Sustainability
We help industries reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, and make critical resources more accessible by delivering innovative technologies that improve efficiency, strengthen resilience, and support a more sustainable future.
25.1 million
Metric tons of carbon emissions avoided by our customers annually
$8 billion
Energy expenses saved by our customers annually
48.5 million
Cubic meters of water, equivalent to 19,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, cleaned each day in facilities using our energy recovery devices (ERDs)
Reporting & Disclosures
Our annual sustainability report focuses both on how we support customers and how we manage our operational footprint. The report is designed to provide clear sustainability performance data and selected framework-aligned disclosures relevant to our operations, products, and business strategy.
Sustainability Report
2025 Sustainability Performance Summary
Our 2025 Sustainability Performance Summary gives a streamlined overview of our sustainability performance for fiscal year 2025. The report provides…
Sustainability Report
2024 Sustainability Performance Summary
We’re investing in sustainability for a brighter future for our business, customers, and the planet. Follow our progress through our…
Sustainability Report
2023 Sustainability Report
This year’s report contains several significant updates, including: Details on our recurring goals, all of which are on track as…
Governance
Coordination across the Board of Directors and management ensures a coordinated, action-driven approach to sustainability across the company. At the Board level, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has responsibility for sustainability oversight.
UNSDG Alignment
Clean Water and Sanitation
Target 6.4, 6.A
Facilities operating with an Energy Recovery ERD produced 48.5 million cubic meters of water per day in 2025, the equivalent to 19,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, cleaned each day. In our own operations, total water withdrawal declined from 6.7 to 5.8 million liters year over year, and water withdrawal intensity improved to 0.04 megaliters (ML) per $1M of product revenue, against our goal of maintaining intensity below 0.06 ML.
Affordable and Clean Energy
Target 7.3
Our products reduce emissions related to the production of vital resources by increasing efficiency and reducing energy consumption. Our energy recovery solutions save customers 52.7 TWh of energy consumption annually, making energy-intensive industries affordable and accessible.
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Target 9.4
Our technology helps customers build more resilient water infrastructure and advance sustainable industrialization by enabling energy and cost-efficient commercial and industrial processes. In 2025, $134.8 million of our revenue came from renewable energy-related and energy efficiency-related products.
Climate Action
Target 13.1, 13.2, 13.3
Our product lines reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions globally and support reuse of wastewater and provision of drinking water to communities. In 2025, our products helped customers avoid 25.1 M metric tons of carbon emissions. This is equivalent to removing 5.9 million cars from the road each year. In our own operations, we’re targeting a 65% reduction in Scope 1–2 emissions intensity from a 2021 baseline by the end of 2026, measured per $1M of product revenue.
Customer Highlights
Revolutionizing Water Reuse in Switzerland
A potable water treatment plant in Biel, Switzerland, serving 70,000 residents in Biel and the surrounding region, was redesigned to improve water purity and regional water security while drastically cutting energy use. Like many regions around the world, Switzerland is facing the challenge of water scarcity and is incorporating water reuse into its long-term strategy to secure a sustainable supply of clean water. Energie Service Biel/Bienne (ESB), in partnership with Membratec S.A., implemented a reverse osmosis (RO) system enhanced by Energy Recovery’s Low-Pressure PX® Pressure Exchanger®, which helps to maximize the energy efficiency and long-term affordability of the system. The Low-Pressure PX brought the system’s specific energy consumption below 0.6 kWh/m³, delivering estimated savings of $120,000 per year and 269 MT CO2e emissions avoided annually, supporting Switzerland’s net zero emissions goal. This treatment facility is an important component of the region’s efforts to secure reliable, clean water for future generations, and Energy Recovery is proud to support this progress.
Farmer-owned Desalination Plant Pairs PX Technology With Solar to Cut Energy Costs
The Comunidad de Regantes de Águilas, a farmer-owned irrigation community in Águilas, Spain, operates its own seawater desalination plant in a water-scarce region. Already powering part of its operations with a 786 kW floating solar array, the community retrofitted two RO trains with Energy Recovery’s PX Q400 Pressure Exchanger technology, replacing aging Pelton turbines. The PX Q400 recovers hydraulic energy at up to 98% efficiency and is built for a 30-year service life with minimal maintenance.
Completed in December 2025, the retrofit now saves the 20,000 m³/day plant an estimated 1.8 million kWh, $178,000, and 1,000 tons of CO₂ annually. By cutting energy demand before drawing on solar, the community has built a model pairing efficiency with renewables for other water-scarce agricultural operations to follow.
Ratings
MSCI ESG Rating “AAA”
Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating: Medium
As of 2026, Energy Recovery, Inc. received an MSCI ESG Rating of AAA. THE USE BY ENERGY RECOVERY, INC OF ANY MSCI ESG RESEARCH LLC OR ITS AFFILIATES (“MSCI”) DATA, AND THE USE OF MSCI LOGOS, TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS OR INDEX NAMES HEREIN, DO NOT CONSTITUTE A SPONSORSHIP, ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION, OR PROMOTION OF ENERGY RECOVERY, INC BY MSCI. MSCI SERVICES AND DATA ARE THE PROPERTY OF MSCI OR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, AND ARE PROVIDED ‘AS-IS’ AND WITHOUT WARRANTY. MSCI NAMES AND LOGOS ARE TRADEMARKS OR SERVICE MARKS OF MSCI.
In October 2025, Energy Recovery received an ESG Risk Rating of 25.5 and was assessed by Morningstar Sustainalytics to be at Medium risk of experiencing material financial impacts from ESG factors. In no event shall the rating be construed as investment advice or expert opinion as defined by the applicable legislation. The information contained or reflected herein is not directed to or intended for use or distribution to India-based clients or users and its distribution to Indian resident individuals or entities is not permitted, and Morningstar/Sustainalytics accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the actions of third parties in this respect.