Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund - Pacesetters in Business and Eco-Efficiency Tuesday, Oct 27 2009
Beyond Cats and Doing Business 6:41 pm
When Henry Kravis and George Roberts launched Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the seventies with some assistance from the First Chicago Corporation, their specialty was in highly leveraged transactions. However, hoping to make their portfolio companies and acquisitions greener and more profitable as well, KKR have launched a remarkable enterprise which has completely changed the method by which business concerns and environmental agencies operate. When Henry Kravis from KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces only a year ago environmental issues all of a sudden became a mainstream concept. Serious issues like climate change and undue water consumption are a top priority in their corporate mission.
In order to implement these goals, they use eco-efficiency which involves practicable techniques like improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, waste reduction, and fuel economy. The Green Portfolio Project was well received, but the KKR and EDF didn’t understand the full advantages of the project until Ken Mehlman, the person in charge of the program, reviewed the project when it had been operating for its first year.
Ken Mehlman found out that applying eco-efficiency wasn’t simply lessening impact on the planet, but additionally it was helping to save business concerns a substantial amount of money, and so the project became virtually an immediate success. Almost all of the companies connected with KKR and Ken Mehlman now are actively involved in eco-efficiency. Considering that the whole portfolio has a value of $86 billion, you can imagine what an enormous achievement this really is.
The Green Portfolio project has evolved far beyond its original purpose and at present includes new initiatives. The Climate Corps Program founded by the EDF is one of these initiatives, it campaigns for eco-efficient business techniques to MBA interns.
In addition, Ken Mehlman has worked closely with KKR to formulate analytic tools that companies can employ to quantify and manipulate assorted resources. Products like these permit staff to evaluate their progress and discover any underlying issues.
Today’s business world has been transformed by the work of these people. Their innovative ideas have simplified the procedure for companies in every industry and demonstrated that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.
