Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Changing Face of Green Business
January 11th, 2010In the beginning, when Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts established Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid-seventies with some help from the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s focus was in highly leveraged transactions. Recently they have assembled a novel green proposal that focuses not alone on optimized ROI, but additionally on the ecological impact of the companies they acquire.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together last year green matters went mainstream. The coalition aims to fight many crucial issues impeding the ecology of the planet, such as hazardous waste, toxic chemicals, immeasurable consumption of water resources, and hazardous emissions. Eco-efficiency (the phrase was originally popularized by the WBCSD) denotes their mission’s framework, using green policies like increasing the durability of products, fuel economy and reducing the waste of resources. Even though the program was a colossal success, staff simply did not recognize how far reaching the effects were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, finished the first annual review. Only at that point did Ken notice that the project wasn’t just helping to protect the environment, but additionally it was helping to save a broad range of companies a substantial sum of money, making the program almost an immediate success. Currently, KKR and Ken Mehlman have succeeded in getting well-nigh every associated business involved in eco-efficiency principles. Seeing that the group has a value of virtually 100 billion USD, you can see what a challenge this really is.
KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund with the help of Ken Mehlman are further extending the original project. For instance, KKR joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture that instructs MBA students how to promote financially strong, green practices.
What is more, Ken Mehlman has worked closely with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to produce metrics and analytic tools which all sorts of businesses can utilize to evaluate and oversee resources. These products allow management see how they are progressing and identify any underlying issues. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund really are pioneers in the business world. In summary, these systems have made environmentally friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in the competitive business world of today.
