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From left to right: African hardwood


Brazilian hardwood


Our warehouse as part of the green environment


shipment and we are able to accurately apply the ever-changing legislation in Brazil with great precision. This sends an important signal to our suppliers. They know that doing business with Vandecasteele Houtimport means complying with a procedure that is continuously refined and adapted. All timber transport requires our approval. When in doubt the timber is not accepted.


MASTERS IN DIVERSIFICATION Vandecasteele has a long-term commitment to preserving the forests. The family business imports more than 130 different species of timber coming from 40 countries and has over 120,000m3


in stock, mainly


certified hardwoods and softwoods. We support the LKTS (lesser-known timber species) programme of FSC®


Denmark with


which we want to help promote the use of lesser-known species. We keep these lesser- known species in stock and offer them as alternatives. Timber is too often prescribed from a specific well-known species. From the point of view of responsible forest management, we must dare to choose the right durability class for an application instead of a specific timber species.


RETHINK EVERYTHING: A POSITIVE EVOLUTION IN CONSUMER PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR Customers are increasingly asking questions about certification and the origin of the timber. Buyers are becoming more and more aware of the need to use certified timber. Importing tropical wood goes further than just asking for timber. There is a continuous evolution, because of new insights and new legislation. We work together with external experts, we are broadening our internal knowledge and we continually make progress. Making progress is an ongoing process. Considerable steps have already been taken with the EU Timber Regulation but we can and should do better. We want to see and monitor a stronger application and support for certified timber. Vandecasteele communicates continuously with the users via its website and campaigns in order to spread that message. This is necessary because the purchase of FSC® certified wood contributes to 14 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purchase of FSC® certified timber contributes to biodiversity. Since the year 2000, Vandecasteele Houtimport has committed itself through the


Corporate Durability Charter by signing up to environmental objectives exceeding the applicable legislation. In 2018, the charter started a partnership with CIFAL Flanders, the local HUB of UNITAR, the Training and Education Centre of the UN. In 2020, Vandecasteele Houtimport was the first timber company in the world to obtain the internationally recognised ‘SDG Pioneer certificate’ from UNITAR CIFAL. In 2022, we were the first timber company in the world to have achieved the “SDG Champion award”. Our company continues to make efforts to embed sustainability in our business. We validate an organisation’s sustainability efforts with the Voka Charter for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (VCDO). ■


T: + 32 56 43 33 33 E: dave@vandecasteele.be E: genevieve@vandecasteele.be W: www.vandecasteele.be


From left to right: Own transport fleet


Severe quality control on arrival


About 140,000m³ covered warehouse


www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2023 | TTJ


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