Executive Q&A: Erwin Hudelist, natureOffice USA

1. Tell me a little about your company, the segment of the market it serves, and what you consider to be your “core” users.

natureOffice was founded in 2006 in Frankfurt, Germany by industry expert Andreas Weckwert. Soon after, they opened natureOffice South America in Asuncion, Paraguay. In July 2010, we launched natureOffice USA to serve both the United States and Canada. We’re based in Henderson, Nevada.

natureOffice is a consultancy that specializes in voluntary climate protection – we help printers green their operations and become certified, carbon neutral print shops. Our programs help companies convert to green printing without spending years researching and testing different methods. It’s a turnkey solution. The ultimate goal of natureOffice is to integrate climate protection into companies in a way that helps them make lasting, positive and cost-effective change.

While natureOffice offers carbon neutral programs to all types of businesses, the printing industry is our principle focus. In Europe, printers have participated on a massive scale due to the urgency caused by public demand. Simply stated, printers needed to take the “tree killer” cloud away from their business by converting to green printing and replanting trees in the form of carbon credits (also known as carbon offsets).

As a consultancy for the printing industry, natureOffice is unique in that we work hand-in-hand with printers to convert to green printing – with a special emphasis on employee participation and customer education. In tandem, we develop carbon credit projects that are certified to European standards. Printers in the natureOffice program have the option to purchase these certified, trackable credits as part of their green print jobs.

The natureOffice program consists of several steps; the first and simplest step is the creation of the carbon-offset program within the organization to offer carbon dioxide offsets for every job. The printer’s customer decides if he/she wants to participate or not for each specific print job. The next step is developing a sustainable environment within the organization, starting with employees. natureOffice creates a feedback pipeline for employees to use, and forms teams in every department with a system to record problem areas and challenges from an environmental standpoint. These teams are self-driven and don’t dissolve after a few months. Then, natureOffice examines energy use: motors, chillers, heating, lights, compressors, etc. We assess the situation and write a comprehensive report on potential cost-savings. We do not sell any products; we only make recommendations.

To complete the program, natureOffice creates a “zero waste” goal with a sustainability plan for the organization. This includes workflow, scheduling, waste recycling/selling, resources, and more. The sustainability plan also includes information to provide to customers, because customers definitely want to know the details and to get involved. The natureOffice program trains employees within the organization; giving your team the skills they need to carry out a lasting sustainability program. As a result, there is no dependence on us after the program is completed.  

2. How did you get involved with the company? What is your background before that?

For 20 years, I was the president of Hagadone Printing Co. in Honolulu, which is Hawaii’s largest printing firm with close to $30 million annual revenue. In 2007, I returned to business school in the evenings to complete a master’s degree with a focus on sustainable development. This experience opened my eyes.

I started to implement several green practices at Hagadone, and involved employees right from the start. This was an experiment, as there were no “green” guidelines or standards for us to follow at the time. In short, employees were able to implement changes that were integrated into operations, while overall waste was reduced dramatically and recyclable waste sold for profit. Quality improved, errors dropped below 0.1 percent, and productivity increased. These changes – and the level of employee commitment – were remarkable.