The Truth Bar

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in 1976 and initially the company’s main business was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. Recently they have put together a unique proposal that focuses not just on how lucrative an enterprise is, but also on the environmental impact of the companies they purchase.

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together a year ago, with the intention of making green business practices an accepted idea. Critical matters like toxic chemicals and high consumption of water resources feature high on their agenda. Eco-efficiency (a term first propagated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) stipulates their mission’s framework, employing policies such as recycling programs, waste reduction and increasing the durability of products. The project was initially well received, but the KKR and EDF did not even realize the scope of the advantages of the project until Ken Mehlman, the executive responsible for the Green Portfolio Project, evaluated the numbers from the program when it had been operating for a year.

Ken observed that the program was not just protecting the environment, but it was also saving a large range of businesses a great deal of money, and so the project became almost an immediate hit. These days, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have almost every associated business organization engaged in eco-efficiency. Still, with a 2009 portfolio worth eighty-six billion dollars, you may be certain that this was not a simple see what an enormous feat this is. The initial Green Portfolio project has now broadened to encompass new opportunities. For instance, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co linked up with the EDF’s Climate Corps Program an organization that instructs interns studying for a Master’s in Business Administration how to formulate and initiate cost-effective, ecologically friendly techniques.

Moreover, Ken Mehlman has been collaborating closely with KKR to develop a series of analytic tools which firms can utilize to quantify and oversee resources. This type of data is invaluable as companies can measure their daily operations and find out exactly how they can resolve any issues while at the same time seeing their progress.

Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to become more ecologically friendly. Their innovations have made going green simpler for companies in any sector and proved that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.