Founded in 1923 in St. Paul, Minnesota with a single carpet cleaning formulation, Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) has grown into a global provider of water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions. The company serves nearly 3 million customer locations across more than 170 countries and six continents, generating close to $15 billion in annual sales. Its 48,000 associates work across more than 40 industries, including food safety, healthcare, energy, and commercial facilities.
Ecolab's core work centres on protecting water, ensuring hygiene standards, and preventing infection - helping businesses maintain clean, safe environments while improving resource efficiency. Its technical domains span water treatment and stewardship, cleaning chemistry and formulations, sanitation, compliance (including Alliance for Water Stewardship certification), and waste reduction. The company has expanded its water capabilities significantly through strategic acquisitions, including Nalco Water.
Ecolab ranked 33rd on Corporate Knights' 2022 index of the 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. Its approach combines on-site expertise with proprietary chemistry and data to help customers reduce water and energy consumption and build more resilient operations.