Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was established by Henry Kravis and his partner George Roberts in the 1970’s with the support of the First Chicago Corporation. But they have put together an unusual venture which concentrates not merely on how much money they can make, but likewise on how ecologically friendly each of the enterprises in their portfolio are. Environmentally friendly business practices became a hot topic in 2008 when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Large matters like toxic chemicals and unrestricted water consumption are high on their agenda.
In order to implement these goals, they deploy a formula labeled eco-efficiency which calls for practicable techniques like improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, reducing the waste of resources, and maximum use of renewable resources. The program was successful, nevertheless the management did not even understand the full advantages of the program until Ken Mehlman, the person responsible for the program, looked over the numbers from the project after a full year in operation. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ken saw that this program not only raised environmental responsibility, but also increased the the net profit from each and every company too. Well-nigh all of the businesses associated with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman now actively take part in the Green Portfolio Project. Seeing that the portfolio is worth almost one hundred billion USD, you can see what a challenge this actually was.
KKR along with Ken Mehlman are further extending the original project. For instance, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture which instructs interns taking an MBA how to design and initiate financially strong, green practices. In recent months, Ken Mehlman has been cooperating closely with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to formulate metrics and other applicable products which companies can employ to quantify different resources. These products can track a company’s ecological impact and identify any problem areas. Today’s business community has been altogether transformed by the ground-breaking work of these individuals. Their innovations have made going green less complicated for business organizations in any sector and illustrated that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
