Business and Ecology — Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund
In the beginning, when Henry Kravis and George Roberts set up Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in 1976 with the support of the First Chicago Corporation, their main business was in highly leveraged transactions. More recently, aiming to make their portfolio of companies have less of an environmental impact, they have set up a groundbreaking venture that has fundamentally transformed the way business concerns and environmental activists work.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces last year green issues all of a sudden turned into a mainstream idea. Issues like hazardous waste and immeasurable water consumption are an important part of their corporate mission. To achieve this, they use a method called eco-efficiency, this makes use of techniques like reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, waste reduction, and reducing the intensity of materials. Efficient though it was the KKR and EDF did not grasp the full benefits of the project until Ken Mehlman, the person responsible for the Green Portfolio Project, assessed the program when it had been in operation for a year.
Surpassing everyone’s expectations, Ken saw that this program not only lessened ecological impact, but also increased the profitability of every business besides. These days, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have succeeded in getting virtually every associated organization actively engaged in eco-efficiency techniques. When you think about the fact that the group has a value of 86,000,000,000 dollars, you may see what a tremendous achievement this is.
The initial program has now broadened to include new opportunities. The Climate Corps Program administered by the EDF is an example of this, it promotes cost-effective, green procedures to interns studying for a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Of Late, Ken Mehlman has worked closely with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to develop products that companies can utilize to quantify and manage a number of resources. Products like these permit staff to evaluate their progress and discover any underlying problems. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are trailblazers in the business community. Their innovations have made cutting back their ecological impact easier for business organizations in any industry and established that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
