Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. , the Environmental Defense Fund and the Development of Green Business
When Henry Kravis and George Roberts launched Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid 70’s with assistance from the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s focus was in “bootstrap” buyouts. Recently in the pursuit of making the companies they take over more ecologically aware, they have launched an extraordinary green enterprise that has completely transformed the way business concerns and environmental agencies carry on their day-to-day business. Green business processes became more generally acknowledged last year when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. They aims to help resolve many serious green issues, for instance deforestation, toxic chemical use, high water consumption, and hazardous emissions.
Eco-efficiency (the phrase was originally advertised by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) is the technique deployed to achieve these goals, utilizing ecologically sustainable policies such as using clean energy, maximum use of renewable resources and increasing the durability of products. Efficient though it was the KKR and EDF did not even understand the scope of the benefits of the program until Ken Mehlman, the person in charge of the program, reviewed the project when it had been up and running for its first full year. Only then did Ken learn that utilizing eco-efficiency was not only lessening ecological impact, but in addition it was saving firms a substantial sum of money. To date, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have succeeded in getting virtually all of their companies involved in the program. Yet, with a 2009 portfolio worth eighty-six billion dollars, you may be certain that this was no easy achievement. KKR with the EDF along with Ken Mehlman have also expanded the original program. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the Environmental Defense Fund is an example of this, it promotes planet friendly principles to MBA interns. KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to create analytic tools that oversee resources. Systems like these allow any business organization to track their progress and discover any areas which might need improving. The business community has been altered forever by the pioneering efforts of these organizations. These developments have simplified the process for organizations in every sector and illustrated that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.