Auto-Immunization

When Henry Kravis and his partner George Roberts established Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid seventies with the help of the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s main business was in bootstrap buyouts. However, hoping to make their acquisitions have less of an environmental impact, KKR have set in motion a unique proposal that has fundamentally changed the way business concerns and environmental agencies carry on their day-to-day business.

When Henry Kravis from KKR and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces just a year ago environmental matters went mainstream. Their goals include encouraging their associated companies to avoid operations which may harm the environment like resource depletion and any exaggerated consumption of water resources.

To accomplish this, they utilize eco-efficiency which involves concepts like reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, maximum use of renewable resources, and improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance. Irrespective of the fact that the project was a colossal success, no-one understood how fantastic the consequences were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, reviewed the numbers for the first year. Only then did Ken observe that applying eco-efficiency wasn’t solely lessening ecological impact, but it was also helping to save business concerns a remarkable amount of money, and so the project turned into almost an immediate hit. Almost all of the companies affiliated to KKR and Ken Mehlman today participate in the Green Portfolio Project. Seeing that the total portfolio is worth almost 100.000,000,000 USD, you can be sure this was not an easy accomplishment.

The original program is expanding to include new ventures. The Climate Corps Program established by the Environmental Defense Fund is one of these, it heightens awareness of eco-efficient business techniques to MBA interns.

What is more, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to formulate analytic tools which businesses can use to quantify and oversee resources. These products can track an organization’s environmental impact and identify any problem areas. The business world has been altered permanently by the work of these people. So, in conclusion, these systems have made ecologically friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their revolutionary ideas are setting a new standard in today’s community.