720Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund: the Vanguard in Business and Protecting the Planet
posted on February 1st, 2010
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was launched in 1976 and in the beginning their specialty was in highly leveraged transactions. Recently they have set up a unique green project that focuses not simply on profitability, but also on how environmentally friendly each of the corporate entities in their portfolio are. Environmentally aware business procedures became more widely acceptable a year ago when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. Their goals include encouraging companies in opposing procedures which may jeopardize the environment e.g. hazardous chemical use as well as any excessive water consumption. Eco-efficiency (the term was initially introduced by the WBCSD) is the methodology deployed to achieve these goals, through applying techniques like improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, reducing the intensity of materials and fuel economy. Successful though it was the management didn’t even understand the entirety of the project’s benefits until the head of the Green Portfolio Project and global public affairs, Ken Mehlman, reviewed the project following its first year in operation.
Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken realized that this program not only reduced ecological impact, but was increasing the profitability of each and every business organization too. Well-nigh all of the business concerns connected with KKR and Ken Mehlman nowadays are involved in the Green Portfolio Project. If you look at the fact that this portfolio of business concerns has a net worth of 86 billion dollars, you can imagine what a feat this really was. The original project now includes new initiatives. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the Environmental Defense Fund is a great illustration of this, it campaigns for financially strong, environmentally friendly principles to MBA interns. KKR and Ken Mehlman have been formulating metrics and other applicable systems that manipulate various resources. With this information available, companies may without a lot of effort assess their day to day operations and ascertain where they can resolve any issues while at the same time allowing them to see their impact on the planet. Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to become more environmentally friendly. These innovations have simplified the procedure for organizations in any industry and proved to the world that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.