Hexham-based Egger UK has become the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's first gold category corporate supporter of 2022.
The wood-based materials manufacturer is part of an international, family-owned, Austrian business, which has been based in Hexham for the last 38 years. It employs over 600 people and makes chipboard panels in the UK for the furniture and interior design industry, and structural flooring for the housebuilding industry.
The wildlife charity has a number of nature reserves near Egger’s Hexham plant including Juliet’s Wood, Tony’s Patch and South Close Field and is particularly impressed with the company’s commitment to the environment. Egger says it is committed to producing high-quality products that have as little impact on the environment as possible.
The Hexham site is full of local wildlife and it actively maintains and promotes biodiversity in the area. Each year hundreds of Sand and House Martins migrate to the manufacturing site to nest in the log yard. The team at Egger has built bespoke nest boxes for the birds, which start to nest in March and lay in June, to protect them from daily site movements. In addition to this, Egger also welcomes Oyster Catchers, stoats and hedgehogs to the site.
After the floods in 2015, Egger installed defences to protect its site. As part of this, the team planted wild flowers to provide pollinators and insects with leaves, pollen, nectar, shelter and places to breed. The site is also home to over 200,000 bees (in four beehives) that help pollinate the local area, and provide delicious honey for employees.
