THE UK and Ireland’s leading manufacturer of high performance expanded polystyrene bead insulation products, energystore has announced it will partner with Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA) for a fifth consecutive year, having planted over 8,000 native trees in Northern Ireland since 2020.

Aligning with the energystore’s substantial environmental commitments, including its pledge to be emission-free by 2028 by investing £2m in its Emission-less Mission, the company will continue its support of NIFSA for the 2024-25 year.

Northern Ireland Forest School Association is a registered charity that has been delivering training and accreditation to educational establishments since 2008.

The leading forest school programme for schools, nurseries and universities across NI, is based on a Scandinavian idea that considers children’s contact with nature to be extremely important from an early age.

Headquartered in Holywood, Co. Down, energystore staff have worked with NIFS to plant over 2,000 native trees each year across Castle Park, Bangor and Glenmore Parkland Trail in Lisburn. The company, which values its CSR outputs and understands its role within the community, has donated £48k for the charity.

Having begun as an initial pledge to plant trees in the NIFSA headquarters in Clandeboye Estate, the partnership has blossomed into a wider project with energystore planting trees in schools with the co-operation of the Education Authority.

Having planted trees in 20 schools across Northern Ireland, energystore was able to engage and collaborate with teachers and pupils at each location, creating an inviting forest area for students to learn and play in.

Connor McCandless, Managing Director of energystore said:“We are thrilled to enter our fifth-year partnership with NI Forest school, having already planted 8,000 trees. We know the importance of our surroundings and natural environment and how it should be protected for future generations. To be able to engage with schools and help reduce the impact on our natural environment is something we are extremely passionate about.

“At energystore we put sustainability at the forefront of all our practices. We are developing carbon reduction products and procedures where possible in our insulation business and with our Emission-less Mission, we aim to be net zero by 2028, which is no mean feat but a target we are confident we will reach. We look forward to another successful year working with NIFSA and hope to engage many of our staff in the tree planting process.” he added.