Apropos Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was established by Henry Kravis and George Roberts in the seventies with support from the First Chicago Corporation. Recently they have put together a unique green enterprise that focuses not alone on maximum profit margins, but in addition on the environmental impact of the companies they invest in.
Green business practices became major topic of dicussion a year ago when KKR’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Issues like climate change and intemperate consumption of water resources rank high on their list of priorities.
Eco-efficiency (the term was originally used by the WBCSD) governs their mission’s framework, using policies such as recycling programs, waste reduction and reducing the intensity of materials. Although the program was an enormous success, staff just didn’t recognize how incredible the effects were until Ken Mehlman, the person in charge of the Green Portfolio Project, finished the first annual review. Ken who practiced environmental law for Akin Gump Stauss Hauer & Feld from 1991 to 1996, has also served as director of the White House Office of Political Affairs from 2000 through 2005, was the appointed Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007 and presently serves as a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Institute of Politics, and the executive leadership cabinet of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation, discovered that practicing eco-efficiency wasn’t just reducing their impact on the environment, but in addition it was helping to save companies a great deal of money. These days, KKR and Ken Mehlman have nearly every associated business organization actively taking part in eco-efficiency techniques. Still, with a current business portfolio with a value of $86,000,000,000, you may be certain this was no easy accomplishment. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co with the Environmental Defense Fund in association with Ken Mehlman are further expanding the Green Portfolio project. The Climate Corps Program established by the EDF is just one of these, it campaigns for cost efficient, ecologically friendly principles to students taking a Master’s in Business Administration. KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to create systems that measure and administer resources. This type of data is invaluable as companies may without very much effort analyze their everyday activities and ascertain exactly how they can resolve any issues while at the same time letting staff to find out their impact on the environment. Today’s business community has been altered forever by the efforts of these organizations. These developments have set a high standard for businesses in any sector and established that making profits need not entail the hefty price of negatively impacting our planet.











