Veolia and Enviropacific Into the PFAS Fray

Veolia’s AUD 220 million acquisition of Enviropacific creates a powerhouse to scrub "forever chemicals" from Australia’s contaminated water

25 Mar 2026

Veolia, the French utility group, has agreed to acquire Enviropacific, an Australian environmental services firm, in a deal valued at approximately AUD 220m. The transaction brings together Veolia's water treatment technologies with Enviropacific's domestic expertise in soil remediation, contaminated water handling, and hazardous waste management.

The deal comes as Australia faces a deepening PFAS contamination problem. More than 315 sites across the country have recorded elevated levels of the synthetic chemicals, commonly known as "forever chemicals", in drinking water systems, with the highest concentration in New South Wales. Defence bases, airports, and industrial sites where firefighting foam was historically used have left lasting traces in groundwater and surface water, increasing pressure on regulators and public utilities to act.

Enviropacific recorded turnover of roughly AUD 250m in the year to June 2025 and employs close to 300 specialists. Veolia said the company's domestic reach complemented its own two decades of PFAS treatment experience in Australia. The group's chief executive described the transaction as reinforcing its role as "a trusted partner for Australian public authorities seeking future-ready solutions to contamination."

The acquisition aligns with Veolia's GreenUp strategy, which targets one billion euros in global revenue from PFAS and micropollutant treatment by 2030.

Conventional water treatment plants do not remove PFAS effectively, pushing utilities toward alternative technologies such as granular activated carbon and ion exchange resin systems. Updated Australian drinking water guidelines and tighter monitoring requirements have sharpened demand for these approaches in recent years.

For water operators navigating rising compliance obligations, the deal reflects a broader shift toward consolidated service providers with the engineering capacity to operate across multiple states. Key remediation targets include defence precincts, airport corridors, and urban groundwater systems.