Buzz Gnosis

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up in the mid-seventies and back then their main business was in highly leveraged transactions. However, they have assembled a groundbreaking enterprise that focuses not solely on profitability, but likewise on how ecologically aware each of the companies in their portfolio are.

Green business practices went mainstream a year ago when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged. Big issues like water pollution and steep consumption of water resources are an important part of their company mission. Eco-efficiency (the phrase was initially pitched by the WBCSD) is the formula deployed to achieve these goals, through applying techniques like reducing the intensity of materials, improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance and waste reduction. Simple and effective, but the companies involved did not realize the full benefits of the program until Ken Mehlman, the man in charge of the Green Portfolio Project, reviewed the program following a year in operation.

Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken saw that using eco-efficiency not only increased environmental responsibility, but also increased the the profit from all their business concerns besides. Almost all of the firms linked with KKR and Ken Mehlman today actively participate in the Green Portfolio Project. Still, when you consider that the group has a current business portfolio with a worth of eighty six billion dollars, you may be certain that this was not an easy accomplishment. KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund alongside Ken Mehlman have also developed the original program. For instance, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program which instructs MBA students how to put together and initiate cost-efficient, green practices.

Moreover, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to produce a package of metrics and other relevant systems that businesses can use to quantify and manage resources. With this information available, any sort of business may without much effort measure each of their daily processes and ascertain precisely how they can resolve any issues while simultaneously tracking their progress.

The business community has been transformed forever by the efforts of these individuals. In summary, the work of these organizations has made green business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their revolutionary ideas are setting a new standard in the competitive business world of today.