Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. , the Environmental Defense Fund and the Evolution of Green Business
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was launched by Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts in 1976 with help from the First Chicago Corporation. However, they have put together an innovative enterprise that focuses not merely on how lucrative an enterprise is, but additionally on how ecologically friendly each of the corporations in their portfolio currently are. Environmentally aware business practice became more widely adopted last year when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Serious green issues like deforestation and unbounded water consumption feature high on their agenda.
Eco-efficiency (the term was originally propagated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD) is the technique applied to achieve these targets, by utilizing techniques like maximum use of renewable resources, reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals and waste reduction. The program was successful, even so the businesses involved did not even understand the full advantages of the program until the head of the Green Portfolio Project and global public affairs, Ken Mehlman, evaluated the numbers from the program following its first year in operation.
Knocking off all expectations, Ken saw that this program not only increased environmental responsibility, but also increased the profitability of all their companies besides. Just about all of the companies affiliated to Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman nowadays use eco-efficiency. If you look at the fact that this group of businesses is worth 86,000,000,000 dollars, you can see what a challenge this really is.
The original program has evolved beyond its basic remit and these days encompasses new ventures. For instance, KKR got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture that instructs students studying for an MBA how to formulate and initiate cost-effective, environmentally friendly principles.
KKR and Ken Mehlman have been developing a variety of metrics which oversee resources. This type of info is crucial as companies can evaluate all of their day-to-day activities and find out how they can resolve any issues while at the same time tracking their progress.
Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to become more environmentally friendly. These innovations have set a benchmark for organizations in any industry and illustrated that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
