How Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Works with the Environmental Defense Fund
February 19th, 2010Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up in 1976 and initially the firm’s specialty was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. However, aiming to make their portfolio companies and acquisitions have less of an ecological impact, they have founded a groundbreaking green proposal that has fundamentally changed the way businesses and environmental activists carry on their everyday business.
Environmentally sound business practice went mainstream in 2008 when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. Issues like depletion of the ozone layer and steep consumption of water resources are a priority in their corporate mission statement. To implement this, they employ a procedure called eco-efficiency, this calls for concepts such as fuel economy, using clean energy, and maximum use of renewable resources. Although the program was a tremendous success, no-one realized how significant the effects actually were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, looked at the numbers for the first 12 months. Outmatching everyone’s expectations, Ken realized that this program not only enhanced environmental awareness, but was increasing the profitability of all their business organizations too. Virtually all of the commercial organizations linked with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman today are participating in eco-efficiency. Still, with a 2009 business portfolio valued at 86 billion dollars, you can be certain this wasn’t an easy see what an enormous accomplishment this is.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co with the EDF along with Ken Mehlman have also extended the initial program. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the EDF’s Climate Corps Program a venture which instructs MBA interns how to promote cost-efficient, green practices.
Moreover, Ken Mehlman has worked closely with KKR to create a variety of products that a wide variety of businesses can use to evaluate and oversee a number of resources. Programs like these can measure an organization’s environmental impact and identify any problem areas. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are groundbreakers in the business community. These innovations have made going green simpler for firms in any industry and proved that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.











