PRO GOLFER SHANE Lowry has ended his partnership with Kingspan following a damning report on the Grenfell Tower fire that found that the company “cynically exploited” an “unsuspecting market” with “false” safety claims.
Some of the bereaved and survivors of the tragedy had called on Lowry to end his sponsorship arrangements with Kingspan.
In a statement this morning, Lowry said: “Kingspan and I have mutually agreed to discontinue our sponsorship relationship, which we believe to be the right decision for all concerned at this time.”
Lowry is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He won the Open Championship in 2019, the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009, and the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
He added that neither he nor Kingspan will be commenting further on the end of the partnership.
Cavan GAA has also been approached for comment on whether it will continue its long-held sponsorship by the company, which has its head office in Kingscourt.
A small number of Cavan-based Kingspan’s K15 insulation boards were found on the columns around Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died in a blaze in 2017.
The first phase of the report found that the Grenfell Tower cladding did not comply with building regulations and that this was the “principal” reason for the fire’s rapid spread.
This cladding was not made by Kingspan.
The company has long said its K15 insulation product made up 5% of the insulation in the tower block and was used as a substitute product without its knowledge.
In a recent statement, Kingspan said the report “explains clearly and unambiguously that the type of insulation was immaterial”, adding that the “historical failings” of its UK insulation business were not reflective of the wider group.
The report found that Kingspan made “false claims about K15” with the “knowing approval of a senior manager”.
“Kingspan was keenly aware that there was a lack of detailed knowledge about BS 8414 and BR 135 among its customers, many of whom were unfamiliar with both,” the inquiry found.
BS 8414 and BR 135 are tests which evaluate the fire resistance of a building product.
The report also noted that Kingspan’s “strategy was to go after every job”.
As a result, Celotex, the manufacturer of the majority of the insulation boards used in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, “embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market” in an attempt to break into a market which had been dominated by Kingspan.
Ulster Rugby have held a long association with the Kingspan company going back to 1999, with the Ravenhill grounds named after the company.
However, it was announced in January by Kingspan that it would cease its sponsorship of Ulster Rugby.
Cavan GAA also has a strong relationship with the company.
In recent years they have grown closer, with the county grounds in Cavan town now officially known as Kingspan Breffni. GAA reporters have been reminded to use this exact term in match reports.
Cavan GAA has been silent on whether the partnership will continue.
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