Ken Mehlman of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. And the Growth of Environmentally Aware Business
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded by Henry Kravis and his business partner George Roberts in 1976 with the help of the First Chicago Corporation. Recently they have launched an exceptional proposal that focuses not only on how much money they can net, but likewise on how environmentally aware each of the companies in their portfolio currently are. Green business procedures became more widely acknowledged in 2008 when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged. They wanted to fight serious environmental issues, that include toxic emissions, hazardous emissions, excessive consumption of water resources, and toxic waste.
To achieve this, they deploy a methodology labeled eco-efficiency which involves down-to-earth techniques like using clean energy, reducing the intensity of materials, and improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance. The program was successful, however the KKR and EDF did not understand the full program’s benefits until Ken Mehlman, the executive responsible for the program, evaluated the project when it had been operating for its first full year. Ken Mehlman who practiced environmental law for Akin Gump Stauss Hauer & Feld, has served as legislative director to Texas 21st Congressional District Representative Lamar S. Smith, became Managing Director and Head of Global Public Affairs at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, LLP in 2008, is also a trustee of Franklin & Marshall College and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and presently serves as a member of the board of directors at the National Endowment for Democracy, and the Senior Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Institute of Politics, found that using eco-efficiency was not just helping to conserve the environment, but in addition it was helping to save companies a great deal of money. Nearly all of the firms held by KKR and Ken Mehlman at present are involved in eco-efficiency principles. Seeing that the group has a net worth of nearly one hundred billion dollars, you can imagine what an accomplishment this really was.
The original program now encompasses new opportunities. For example, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program that instructs students studying for an MBA how to design and start cost-efficient, green principles. Moreover, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to produce a package of analytic tools that a wide range of companies can employ to quantify and manage a number of resources. These metrics allow staff to assess their progress and discover any practices which may need improving.
Today’s business community has been changed permanently by the pioneering efforts of these groups. In summary, these systems have made environmentally friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their radical ideas are setting a new standard in today’s community.
