Posted on Monday 8 February 2010
Originally, when Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts set up Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid 70’s with help from the First Chicago Corporation, their specialization was in highly leveraged transactions. Recently they have put together an exceptional green enterprise which concentrates not merely on optimized ROI, but also on the ecological impact of the companies they invest in.
Environmentally friendly business practices became more widely acceptable in 2008 when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. These companies intends to help resolve some challenging green issues, such as toxic emissions, resource depletion, exaggerated water consumption, and toxic chemicals. To implement these goals, they utilize a technique dubbed eco-efficiency; this calls for practical techniques such as improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, optimizing data centers for efficiency, and reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals. The project was successful, but the businesses involved didn’t see the entirety of the benefits of the program until the executive responsible for the Green Portfolio Project, Ken Mehlman, reviewed the figures from the program when it had been operating for its first full year. Outdoing all expectations, Ken discovered that eco-efficiency not only diminished the impact on the environment, but was increasing the profits from all their companies as well. Virtually all of the firms owned by KKR and Ken Mehlman today are actively involved in eco-efficiency principles. Considering that the group is worth virtually 100.000,000,000 USD, you may be certain this was no easy feat.
The initial Green Portfolio project has evolved beyond its primary remit and now encompasses new enterprises. The Climate Corps Program established by the Environmental Defense Fund is one of these, it heightens awareness of ecologically friendly principles to interns taking a Master’s in Business Administration. KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to create a package of metrics that oversee various resources. Products such as these permit employees see how they are impacting on the environment and identify any underlying problems.
Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to go green. In summary, these systems have made ecologically friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their revolutionary ideas are setting a new standard in the business world of today.











