A new impact report has revealed that Highland-headquartered RSE Group drove £280.7 million of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2024/2025. Over the same period, the water technology firm generated sales of £307 million, whilst directly employing 1,718 people.
The impact has been quantified by economic consultancy SQW.
Nearly a third of employees (31%) live in the Highlands, which is where the group is headquartered at Muir of Ord. 61% of employees live in Scotland and the remainder are based elsewhere in the UK.
The group revealed it also has a range of positive indirect impacts – spending over £135 million with UK suppliers in the period assessed, with almost a third from suppliers in Scotland. A wider indirect impact is that its modular treatment plants are said to drive an 85% reduction in CO₂ emissions over traditional solutions.
All told, its GVA extends to £141.1 million in Scotland, with 1,648 jobs supported. For the UK as a whole, this figure rises to 3,327 jobs supported. The company also currently employs around 105 apprentices across the UK, with approximately 90% based in Scotland.
In a highly regulated sector, RSE said innovation has underpinned its growth over recent years. In 2023, the company set up an Innovation Hub at its Muir of Ord base and committed to a three year £14 million programme of R&D investment which was supported by an additional £2.8 million in funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Hub has a core team of five and focuses on researching, designing and developing water treatment solutions for worldwide commercialisation. The company has registered one patent, has another one pending, and a further four others in progress.
Steve Slessor, CEO of RSE, said, “A degree of RSE’s success still goes below the radar, but this report confirms the scale of the group’s positive economic impact right across the UK. Innovation is at the heart of this, and our modular approach to water treatment, using filtration technologies like ceramic membrane technology, means we save our clients time, money and CO₂, whilst maintaining the highest quality standards.
“We are proudly Highland-headquartered, but our impact stretches far beyond that. As we grow, we are creating opportunities for our own people and the wider UK supply chain – supporting jobs, skills and investment across the country. We want to continue building that capability here in the UK to take Scottish engineering and innovation to international markets. Despite the skills challenges identified in the report, we will continue to seek out the best people to drive towards our ambitious targets.”
