Company Description
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) is a global sustainability-focused company that offers water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services designed to protect people and the resources vital to life. According to the company’s public disclosures and news releases, Ecolab serves millions of customers and operates in more than 170 countries worldwide. Its offerings are positioned to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water and energy use across a range of end markets.
Ecolab is classified in the Manufacturing sector, within the industry category of Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing. The company describes itself as a global sustainability leader that delivers science-based solutions, data-driven insights and service to improve operational efficiencies and sustainability outcomes for customers. These capabilities are applied in food, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality, industrial and high tech markets, where reliable hygiene, water management and infection prevention are central to operations.
Business focus and solutions
Across its communications, Ecolab highlights three core areas of focus:
- Water solutions and services that help customers manage and reuse water, improve water quality and address water-related risks, including in water-intensive industries.
- Hygiene and cleaning solutions that support food safety, clean environments and sanitation needs in commercial, industrial and residential settings.
- Infection prevention solutions that support healthcare and life sciences customers and other environments where microbial control is critical.
The company states that it builds on more than a century of innovation and reports annual sales of around $16 billion, with approximately 48,000 associates. Its disclosures emphasize the combination of chemistry, digital technologies and on-site expertise to help customers improve performance while reducing resource use.
Key customer industries and applications
Based on the company’s own descriptions, Ecolab’s solutions are used in multiple sectors, including:
- Food and beverage – advancing food safety and supporting production efficiency and water management in food and beverage operations.
- Healthcare – supporting clean and safe environments and infection prevention in healthcare facilities.
- Life sciences – providing contamination control and microbial control solutions for pharmaceutical and related cleanroom environments.
- Hospitality – supporting clean, safe environments in hospitality settings.
- Industrial and high tech – delivering water, digital and service capabilities for industrial manufacturing and high tech applications, including semiconductor manufacturing and data centers.
In addition to its broad water, hygiene and infection prevention portfolio, Ecolab reports specific offerings and programs in its news releases. For example, it has described a fully integrated cooling program for data centers under a “Cooling as a Service (CaaS)” model, which combines cooling management solutions, high-performance water management technology, smart coolant distribution units and monitoring technology delivered with expert service. The company also reports solutions such as its 3D TRASAR™ technology used in cooling and water applications.
Segments and growth engines
Ecolab’s third-quarter 2025 earnings release, furnished in a Form 8‑K, describes several operating segments and what drives their performance:
- Global Water – includes Light and Heavy, Food & Beverage, and Paper. The company notes growth in Food & Beverage and Global High-Tech, and describes this segment as supported by new business wins and water-related solutions.
- Global Institutional & Specialty – includes sales to hospitality customers and hospitals, as well as specialty applications. The company reports good growth in hospitality and strong growth in Specialty, supported by new business and value pricing.
- Global Pest Elimination – provides pest elimination services, with growth led by food & beverage, restaurants and healthcare customers.
- Global Life Sciences – serves bioprocessing, pharmaceutical and personal care customers, as well as industrial water purification related to life sciences, and reports double-digit growth in certain sub-areas.
Ecolab also identifies Life Sciences, Pest Elimination, Global High-Tech and Ecolab Digital as “growth engines” that, according to the company’s earnings commentary, are growing at double-digit rates. Ecolab Digital includes software and enabling hardware subscriptions that support water and hygiene performance through data and analytics.
Innovation, digital and high-tech focus
Company news releases describe several specific innovations and initiatives:
- Data center cooling: Ecolab has launched an integrated cooling program for data centers, combining its 3D TRASAR™ Technology for Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling with smart coolant distribution units and expert service to help data centers manage complex cooling needs and resource use.
- Semiconductor and ultrapure water: Ecolab has closed an acquisition of Ovivo’s electronics ultrapure water business, described as a provider of ultrapure water technologies for semiconductor manufacturing. The company states that this acquisition supports circular water management solutions in the semiconductor industry and extends its reach along the artificial intelligence value chain from semiconductor manufacturing to data centers.
- Food and beverage digital solutions: The company has introduced Ecolab® CIP IQ™, an AI‑enhanced clean‑in‑place digital solution for food and beverage companies, designed to provide real-time insights that support product quality, food safety, water reduction and production capacity. Ecolab reports that this solution integrates 4T2 Sensors’ fluid sensing technology into its 3D TRASAR™ sensors.
- Life sciences contamination control: Ecolab Life Sciences has launched Klercide™ Rapid Sporicide, a sporicidal disinfectant for pharmaceutical cleanrooms, which the company describes as addressing challenges such as strong odors, corrosiveness and residue while supporting shorter changeover times.
Retail and consumer access
Beyond industrial and institutional markets, Ecolab has reported an expanded partnership with The Home Depot. Under the Ecolab® Scientific Clean™ product line, the company offers cleaning solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use through Home Depot retail stores in Canada and online. The launch into Canada includes multiple products across categories such as degreasers, bathroom cleaners, pressure wash concentrates and floor care solutions, which the company describes as professional-grade and science-backed.
Sustainability and environmental leadership
Ecolab consistently describes itself as a global sustainability leader and reports external recognition for its environmental performance. In a news release, the company notes that it earned a double ‘A’ rating from CDP for water and climate, placing it among a small percentage of companies evaluated. Ecolab emphasizes corporate transparency, environmental resilience and the use of science-based targets and verified actions in its environmental strategy.
The company also publishes the Ecolab Watermark™ Study, which examines global water stewardship and consumer perceptions of water use, including the connection between artificial intelligence growth, data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and water demand. The study findings, as reported by Ecolab, highlight consumer expectations that businesses invest in technologies and infrastructure that mitigate the impact of AI and other trends on water resources.
Capital markets and corporate profile
Ecolab Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and its common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ECL, as confirmed in multiple Form 8‑K filings. The company has also issued debt securities, such as 5.000% Notes due 2035, under its shelf registration statement, with proceeds intended for general corporate purposes including funding acquisitions and repaying indebtedness, as disclosed in an August 2025 Form 8‑K.
The company has a long history of paying cash dividends on its common stock and has publicly noted a multi-decade record of consecutive annual dividend rate increases. Ecolab’s board of directors also oversees governance matters, and the company discloses board appointments and committee assignments through Form 8‑K filings.
Regulatory filings and listing status
Ecolab regularly furnishes Form 8‑K reports to announce quarterly earnings results and other material events, such as debt offerings and board changes. These filings reference attached news releases and supplemental data that provide additional detail on segment performance and financial metrics. The company’s common stock remains listed on the New York Stock Exchange, while certain debt securities, such as 2.625% Notes due 2025, have been removed from listing pursuant to a Form 25 filed by the exchange.
FAQs about Ecolab (ECL)
- What does Ecolab Inc. do?
Ecolab Inc. offers water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that, according to the company, protect people and the resources vital to life. Its science-based solutions and data-driven insights are used to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water and energy use across multiple industries.
- Which industries does Ecolab serve?
Company disclosures state that Ecolab serves customers in food, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality, industrial and high tech markets. It also reports activity in data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and food and beverage production through specialized water and digital solutions.
- How does Ecolab describe its role in sustainability?
Ecolab describes itself as a global sustainability leader. It emphasizes water stewardship, climate performance and resource efficiency, and reports recognition such as a double ‘A’ rating from CDP for water and climate leadership, reflecting its focus on transparency and environmental resilience.
- What are Ecolab’s main business segments?
In its earnings materials, Ecolab discusses several segments: Global Water (including Light and Heavy, Food & Beverage and Paper), Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Pest Elimination and Global Life Sciences. It also identifies growth engines including Life Sciences, Pest Elimination, Global High-Tech and Ecolab Digital.
- How is Ecolab involved in high tech and data centers?
Ecolab reports that it supports the high tech industry through water and digital capabilities, including solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and data centers. The company has acquired Ovivo’s electronics ultrapure water business and launched an integrated cooling program for data centers, combining water management technologies, smart equipment and monitoring.
- What is Ecolab’s Ecolab® Scientific Clean™ line?
According to a company news release, Ecolab® Scientific Clean™ is a product line of professional-grade cleaning solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use. These products are available through The Home Depot in Canada and cover categories such as degreasers, bathroom cleaners, pressure wash concentrates and floor care solutions.
- What is the Ecolab Watermark™ Study?
The Ecolab Watermark™ Study is described by the company as an annual research effort on global water stewardship. The 2025 study highlights connections between artificial intelligence growth, data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and water demand, as well as consumer expectations for smart water management by businesses.
- Where is Ecolab headquartered?
SEC filings list Ecolab’s principal executive offices in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and identify the company as a Delaware corporation.
- On which exchange does Ecolab trade and under what symbol?
Ecolab’s common stock is registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ECL, as indicated in multiple Form 8‑K filings.
- Does Ecolab pay dividends?
In a news release, Ecolab’s board of directors is reported to have declared a cash dividend increase and the company notes that it has paid cash dividends on its common stock for many consecutive years, including a long record of annual dividend rate increases.