’s largest building refuse sorting and recycling centre. The centre was equipped with the most powerful industrial waste shredder in the Baltics, significantly increasing the efficiency of the recycling process and decreasing impact on the environment.  

Environmental services

The group continued to strengthen its position in the urban services segment. In the reporting period, the group company Vizii Urban won a Riga city tender on the maintenance of the transport structures in the Ziemeļi district and Vidzeme suburb until 2029. At the same time, KOM-Auto, an urban services business operating under Vizii Urban, expanded its operations in the Vidzeme region, undertaking road maintenance in the territory of the Amata association administration. KOM-Auto also expanded geographically by taking on road maintenance in the town of Līgatne and its rural territory, as well as Bauska and Rēzekne municiplaities. Additionally, the company strengthened its position in the town of Cēsis, getting a five-year urban maintenance contract.

The group’s commercial cleaning company Vizii expanded its technological capabilities in the reporting period by increasing its cleaning robot count to 21 units.  Vizii also implemented an innovative solution in the commercial cleaning sector—a digital communication and customer service tool. It is the first quality control app which lets employees of the serviced sites evaluate the quality of the cleaning works remotely.  

Extended producer responsibility system

The extended producer responsibility system (EPR) for textile, which came into force on 1 July last year, imposes the Natural Resource Tax on the companies first to sell or use textile in their economic activity in Latvia. Zaļā josta, the group’s EPR company, carried out preparatory work for the implementation of the EPR in the first half of the year, identifying the companies concerned and raising awareness of responsible sorting and disposal of textile among businesses and the public.

Sustainability, circular economy, and environmental education

To keep improving its sustainability governance, CleanR Grupa in the reporting period continued making its vehicle fleet more environment-friendly; already now 70% of its cars produce low or zero emissions. Furthermore, more than a half of its collected waste is recycled into new materials, and the decrease in the group’s carbon footprint twice exceeds emissions caused by its own activities. 

Also in the reporting period, CleanR Grupa presented a unique study—Latvian Circular Economy Index—to the public, municipalities, policymakers, and the group’s stakeholders.   This is the first scientifically based tool, created in cooperation with more than 20 Latvian scientists and researchers, helping Latvian local municipalities evaluate their circularity, identify best practice, and offering recommendations for improvement.

At the beginning of 2024, a special focus was placed on environmental education by setting up Šūna, a first-ever pop-up site devoted to environmental education, which in May and June was located in the historical centre of Riga near the National Art Museum. This year, the Šūna project will be continued outside Riga.

Recognition

In 2024, CleanR Grupa’s performance was recognized in several prominent ratings, attesting to the group’s high sustainability and corporate governance standards. The Group’s Chairman of the Council Guntars Kokorevičs was named the National Capital Entrepreneur of the Year by business media Dienas Bizness. The group received the Bank of Lavia and Corporate Governance Council’s award for stakeholder management, the Latvian Employer Confederation excellence award for investment in corporate brand development, and Platinum rating in the Sustainability Index. Also, the group received the Green Excellence award from the State Environmental Service of Republic of Latvia for efficient and sustainable waste management system. At the same time, the group company Viizi was the first commercial cleaning company in Latvia to receive the international EcoVadis sustainability assessment, acknowledging its pursuit of excellence in sustainability.

About CleanR Grupa     

CleanR Grupa operates the leading companies in the environmental services sector in Latvia. CleanR Grupa includes SIA CleanR, a municipal waste management company, SIA CleanR Verso, an industrial waste and construction and demolition waste management company, CleanR Industry, a waste recycling company, SIA Zaļā josta, an extended producer responsibility system provider, SIA Vizii, a cleaning company, and SIA Vizii Urban, an urban services business.

The group companies service half a million Latvian people daily. The group offers highly digitized environmental services, provides high-quality customer care, and demonstrates leadership in the pursuit of sustainability and circularity. CleanR Grupa is a 100% Latvian capital company, whose Founder and Chairman of the Council is Guntars Kokorevičs.