Our process

Wood is a precious, sustainable and almost completely recyclable type of raw material, a fact that we at Callens African Woods are fully aware of. If wood production is handled with care, it is possible to find an appropriate balance between growth and consumption.

Approved forest concessions are exploited according to the laws of the respective country. The manufacturer must submit an official application, this application must be approved at a local and a national level. The agreement also includes a strict replanting obligation.

At Callens, we are convinced that the sustainable forest policy we pursue on the African continent ensures constant tree growth and guarantees a continuous wood supply. An ecological business philosophy that benefits both our customers and the local population. A vision that we hold dear. For this reason, we import only wood from legal and reliable sources.

Our unloaders are also required to work according to the principles of sustainable forest management and are in strict compliance with EUDR regulations. Whenever possible, we offer an FSC / OLB - certification. We support the further implementation of EUDR regulations and the deepening of due diligence systems against unauthorized logging and illegal timber trade.

At Callens African Woods, we focus on sustainability and ecology, but we also value ethical and socially responsible business practices. Cameroon has a strict regulation that states that a certain percent of the local population must be employed in foreign companies.

In this regard, we ensure that the local population is actively involved in our activities. At our site near the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, we are currently employing 150 workers. About thirty of them come from the nearby village of Mbankomo. Due to a good rapport and close collaboration, we are able to conduct our activities at a socially and economically responsible level.

Export of tropical hardwood out of Africa is strictly regulated and closely monitored. Callens African Woods is one of the few companies in the world that has a site of such magnitude, can present the necessary certificates and licenses, and is able to process the wood on site with advanced machinery, before it is exported.

We make every effort to implement an optimized ecological policy.

To ensure efficient transportation to Belgium, the wood undergoes several treatments at our site in Cameroon. In order to guarantee the sustainability and quality of the wood, and to ensure that it arrives dry and ready for processing at the Port of Antwerp, the wood is pre-dried at the site in Cameroon in one of our sixteen drying kilns.

These kilns are heated using sawdust, planer shavings, and wood waste. This allows us to keep electricity consumption low, minimize wood waste, and further promote ecological practices.

To streamline the transportation process and make it as eco-friendly as possible, the containers are loaded at our production site and transported directly to Douala or Kribi. From one of these two ports, the containers are shipped to the Port of Antwerp.