Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Environmental Defense Fund — Groundbreakers in Green Business
Posted on 23 Oct 2009 at 06:55 pm | Tagged as: Web Of Social Bookmarking
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up in the mid 70’s and in the beginning their specialty was in highly leveraged transactions. But they have put together a remarkable green enterprise that centers not solely on how profitable a corporate entity is, but also on how environmentally aware each of the corporate entities in their portfolio currently are.
When Henry Kravis from KKR and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged just a year ago environmental issues all of a sudden became a mainstream concern. Their corporate mission is to encourage their associated firms in opposing practices which may jeopardize the environment e.g. toxic emissions not to forget any reckless consumption of water resources. Eco-efficiency (a term first introduced by the WBCSD) delineates the framework for their mission, employing green policies such as waste reduction, reducing the intensity of materials and fuel economy. Even though the project was a huge success, staff just didn’t understand how important the results were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, reviewed the figures for the first 12 months. Beating everyone’s expectations, Ken discovered that this program not only decreased the overall impact on the environment, but was increasing the profits from all their businesses besides. Virtually all of the companies held by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman now utilize eco-efficiency. Still, with a 2009 business portfolio valued at $86,000,000,000, you may be sure this wasn’t an easy accomplishment.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co with the assistance of Ken Mehlman have also enlarged on the original project. For instance, KKR linked up with the EDF’s Climate Corps Program which teaches MBA interns how to promote cost-efficient, green techniques.
KKR and Ken Mehlman have been formulating a variety of metrics that have the ability to administer resources. Products such as these let a business see how they are progressing and identify any areas which may need to be re-evaluated.
Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are innovators when it comes ecologically friendly business development. In summary, the work of these organizations has made green business techniques not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their radical ideas are setting a new standard in today’s business community.
