Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund — Groundbreakers in Business and Protecting the Planet
In the beginning, when Henry Kravis and George Roberts launched Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the 1970’s with the help of the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s main business was in “bootstrap” buyouts. Recently they have put together a groundbreaking green proposal which centers not merely on how much money they can make, but also on the environmental impact of the companies they purchase. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged a year ago, with the mission of making environmentally aware business processes an acknowledged principle. This alliance was forged to oppose some fundamental environmental matters, for example toxic chemicals, toxic emissions, unsustainable water consumption, and toxic waste. Eco-efficiency (the term was originally coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) dictates their mission’s framework, employing techniques such as improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, waste reduction and recycling programs. Irrespective of the fact that the project was a colossal success, people simply didn’t understand how fantastic the results were until Ken Mehlman, the person responsible for the project, reviewed the first year’s profits.
Only at that point did Ken Mehlman learn that eco-efficiency was not only helping to preserve the local environment, but in addition it was helping to save business concerns a great deal of money. Nearly all of the commercial organizations associated with KKR and Ken Mehlman nowadays take part in the Green Portfolio Project. And, with a 2009 business portfolio with an estimated worth of 86 billion dollars, you can be certain that this was not an easy accomplishment. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co with the Environmental Defense Fund in association with Ken Mehlman have also expanded the initial project. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co linked up with the EDF’s Climate Corps Program which instructs MBA students how to promote cost-efficient, ecologically friendly techniques.
Moreover, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to create systems that companies can employ to quantify and manage resources. Systems like these can measure an organization’s ecological impact and identify any problem areas. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are genuine visionaries when it comes ecologically sound business practices. So, to summarize, these systems have made ecologically friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in the business world of today.
Comments Off