Circular by design: Xylem's Emmaboda facility leads in water and metal reuse
At Xylem’s Emmaboda facility, circular economy practices are part of everyday production. Its on-site foundry sources over 85% of its iron from recycled or reclaimed materials, helping to reduce waste and reliance on virgin resources. At the same time, a purpose-built water treatment plant allows the factory to reuse 100% of its process water – 20 million liters per year.
The Emmaboda site, located in southern Sweden, is home to the world’s largest wastewater pump factory. The facility’s legacy stretches over a century – currently it produces more than 160,000 Flygt pumps per year for use in critical water and wastewater systems worldwide. With more than 1,350 employees and a footprint of 400,000 square meters (almost 100 acres), Emmaboda handles nearly every part of the production process on site – from casting and machining to assembly and distribution.
Recycling metal for pump production
At the heart of Xylem’s Emmaboda facility is its advanced on-site foundry, where essential components for Flygt pumps – such as housings and impellers – are cast with precision to meet the demands of moving stormwater and wastewater reliably for the communities we serve.
What sets Emmaboda’s foundry apart isn’t just its technical capability – it’s how well it implemented circular economy principles. Of the roughly 18,000 metric tons (19,800 tons) of cast iron processed each year, more than 85% of the raw material comes from recycled or reclaimed sources.
The facility sources recycled cast iron and recovers scrap from its own operations to recycle internally. For the hardest-working parts that are used in abrasive environments, the foundry produces hard iron with up to 95% recycled content.
Transforming shavings into quality parts
Recycling is embedded in every step of the production process at Emmaboda. During machining – when parts are shaped and refined – any cast iron shavings or chips are collected, cleaned, and melted down for internal recycling. Other metal shavings are collected and sent for external recycling to ensure that nothing goes to waste. If a cast iron part is defective or not needed, it’s broken into pieces and added back into the furnace.
Even the fluids used to cool cutting tools are removed to maintain material quality before recycling. These closed-loop practices dramatically reduce the need for newly mined raw materials.
Through it all, quality never takes a back seat. The foundry team checks the melted iron and finished parts at multiple points to make sure each one meets the performance standards our customers expect. The result: durable, reliable pumps made with less waste and a smaller environmental footprint.
A closed loop water reuse system
Like metal, water at Emmaboda is part of a smart reuse cycle. In 2022, Xylem took a major step forward by opening an on-site treatment plant that recycles all 20 million liters (5.2 million gallons) of process water used annually. The reclaimed water is essential for daily operations, supporting pump testing, foundry cooling, and machining operations.
The treatment system brings together more than 20 Xylem technologies to clean and recycle the facility’s process water. After an initial settling and filtration in onsite ponds, the water is sent through an automated treatment plant that removes impurities and disinfects it for safe reuse. The result is a closed-loop system that provides a reliable, self-sustaining supply of high-quality process water – easing demand on local resources.
Xylem’s commitment to sustainability
From Emmaboda to operations around the world, Xylem is integrating circular practices into how we design, manufacture, and deliver our solutions. By reducing waste and reusing resources, we’re lowering our environmental impact and helping build more sustainable water systems for communities everywhere.