Going Green — Ken Mehlman and Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Set the Standard
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up by Henry Kravis and George Roberts in the seventies with support from the First Chicago Corporation. However, they have put together a unique green proposal that centers not alone on profitability, but also on how ecologically friendly each of their companies are. Green business processes went mainstream in 2008 when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. These companies wanted to help resolve some big environmental matters, that include toxic emissions, global warming, irresponsible water consumption, and toxic chemical use.
In order to achieve these goals, they deploy a method dubbed eco-efficiency which uses concepts like improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, waste reduction, and increasing the durability of products. Effective though it was the businesses involved did not understand the full program’s benefits until the executive responsible for the Green Portfolio Project, Ken Mehlman, evaluated the figures from the project when it had been up and running for its first 12 months.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Ken found that this program not only enhanced environmental awareness, but also increased the the profit from all their business organizations as well. At the time of writing, KKR and Ken Mehlman have almost every associated business organization participating in eco-efficiency. When you consider that this portfolio of businesses is valued at $86 billion, you can be certain that this was no easy feat.
The initial Green Portfolio project now encompasses new and groundbreaking enterprises. The Climate Corps Program founded by the Environmental Defense Fund is an example of this, it campaigns for ecologically friendly techniques to MBA interns.
Furthermore, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to formulate systems that all sorts of businesses can utilize to quantify resources. This type of data is crucial as any business may easily study their day to day activities and ascertain where any issues may be resolved while at the same time letting them to see their impact on the planet. Today’s business world has been revolutionized by the environmentally focused work of Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund. In conclusion, the work of these organizations has made ecologically friendly business techniques not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their revolutionary ideas are setting a new standard in the business world of today.
