Dive Brief:
- Arcwood Environmental released a sustainability report on Tuesday with a goal to "responsibly manage" 50% more waste by 2030 compared to a 2024 baseline.
- In the report, the company highlighted its role managing complex materials for clients. Arcwood reported managing 371,888 tons of waste in 2025 and recycled 13,102 tons of material.
- Arcwood President Ernie Walker said in the report that recent acquisitions will allow the company to expand its recycling capabilities. Arcwood, which was formerly known as Heritage Environmental Services, has been on a quick path to growth since EQT Infrastructure acquired a majority stake in the company in 2024.
Insight:
The company has released annual sustainability reports since 2012, when it was still operating as Heritage. It has tracked the emissions that it’s helped customers avoid for several years, including when it was known as Heritage. In the latest report, Arcwood reported declining total avoided emissions between 2023 and 2025.
Over the last year, Arcwood has notched three major acquisitions that expanded its service offerings and geographic reach.
The most recent, Virginia-based MXI Environmental, offered household hazardous waste collection capabilities, as well as closed-loop solvent and chemical recovery processes. The acquisition "marked a significant step forward in our recycling strategy," Walker wrote.
Meanwhile, previous acquisitions of New York-based Innovative Recycling Technologies and Michigan-based ERG Environmental Group further expanded Arcwood's reach into specialized waste streams.
Over time, those capabilities will be spread across the company’s operating areas, CEO HP Nanda previously told Waste Dive. He also noted the company’s plans to expand its geographic reach, particularly on the West Coast.
In its new sustainability report, Arcwood did not report raw emissions numbers. It did disclose carbon intensity for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, which is the amount of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent the company generates per million dollars of revenue. It charted 326 mt CO2e in 2025, up from 311 mt in 2024 and 308 mt in 2023.
The company has addressed its climate impact in part through renewable energy credits. From 2024 to 2025, Arcwood increased the amount of renewable electricity it purchased from 70% to 81% of its total usage.
In 2025, the company also doubled its year over year investments in internal energy reduction projects. That included building efficiency upgrades, vehicle replacement programs and other waste reduction and material circularity projects.
Arcwood also provided metrics on its incinerators and water treatment capabilities. The company processed 107,766 tons of waste at its incineration facilities, producing 38,952 tons of slag and ash and 78,732 gigawatt-hours of steam that could be used for heat. It also returned more than 21 million gallons of treated wastewater for reuse.
Arcwood is among several hazardous waste and envrionmental services companies reporting their sustainability progress. VLS Environmental Solutions released its sustainability report on Wednesday. Clean Harbors released its most recent sustainability update in September.
