From the top of a construction site in Cape Town, Nathan Williams gazed across the sprawling city. As he watched workers returning to their homes after a long day in the African sun, he was struck by a powerful thought – there had to be a way to make a difference.
Cape Town, like many parts of South Africa, is bordered by sprawling townships – areas often caught in a harsh cycle of poverty, crime, and very limited opportunity. For Nathan, a former Liverpudlian who had made South Africa his home, the challenges faced by these communities became impossible to ignore. Alongside all the problems he saw a great potential.
Nathan began working with young men caught in the grips of poverty, many of whom had little to no education and no prospects. Adopting the mantra ‘change starts with one person at a time’ his outreach took him into prisons, where he started offering the most basic building blocks of literacy, numeracy, and trade skills.
A new opportunity — hope grows on trees
Alongside the human crisis, South Africa also faces an environmental one. Huge swathes of the country are densely blanketed with eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus is a non-native species originally from Australia and introduced in the 19th century for forestry trials. Today, these fast-growing trees displace indigenous species, reducing biodiversity. Perhaps worse, they pose a growing threat to South Africa’s scarce water supplies, with mature trees consuming up to 1,000 litres of water per day.
The South African government had committed to removing these invasive trees and replacing them with native species, but with over 21 million hectares of these woodlands, the scale was daunting. 21 million hectares is an area larger than England, Wales and N. Ireland combined.
Nathan saw an opportunity, creating jobs and hope for disadvantaged people alongside promoting conservation efforts. The ‘Properwood’ project was born.
By turning the removal of eucalyptus trees into a sustainable firewood enterprise, Nathan has created real jobs, training, and given a purpose to young men seeking a way out of township life. Homes and communities are being created where these men could live with dignity, safety, and a brighter future.
But there was one big question: where does the wood go?
Enter Logs Direct
This is where the story takes a global turn. Logs Direct has been a leading UK supplier of kiln-dried firewood since 2004. They had long relied on European sources like Latvia to top up domestic supply for their kiln operations. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and subsequent trade sanctions virtually shut down the Latvian supply overnight. When Nathan introduced the idea of importing eucalyptus from South Africa, the team at Logs Direct were listening.
‘We asked all the usual questions,’ says the company’s director Stephen Talbot. ‘How does it burn? How consistent is the quality? What’s the environmental impact?
The eucalyptus passed every test. After extensive trials in UK log burners and stoves, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Customers reported strong heat output, long burn times, and easy lighting. In fact, there hasn’t been a single negative comment since the first shipment arrived three years ago.
Sustainability at the Core
Stephen said: ‘Of course, shipping firewood halfway around the world raises eyebrows. But we weren’t about to cut corners. Working with a South African government agency, we conducted a full carbon audit of the operation — from felling and processing the wood to its journey across the sea. Thanks to the environmental benefits of removing the non-native water-guzzling eucalyptus, the project is carbon neutral. And the positive social impact of employing and educating young South Africans is making a big difference.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing though, Stephen said: ‘In South Africa, almost all the wood is cut, sawn and split by hand. Much of it is then bagged and packed onto crates. There are supposed to be 120 bags per crate, but we were receiving very random numbers, anything from 119 to 136. It was driving the lads in the yards a bit nuts as they were having to count and adjust all the crates before they were sent back out. We got to the bottom of it all when we discovered that the guys doing the packing in South Africa could only count to five and had been using height marks on a wall to gauge the right number to stack. So more education was required.’
Stephen added: ‘We’ve also been trying to make life a bit easier and worked with Sthil to supply battery powered chainsaws and solar panels to charge them.’
Join the Mission
Today, the partnership between Properwood and Logs Direct is a powerful example of what can happen when business and purpose align. It’s not just about firewood – it’s about lives changed, communities uplifted, and ecosystems restored.
And the story isn’t finished: ‘We’re proud to be part of this journey,’ says Stephen. ‘But it’s not just our story – it can be yours too.’
By becoming a UK distributor of Properwood’s ethically sourced firewood, retailers and customers alike can gain much more than a cosy fire, they can be part of a positive international project. Each crate sold is another step towards sustainable reforestation and a better life for someone in South Africa.
To learn more about how you can get involved or stock Properwood, visit Logs Direct to be part of the firewood that fuels futures.
https://www.properwood.co.uk/about
