The Separett Story

From manufacturing details to the automobile industry in the nordics to exporting waterless toilets worldwide - The Separett Story

ERBI got its name from the founders Bengt Erlandsson (Big Bengt) and Gerhard Billsund

1964 - ERBI Hyltebruk

ERBI AB was a Swedish company that at the beginning of 1964 manufactured metal parts for the automobile industry, providing details for several Swedish companies like Volvo and Husqvarna. Gerhard Billsund was the director of ERBI and is the father of Separett's current CEO Mikael Billsund.

In the 1970s, Gerhard Billsund felt the need to produce his own products focusing on customers instead of B2B, this led to the development of a waterless toilet.

The factory in ERBI Hyltebruk

1976 - Separett's first waterless toilet

Entrepreneur Gerhard Billsund bought a summer cabin in Åsa, south of Gothenburg Sweden, and started looking for a suitable toilet for his new holiday home that had limited access to water. After the search, he realized that there were no toilet solutions on the market that he thought would fit. Here the idea of ​​developing a toilet specially designed for Nordic holiday homes was born.

The company start producing the evaporative toilet Classic 3000, which is sold through Husqvarna's sales organization in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The toilet is a success and is ranked as one of the best for holiday homes without municipal water.

In 20 years, more than 125,000 toilets are sold.

Between 1976 and 1996, Separett's products were sold under the Husqvarna brand.

Separett's first waterless toilet Classic 3000

1987 - Mikael Billsund takes over the company

Separett moves into new buildnings in Skinnebo, Bredaryd and Mikael Billsund takes over the company as a 22-year-old after his father Gerhard Billsund.

The manufacturing of car components is sold and the company is now solely focused on developing, producing and selling waterless toilets to Nordic holiday homes.

Separett CEO Mikael Billsund

Factory in Skinnebo, Sweden

1993 - The first urine diverting toilet

The urine diverting toilet is introduced and Separett is the first company on the market to produce urine separating toilets. In the coming years, there is a lot of investment in marketing of the toilet which quickly becomes the market leader.

In 1996, the agreement with Husqvarna is terminated and Separett starts its own sales organization.

In 2008, Separett opens up a sales office in Jönköping, Sweden with 3 employees.

In 2003, Separett introduces the new urine diverting toilet Villa 9000 with its improved function and appreciated design becomes a global bestseller.

The first urine diverting toilet Villa 6200

2010 - Subsidiary in Helsinki, Finland

Finland is becoming a growing market for Separett, leading to the opening of a branch in Vaanta, Helsinki.

Today, Finland is Separett's second largest market, growing at an incredible rate. At the Finnish office, we have 3 employees.

In 2012, incineration toilets are introduced in Separett's assortment, which is sold successfully from the start.

Separett is opening up a subsidiary in Helsinki, Finland

2013 - Non-profit project started in Lima, Peru

Lima, the capital of Peru, is one of many places on earth where many people live without access to an adequate toilet solution. Lima is also the second driest capital in the world.

In addition to the severe water shortage, there is political uncertainty and poor urban planning of the city, which has led to a sanitation and public health crisis in Peru.

Together with the organization X-runner, Separett has provided over 900 family households with waterless toilets in the work for better hygiene and sanitation. The organization serves over 900 households daily where they collect families' waste, which is then safely taken care of.

X-runners work in Lima, Peru

2015 - Separett moves place to Värnamo, Sweden

Separett is expanding globally at a rapid pace, leading to the move of both the factory and the office from the forests in Skinnebo to newly built buildings in Bredasten, Värnamo right next to the European route E4.

Everything in the company is centralized to the new industrial area in Värnamo: development, production, sales and administration.

At the move to Värnamo 2015, Separett consisted of 15 employees - today we are 27.

Separett in Värnamo, Sweden

2015 - Delivers toilets to research station in Arctic Greenland

Separett's Danish retailer Backlund Ecology runs several projects around the world. Vilum Research Station is a Danish research institute in Greenland that investigates climate change and its impact on atmospheric, oceanographic, biological and geological conditions in the Arctic. This is where Separett's urine separating toilet Villa 9000 is installed.

This inspired a military station (Station Nord) in Greenland that also installed 2 of Separett's toilets.

In addition to this, Arne at Backlund Ecology has provided several households in Greenland and elsewhere in the Arctic with toilets from Separett. These include permanent residences, holiday homes, Kang Ski Center and the luxurious campsite Camp Kiattua, which was nominated for the world's best adventure hotel in 2019.

Separett's waterless toilets in Greenland

2016 - Non-profit project in Sucre, Bolivia

We are incredibly proud to be able to provide toilet solutions that improve people's everyday lives and sanitation on a global level. In 2016, a non-profit project started in Bolivia's capital Sucre led by the organization SNV (Netherlands Development Organization).

One of Bolivia's priorities is to ensure access to water and sanitation solutions for all of 2025. This challenge requires functioning toilet solutions in Bolivian households, which the SNV organization provides with our products in Sucre with funding support from the Swedish Embassy.

The SNV project has contributed to more than 6,500 men and women's improved sanitation and health in Bolivia, which now has a more healthy household with the help of Separett's waterless toilets.

SNVs work in Sucre, Bolivia

2020 January - Subsidiary in Las Vegas, USA

The Tiny House movement has in recent years created a great interest in Separett's toilet solutions in the USA. A Tiny House or Tiny Home is a small (under 16 sqm) wheeled house that often goes hand in hand with a sustainable lifestyle close to nature.

This type of accommodation generally has limited access to water where Separett's waterless toilets can contribute with comfort and freedom. In connection with this, the United States has become one of the largest markets for Separett, which led to the opening of a subsidiary in Las Vegas.

Separett opens up an subsidiary in Las Vegas

2020 March - Two new partners

In March 2020, Separett received two new partners who owns Separett AB together with CEO Mikael Billsund:

Kevin Billsund
Sales Sweden

Jyri Frantzi
Partner and COO at Separett

Kevin Billsund

Jyri Frantzi

2020 May - All Time High sales record

In May 2020, Separett reaches All Time High in terms of sales!

All Time High in May 2020