EDF Staff | May 9, 2011
By Lillias MacIntyre, Corporate Partnerships, Program Associate
Our Green Returns team works diligently day in and day out to make environmental management a best practice throughout the private equity industry. Simultaneously, EDF Climate Corps fellows scour public and private companies across America and find ways to reduce energy use and associated costs. Both projects make the business case for addressing the environment and have successfully proven that what is good for our planet is good for business.
Green Returns and Climate Corps teams have both worked hard to establish connections, build relationships and merge networks. This summer, 49 public and privately owned companies will host 57 Climate Corps fellows throughout the country. Nine of these companies are owned by private equity firms - up from four in 2010. Repeat participants and their private equity owners include:
- Diversey (CD&R)
- HCA (KKR)
- ServiceMaster (CD&R)
- SunGard (KKR)
New participants and their private equity sponsors include:
- Booz Allen Hamilton (Carlyle)
- Dunkin' Brands (Carlyle)
- Dave & Buster's (Oak Hill)
- QTS (General Atlantic)
- ViaWest (Oak Hill)
Growing private equity participation in our Green Returns and Climate Corps initiatives is further evidence to the transformations taking place in the private equity industry. Increasingly, investors are realizing that environmental management is a powerful tool for improving both investment practices and management strategies. This shift is good for the industry and the environment. Who knows? Maybe next year, private equity owned companies will account for an even greater percentage of Climate Corps host companies - further strengthening the connections between these networks, improving energy efficiency and creating shared value for companies and the environment.
For more information on EDF's private equity work, visit edf.org/greenreturns.