Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund — Groundbreakers in Ecologically Aware Business
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in the mid 70’s and in those days their specialization was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. However, in an extraordinary effort to make the businesses they acquire have less environmental impact, KKR have set in motion an innovative green proposal which has fundamentally changed the method by which business concerns and environmental groups work forever.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged last year green issues in the business community became a hot topic. Their company mission is to encourage their associated firms in fighting against environmental menaces e.g. resource depletion not to forget overblown water consumption. Eco-efficiency (the phrase was initially submitted by the WBCSD) is the formula employed to achieve these goals, by applying techniques like reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, increasing the durability of products and waste reduction. Simple and effective, but the firms involved didn’t understand the full benefits of the project until Ken Mehlman, the person responsible for the project, studied the program when it had been functioning for a year. Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken learned that this program not only assisted in preserving the environment, but also increased the the net profit from all their businesses as well. Currently, KKR and Ken Mehlman have managed to get almost every associated company actively involved in the program. And, with a 2009 business portfolio estimated at 86,000,000,000 USD, you may be sure that this was not a simple feat.
The Green Portfolio project now encompasses new opportunities. The Climate Corps Program set up by the EDF is just one of these, it advances cost efficient, green practices to MBA interns.
In recent months, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to develop systems that business organizations can use to evaluate and oversee a number of resources. This type of data is important as businesses can evaluate all of their day to day activities and ascertain how they can resolve any issues while at the same time tracking their progress.
Today’s business community has been altered forever by the efforts of Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund. In conclusion, the work of these organizations has made green business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their radical ideas are setting a new standard in today’s community.
