10.12.09
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund - the Avant-Garde in Business and Protecting the Planet
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in 1976 and initially the company’s specialization was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. However, in the pursuit of making their acquisitions more environmentally aware, they have set in motion a unique green project which has fundamentally changed the way business concerns and environmental activists work. Green business procedures became major discussion topic last year when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged. Their mission is to encourage their affiliated companies to avoid procedures which may threaten the environment such as climate change not to forget any ecologically unsustainable water consumption.
Eco-efficiency (a term first promoted by the WBCSD) is the method employed to achieve these aims, through using ecologically sustainable policies like waste reduction, optimizing data centers for efficiency and improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance. Regardless of the fact that the program was a huge success, no-one realized how extensive the results truly were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, finished the review of the first year. Ken saw that eco-efficiency wasn’t solely preserving the local environment, but in addition it was saving companies a large amount of money. At the time of writing, KKR and Ken Mehlman have almost every firm in their portfolio involved in the program. Still, with a current portfolio estimated at $86,000,000,000, you may be sure that this wasn’t an easy see what an enormous achievement this is. The original program has developed beyond its primary remit and these days encompasses new and innovative enterprises. The Climate Corps Program founded by the EDF is just one of these, it promotes cost-efficient, green practices to students studying for an MBA.
Moreover, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to create analytical tools and other applicable systems which companies can utilize to quantify and manage resources. Tools such as these allow employees see how environmentally friendly they are and discover any practices that may need some re-evaluation.
Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are trailblazers when it comes to promoting environmentally friendly business techniques. These visionary developments have simplified the process for business organizations in every sector and shown that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.
