How Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Works alongside the Environmental Defense Fund
In the beginning, when Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts set up Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the 1970’s with the help of the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s main business was in bootstrap buyouts. But they have established a unique green proposal that centers not merely on profitability, but likewise on the environmental impact of the companies they buy.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together a year ago green issues in the business world became major topic of dicussion. Their goals include encouraging their associated businesses to avoid environmental threats e.g. hazardous waste not to forget unmitigated consumption of water resources. Eco-efficiency (the term was originally propagated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) is the technique used to achieve these targets, utilizing ecologically aware techniques like recycling programs, waste reduction and increasing the durability of products. Regardless of the fact that the program was an enormous success, staff simply didn’t understand how far reaching the consequences really were until Ken Mehlman, the executive in charge of the project, reviewed the first year’s figures. Only at that point did Ken notice that applying eco-efficiency was not solely reducing their impact on the planet, but it was also saving business concerns a considerable amount of money. Nearly all of the commercial organizations associated with KKR and Ken Mehlman at present apply eco-efficiency. Yet, when you consider that the group has a current business portfolio with a worth of $86 billion, you can be certain this was not a simple achievement.
The Green Portfolio project now includes new and innovative enterprises. The Climate Corps Program administered by the Environmental Defense Fund is an example of this, it raises awareness of eco-efficient business principles to MBA interns. KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to develop a series of metrics and analytic tools which will be able to oversee resources. With this information available, any business may without much effort evaluate all of their day to day activities and find out where they can improve while simultaneously seeing their progress.
Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are genuine innovators in the world of green business. Their developments have simplified the process for companies in any industry and illustrated that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
