Here, Gianfranco De Vecchi works every day as founder and director of the company, which for more than twenty years has been bringing natural timber flooring made in Italy to Australia,
De Vecchi is guided by a philosophy centred on quality and environmental responsibility. His is an entrepreneurial story rooted across three continents, in a family tradition shaped by migration and unexpected encounters.
Confirmation of this journey came just a few weeks ago, with the prestigious Sustainability Award presented during the Italian Business Awards Gala organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) in Australia (Victoria and Tasmania), a recognition received with great satisfaction.
“For us, this is a particularly meaningful award,” De Vecchi responded. “We operate in a sector that, to survive, must be deeply aware—process control, energy efficiency and waste reduction are central to everything we do.”
The award was also appreciated in Italy, where for years the company has invested in sustainable innovation.
The Sustainability Award carries real weight, especially in a complex market like Australia’s—flooded with low-cost products with dubious certifications.
“Being recognised here, where the materials that arrive often appear sustainable but are of poor quality, is a major achievement,” De Vecchi said. “Ours is a methodological choice, not a marketing one: the future of timber depends on responsible use of the resource.”
For the Veneto Group, sustainability is an integrated approach. In Italy, part of the energy already comes from solar power; waste is recovered, pelletised and reused; material that does not meet aesthetic criteria still becomes part of the product.
In Australia, the same logic guides every stage of the work: floors designed to last for decades, repairable and regenerable, without waste or forced standardisation. The company deliberately chooses quality and honesty of product.
Looking ahead, the focus is also on education. “There is a lot of misinformation,” De Vecchi explains.
“That’s why we created an Italian collective of producers and importers: we want people to understand why quality has value and why Made in Italy goes beyond a label.”
