Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in the seventies and to begin with their specialty was in highly leveraged transactions. But going further, hoping to make their acquisitions more ecologically friendly, KKR have rolled out a unique green enterprise that has completely changed the method by which businesses and environmental activists carry on their day-to-day business.
KKR’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces in 2008, intending to make environmentally aware business operation a commonplace principle. Their goals include encouraging their affiliated firms to resolve environmental menaces such as soil contamination as well as any unmitigated water consumption.
Eco-efficiency (a term initially advocated by the WBCSD) mandates their mission’s framework, employing ecologically friendly policies like fuel economy, maximum use of renewable resources and waste reduction. Although the project was an enormous success, no-one recognized how important the results truly were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the Green Portfolio Project and global public affairs, finished the review of the first 12 months.
Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken realized that applying eco-efficiency not only increased environmental responsibility, but also increased the the net profit from each and every business too. Up to now, KKR and Ken Mehlman have managed to get virtually every associated company actively engaged in eco-efficiency. And, when you consider that the group has a 2009 business portfolio estimated at 86,000,000,000 dollars, you can be sure this was no easy feat.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co alongside Ken Mehlman have also developed the initial project. For instance, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture that teaches MBA students how to encourage cost effective, green practices. More recently, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to create a variety of metrics and analytic tools which companies can employ to measure resources. This type of data is invaluable as companies can evaluate their daily activities and find out where any problems can be solved while at the same time tracking their progress.
Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have made going green easier for business organizations in every sector. In summary, these systems have made environmentally friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in the business world of today.
