Going Green: with Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Setting an Example
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in the mid seventies and back then their focus was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. Recently they have assembled an exceptional green enterprise which concentrates not solely on maximized profit margins, but additionally on the ecological impact of the companies they control. When Henry Kravis from KKR and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged last year green issues in the business community became a hot topic. Their company mission is to encourage their affiliated firms to fight against environmental menaces like water pollution as well as high consumption of water resources. To accomplish this, they utilize a method labeled eco-efficiency which involves concepts such as fuel economy, reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, and using clean energy. Simple and effective, but the management didn’t realize the range of the project’s advantages until the head of the project and global public affairs, Ken Mehlman, studied the program subsequent to its first year in operation. Factually eclipsing all expectations, Ken found that this program not only decreased the overall impact on the environment, but was increasing the profits from all their companies besides. Nearly all of the companies affiliated to Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman at present apply eco-efficiency. If you think about the fact that the total portfolio is worth 86 billion USD, you can see what a feat this really was.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co with the EDF along with Ken Mehlman are further developing the original project. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture which teaches MBA students how to introduce cost-effective, environmentally friendly techniques.
What is more, Ken Mehlman has been collaborating closely with KKR to develop metrics that firms can use to quantify and oversee resources. With this information available, any business may without much effort assess their day-to-day activities and ascertain where they can solve any problems while at the same time tracking their progress. Today’s business world has been transformed forever by the ecologically centered efforts of Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Their developments have made cutting back their ecological impact simpler for firms in any industry and established that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.
