Broadband, cable and television group Virgin Media has started the planting of over 50,000 trees, which it said will be completed early next year.
It has partnered with forest management experts VEON to help boost national tree-planting and support the fight against climate change.
Over 50,000 native broadleaf trees will be planted, creating new native woodlands in Counties Sligo and Leitrim, with further projects planned in 2021.
The initiative is designed to replace coniferous forests and to replant with a richer, more diverse forest thereby increasing broadleaf tree cover in Ireland with species such as oak, alder, birch and rowan.
Virgin Media said the initiative is part of a bigger climate action programme in which Virgin Media has committed to achieving the Low Carbon Pledge with Business in the Community Ireland, aiming for a further 50% reduction in Virgin’s carbon footprint by 2030.
The company said it has already achieved a 23% reduction in carbon emissions since 2017.
Virgin Media’s sustainability action programme includes a 100% switch to renewable energy, together with deploying solar energy panels across key technical hubs, more energy efficient consumer hardware, improved data centre cooling systems and the commencement of electrification of the company’s vehicle fleet.
