Apart from the widely available species, we also sell lesser-known timber species. That means you are soon exporting all over the world.’ We gauged the atmosphere at Vandecasteele Houtimport. This firm is still led by a member of the Vandecasteele family and has grown into an excellent example of how sustainability and business can go hand in hand.

Five generations of passion for timber
Vandecasteele Houtimport was founded in 1883 by Louis Vandecasteele and in those days, wagon making was the core business. In 1919, his son Désiré added a small sawmill. Urbain Vandecasteele, the next descendant at the helm, had a keen business sense and an unstoppable drive. He was the one who started the timber trade. Partly via trade missions organized by the late King Albert, Urbain opened the door to the rest of the world. In the meantime, his son Stefaan had taken over the company and astutely overseen further international expansion. Louis Vandecasteele, the fifth generation, is now further reinforcing the firm’s family character.
This Belgian company has about 45 employees, many of whom have worked there for decades. ‘Those who fit in with the family character of this company usually stay for a long time,’ says Geneviève to explain the success of Vandecasteele Houtimport as an employer.

International trader in hard and softwood
Vandecasteele Houtimport has grown into the number one supplier of hardwood and softwood in Belgium and abroad. Geneviève says: ‘Annually, we sell between 100,000 and 140,000m³ of timber with an occasional peak, for instance during the corona crisis.’
The Belgian company purchases hardwood and softwood in over 35 countries and continues to look for new opportunities. On the import side they buy from Scandinavia, South-East Asia, North America, Canada, Africa, and South America. As regards export, the Vandecasteele Houtimport market comprises all of Europe, with Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany in the lead. In 2018, Vandecasteele Houtimport set up a separate company in the UK to help facilitate export after the Brexit.

Big stocks in different timber species: reacting quickly on the market
The number of timber species, both hardwood and softwood, grows each year. The company makes a distinction between mainstream timber species and lesser-known timber species (LKTS), the so called ‘secondary’ species. Geneviève explains: ‘This distinction is relative, however. A timber species which is a “secondary species” at one time can perfectly well become mainstream, as was the case for Jatoba for example. Geneviève also says that the support and marketing of ‘secondary’ species boosts biodiversity and reduces the pressure on forests.
Besides rough sawn timber, the company has a full range of finished products such as decking and cladding in stock. Customers include timber importers, timber traders, industrial joiners, and DIY traders.

Do they simply buy timber and then sell it on? Certainly not. On request we custom saw logs to the required thickness, Geneviève continues: ‘This is a very small activity which still exists, and it keeps our history alive. Call it a piece of folklore which we would like to hold on to.’
Our biggest assets are having the stock for prompt delivery and being able to deliver with our own fleet of company trucks and last but not least our Team!

Numerous certificates with sustainability as the central thread
The timber market is driven by supply and demand and by projects in Belgium and abroad. However, there is one constant factor, namely the demand for quality. For instance, for under construction of decking you always need sustainability class 1, regardless of the timber species.
Vandecasteele Houtimport responds strongly to the quality demands of the market and therefore has various certificates. A commitment to certified timber is a priority and the certificates enable making the timber sector more sustainable. For instance, purchasing FSC® certified timber contributes to 14 of the 17 sustainability development goals of the United Nations. Geneviève Standaert explains: ‘They’re also an important commercial argument, in Belgium and certainly abroad.’ Amongst other things, the Export Manager cites FSC, PEFC, OLB (origine légale du bois), and LegalSource.

Sustainability is in the company’s DNA. Since 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 "SDG Pioneer" certificate from UNITAR CIFAL.
Our company continues to make efforts to embed sustainability into the business. We validate our organization's sustainability efforts with the Voka Charter for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (VCDO).
At the end of 2022, we received the SDG Champion certificate, making us the first timber company in the world to receive these two internationally recognized awards.

Modest and Ambitious towards the future
Vandecasteele Houtimport is a family business and that typifies their way of doing business ‘We have the ambition of reinforcing our global reputation. At the same time, we are still a modest company in West Flanders with a family character and we welcome people personally and heartily.’
Amongst other things, Vandecasteele Houtimport will present its activities during FIMMA + Maderalia, an equipment trade fair in Valencia from the 14th to the 17th of May. Geneviève looks ahead: ‘Such opportunities are important milestones for our export ambitions. We hope to open doors in Spain through Valencia and establish contact with players from all over the world.’
Vandecasteele Houtimport is clearly a company with sustainability in its DNA, a company which radiates ambition and at the same time has both feet on the Belgian ground.

Web site: www.vandecasteele.be/en