Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was established by Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts in the seventies with support from the First Chicago Corporation. But just last year they have put together a unique green project which focuses not alone on maximum profit margins, but likewise on how environmentally aware each of the companies in their portfolio currently are. Green business processes went mainstream a year ago when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. Their corporate mission is to encourage their affiliated enterprises to help resolve practices which may harm the environment like hazardous chemical use not to forget exaggerated water consumption. To accomplish this, they use eco-efficiency; this calls for practicable techniques such as waste reduction, maximum use of renewable resources, and reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals. Simple and effective, yet the management didn’t see the full project’s benefits until the head of the program and global public affairs, Ken Mehlman, reviewed the project after a full year in operation. Topping all expectations, Ken learned that this program not only increased environmental responsibility, but was also increasing the profitability of each and every business organization besides. Almost all of the firms held by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman today actively participate in the Green Portfolio Project. If you consider that the portfolio has a net worth of 86 billion dollars, you can see what a challenge this really was. These two groups with the assistance of Ken Mehlman have also expanded the original project. For example, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the EDF’s Climate Corps Program that instructs MBA interns how to design and initiate cost-efficient, green practices. More recently, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to produce a package of metrics and other related systems which companies can employ to measure and oversee resources. This type of info is important as businesses can assess their day-to-day activities and find out precisely how they can solve any problems while at the same time permitting them to discover their ecological impact.
The business world has been transformed forever by the work of Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund. In summary, these systems have made green business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in today’s community.