Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up in the mid seventies and in the beginning the firm’s specialty was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. But they have put together a novel green proposal which concentrates not solely on maximum profit margins, but likewise on how ecologically aware each of their companies are.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces only a year ago environmental matters went mainstream. Crucial matters like hazardous waste and outrageous consumption of water resources are an all-important part of their corporate mission. Eco-efficiency (a phrase originally used by the WBCSD) is the methodology leveraged to achieve these goals, employing techniques like maximum use of renewable resources, increasing the durability of products and reducing the intensity of materials. Regardless of the fact that the program was an enormous success, staff just did not understand how incredible the consequences really were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, finished the first annual review.
Ken Mehlman who graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1988, has served as field director for George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, became Managing Director and Head of Global Public Affairs at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, LLP in 2008, is, furthermore, a trustee of Franklin & Marshall College and the Strong American Schools Foundation and serves as a member of the board of directors at the National Endowment for Democracy, and the Senior Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Institute of Politics, saw that using eco-efficiency wasn’t merely reducing their ecological impact, but additionally it was helping to save a diverse range of companies a great deal of money. Virtually all of the businesses linked with KKR and Ken Mehlman today utilize eco-efficiency. And, with a 2009 business portfolio worth $86 billion, you may be sure that this was not an easy feat. The original program has developed far beyond its initial remit and at present encompasses new and groundbreaking enterprises. For instance, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program that instructs MBA interns how to formulate and start financially strong, green techniques.
Of Late, Ken Mehlman has been collaborating closely with KKR to create a series of metrics and other relevant products that business concerns can employ to measure and oversee resources. Systems such as these let any business organization to evaluate their progress and discover any problem areas.
The business world has been entirely transformed by the work of these people. Their unique concepts have made going green less problematic for business organizations in every industry and shown that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.