Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund: Establishing Leadership in Business and Ecology
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was launched by Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts in 1976 with support from the First Chicago Corporation. But only last year they have launched a unique proposal that focuses not solely on optimizing ROI, but also on the ecological impact of the companies they purchase. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged a year ago, with the intention of making environmentally aware business operation an accepted idea. Their objectives include encouraging their affiliated companies to oppose procedures which may jeopardize the environment such as greenhouse gas emissions and any irresponsible water consumption. To implement this, they deploy eco-efficiency which makes use of concepts like using clean energy, reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, and recycling programs. Although the program was a huge success, no-one recognized how significant the results truly were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, finished the review of the first twelve months.
Beating everyone’s expectations, Ken found that applying eco-efficiency not only increased environmental awareness, but also increased the the net profit from each company besides. Currently, KKR and Ken Mehlman have almost every last firm in their portfolio involved in eco-efficiency. Still, when you consider that the group has a current business portfolio valued at $86,000,000,000, you may be sure that this was no easy see what an enormous accomplishment this is.
The Green Portfolio project has developed far beyond its initial purpose and these days includes new opportunities. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co linked up with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture that teaches interns studying for a Master’s in Business Administration how to introduce cost-efficient, green practices.
KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to develop a variety of metrics which will be able to manipulate resources. This type of information is invaluable as businesses may without very much effort evaluate each of their day-to-day operations and find out where they can resolve any issues while simultaneously allowing them to see their impact on the planet. Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have made going green more attractive for businesses in every industry. Their developments have simplified the procedure for businesses in every industry and proved that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
