The history of Enhesa

A look back at where Enhesa came from — and a glimpse at where we’re heading

An enduring ethos

Enhesa as a contemporary company was founded in 2001, but our history spans way back to the 1980s. And ever since those early days, the fundamental values embedded as part of our DNA haven’t changed…

To provide a much needed and requested service to multinational companies to help them make sense of and understand their legal obligations and non-compliance risks related to EHS and sustainability across the globe.

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Fulfilling demand from the start

We provide a risk-based approach to EHS and sustainability compliance because it’s what companies have asked us to do ever since we started.

We didn’t start a business with the hope or intent of selling services. Instead, businesses approached us and asked for help. We simply developed, honed, and delivered services our customers requested.

Our services have been — and always will be — driven by the needs of our customers.

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Rooted in regulatory requirements

From the beginning, we were guided by our clients’ requests for information around what regulators expected of them, in accordance with regulatory requirements in all operational locations and jurisdictions.

Since the 1980s, a lack of compliance knowledge carried with it stringent penalties in terms of fines and reputational damage. We were established to help US multinationals understand the potential risks and liabilities regarding international EHS regulations.

In the following years, Enhesa quickly expanded to fulfil the same requirements for businesses across Europe, and then the rest of the world.

It's in our DNA

While Enhesa has have grown and evolved since its inception, the underlying principle of what we do and how we do it remains the same. We capture, analyze, interpret, and communicate regulatory data through a structured and standardized taxonomy to make it easy for businesses to:

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Understand where risks lie

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Identify gaps and trends

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Benchmark internally and against industry standards

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Make smarter decisions driven by date

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Pragmatic and actionable expert regulatory and compliance advice for companies doing business in multiple jurisdictions

1980s

US geo-tech company Law Engineering & Environmental Services sets up the Washington Environmental Policy Center (WEPC) in Atlanta, GA 

WEPC welcomes Lee Thomas — former head advisor to the EPA — into the fold 

Law Engineering acquires Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners — a British firm of consulting civil engineers in Reading, UK

1990s

The Brussels office is set up as the Environmental Policy Centre Europe (EPCE) 

The combined expertise of the WEPC and EPCE widens the company’s scope to cover Audit Protocols — this coverage is still in our core offering today in the form of our Scorecards 

Following a management buyout by founding members, the company is renamed Enhesa 

Environment, Health, and Safety 

See what we did there?

2000s

Shanghai and Tokyo offices established, followed by a long period of growth

2017

Acquisition by Waterland

2020

Acquisition by CGE 

Acquired Chemical Watch — a global authority on chemicals risk and regulatory management — to expand our offering with Enhesa Product Intelligence

2021

Acquired Scivera and ToxPlanet complementary companies focusing on supply chain transparency and safe chemical choices — to create Enhesa Sustainable Chemistry

2022

Acquired RegScan

2023

Launched Enhesa Corporate Sustainability offering

What's next for Enhesa?

Our goal for the future is to keep doing what we’re doing — only we’ll be expanding what we cover in line with the regulatory changes impacting businesses worldwide. Over the years, we’ve seen the EHS compliance landscape broaden and grow exponentially, casting a wide horizon for the future of compliance.

That means continuing to approach Corporate Sustainability in the same way we’ve addressed EHS for over 30 years — helping companies make sense of sustainability regulations and frameworks by providing a singular source of knowledge for businesses to understand, action, and report on sustainability and ESG with confidence and conviction.

As part of this development and expansion, Enhesa is also investing in and exploring how we can use AI to enhance, streamline, and improve the solutions we offer our clients.