RSE Group’s rapid growth in recent years has translated into a substantial impact on the UK economy and in the communities we operate, which is now quantified by new analysis from economic consultancy SQW.
In 2024/25, we contributed £280.7 million in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, generated £307 million in sales and directly employed 1,718 people across 31 locations. In Scotland specifically, our activities generated £141.1 million in GVA and supported 1,648 jobs, with our employees earning – on average – more than the Scottish and UK average salaries. Sixty-one percent of our employees live in Scotland, and the remainder (39%) are based elsewhere in the UK.
Beyond our direct impact, our indirect contributions have also been felt through our additional support of businesses across a wider UK supply chain. Our spending has backed businesses that are vital for the delivery of critical national infrastructure, with more than £135 million spent with UK suppliers during the period assessed and 32% of this going specifically to suppliers in Scotland.
Innovation’s Role in Growth
In a highly regulated sector, innovation has underpinned RSE’s rapid growth. In 2021, we established our Products & Innovations team and committed to a three-year, £14m programme of investment in research and development (R&D), which was supported by an additional £2.8m in funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. RSE’s core Products & Innovations team of five staff focus on researching, designing and developing innovative water treatment solutions for worldwide commercialisation.
We reinvest 10% of our annual profits into accelerating the development and adoption of transformative and sustainable water treatment technologies. Our modular treatment plants are also helping to reduce the environmental impact of water infrastructure, delivering an 85% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with traditional solutions.
The Challenge of Scotland’s Varied Skills Profile
Operating across multiple locations means we see firsthand how Scotland’s skills profile varies from region to region.
SQW’s analysis highlights a significant difference in qualification levels across Scotland. Edinburgh has the highest proportion of working-age residents qualified to NVQ4+/RQF4+ level (70.6%), while North Lanarkshire has the lowest (46.5%) and the highest share of residents with no qualifications (9.3%).
Access to the right skills is essential for supporting growth, particularly in highly technical sectors such as water infrastructure and engineering, and we are developing the next generation of talent as an important part of our own growth. We currently employ around 105 apprentices across the UK, approximately 90% of whom are based in Scotland. We take on around 30 apprentices each year, with a 90% retention rate.
Highland Impact
Headquartered in Muir of Ord, RSE’s roots are firmly in the Highlands, and our growth continues to make a significant contribution, with nearly a third (31%) of our workforce living in the region.
We also delivered £65.5m in GVA and supported 744 jobs across the Highlands, with the average salary standing 28% higher than the local average.
SQA’s report found that growing sustainable, high-value businesses and creating opportunities for people to build careers locally has an important role to play in addressing challenges around productivity and depopulation.
”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.
Steve SlessorCEO of RSE
