Bright Activity

When Henry Kravis and his partner George Roberts launched Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the 1970’s with some assistance from the First Chicago Corporation, their main business was in highly leveraged transactions. However, aiming to make their acquisitions greener and more profitable as well, they have set up an unusual green enterprise that has completely transformed the method by which business concerns and environmental groups work.

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together last year, with the intention of making green business practice an accepted concept. Issues like toxic chemicals and colossal consumption of water resources rank high on their list of goals. To implement this, they deploy eco-efficiency; this involves practicable techniques such as using clean energy, improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance, and recycling programs. Simple and effective, however the businesses who were taking part did not even realize the scope of the program’s advantages until the person responsible for the project, Ken Mehlman, reviewed the numbers from the project when it had been functioning for a year. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ken learned that this program not only decreased environmental impact, but also increased the the net profit from every last business organization as well. Almost all of the business organizations affiliated to Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman today use eco-efficiency. And, when you consider that the group has a 2009 portfolio with an estimated worth of 86,000,000,000 dollars, you can be certain that this was not a simple see what a huge achievement this is. The original project has grown far beyond its primary purpose and these days includes new ventures. To illustrate, KKR linked up with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program an enterprise that teaches MBA students how to put together and initiate cost-effective, green techniques.

KKR and Ken Mehlman have been creating metrics and analytic tools which administer resources. Systems such as these can track an organization’s progress and discover any areas which may need some re-evaluation. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund truly are innovators in the business world. Their developments have set a benchmark for companies in any sector and illustrated that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.