Eco-Efficiency - Making a Profit without Destroying the Environment
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was established by Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts in the seventies with the assistance of the First Chicago Corporation. But hoping to make their acquisitions have less of an environmental impact, they have set in motion a groundbreaking green project that has entirely transformed the method by which businesses and environmental activists function.
KKR’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged a year ago, hoping to make green business practice an acknowledged concept. Serious issues like hazardous chemical use and egregious consumption of water resources are a priority in their company mission statement. Eco-efficiency (a term initially used by the WBCSD) is the methodology employed to achieve these aims, utilizing green policies like reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, reducing the intensity of materials and recycling programs. Irrespective of the fact that the project was an enormous success, no-one realized how extensive the effects were until Ken Mehlman, the executive responsible for the Green Portfolio Project, looked over the first year’s profits.
Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken discovered that practicing eco-efficiency not only increased environmental awareness, but was also increasing the the profit from each business organization as well. At the time of writing, KKR and Ken Mehlman have nearly all of their companies engaged in the project. When you consider that this portfolio of companies is worth virtually $100 billion dollars, you may see what a massive feat this is.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and the EDF with the assistance of Ken Mehlman have also extended the original project. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the EDF is one of these, it campaigns for earth friendly techniques to students taking a Master’s in Business Administration. KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to create a package of metrics and other related products which will be able to evaluate and manage resources. Systems such as these permit staff to measure their progress and identify any problem areas. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund truly are groundbreakers in the business world. So, to summarize, the work of these organizations has made green business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in today’s world.
