Originally, when Henry Kravis and George Roberts launched Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid 70’s with the help of the First Chicago Corporation, their specialty was in leveraged buyouts. But hoping to make their portfolio of companies greener, KKR have founded a unique green proposal that has completely changed the method by which business concerns and environmental groups work in a major way. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces in 2008, with the mission of making environmentally sound business practice an accepted idea. Their goals include encouraging their affiliated enterprises to help resolve practices which may destroy the environment e.g. toxic waste as well as any flagrant consumption of water resources.

Eco-efficiency (a phrase originally pitched by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD) is the formula applied to achieve these aims, by applying environmentally aware policies like maximum use of renewable resources, recycling programs and improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance. The program was successful, but the businesses involved didn’t realize the full advantages of the project until Ken Mehlman, the man in charge of the Green Portfolio Project, studied the program when it had been up and running for a year. Ken Mehlman observed that using eco-efficiency wasn’t merely cutting impact on the environment, but additionally it was saving businesses a great deal of money, making the program almost an immediate success. Just about all of the companies connected with KKR and Ken Mehlman now are engaged in eco-efficiency. And, with a 2009 portfolio with an estimated worth of eighty six billion dollars, you may be sure that this wasn’t a simple achievement. The Green Portfolio project has now broadened to include new enterprises. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the EDF is one of these initiatives, it campaigns for eco-efficient techniques to MBA interns. KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to formulate products which have the ability to administer various resources. This type of data is invaluable as businesses may without much effort evaluate all of their day to day procedures and find out exactly how any issues may be resolved while at the same time letting staff to view their environmental impact. Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to become more environmentally friendly. So, to summarize, the work of these organizations has made green business techniques not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in today’s business community.