OREANDA-NEWS. December 22, 2015. KKR & Co. L.P., a leading global investment firm, today announced that it has re-launched its pioneering environmental initiative under a new name, and with an expanded mission. KKR's eight-year-old Green Portfolio Program (GPP), which focused on promoting eco-efficiency best practices across participating portfolio companies, will be expanded to an initiative called the Green Solutions Platform (GSP).

The launch of the GSP follows nearly eight years of meaningful environmental and financial impact from the GPP. During that time period, 27 companies participated with 25 of those companies reporting the following cumulative results thanks to companies' eco-efficiency efforts: nearly \\$1.2 billion in avoided costs and added revenue, more than 2.3 million metric tons of avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 27 million cubic meters of avoided water use, and 6.3 million tons of avoided waste.

Evolving beyond this focus on eco-efficiency, the GSP will mobilize a broader spectrum of possible environmental and business impacts. The re-launched program will continue to drive efforts in eco-efficiency, but will also promote and champion participating companies' environmental innovations and solutions offerings to environmental challenges as part of their business mandate.

"We recognized that our companies have environmental opportunities that go beyond eco-efficiency," said

Henry Kravis, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of KKR. "Therefore we developed an approach that spurs innovation and expands environmental solutions."

George Roberts, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of KKR, added, "Our decision to transition an already-successful program was in response to the evolving nature of our companies' needs and abilities. We will continue working with our program partners to find new ways to drive both business and environmental value."

As part of today's GSP announcement, KKR released results for 22 participating companies across four asset classes, including private equity, special situations, real estate and infrastructure. The majority of the reporting companies focus on eco-efficiency, with 19 case studies spanning a range of geographies and material issues. One company reported on eco-innovation and three companies reported on eco-solutions.

"This year's announcement includes KKR's largest number of participating companies at any one time in the history of our environmental program," said

Elizabeth Seeger, Director at KKR and a leader of the program since 2008. "We know that this program will continue to evolve, but we are already very encouraged by the range of companies engaged beyond our private equity portfolio and the opportunities that we have found that are broader than eco-efficiency."

Private equity portfolio companies reporting results include Alliance Tire Group, Bis Industries, Capsugel, CITIC Envirotech Ltd., Dalmia Cement, First Data Corporation, Gardner Denver Nash, Gardner Denver Thomas, GoDaddy, HCA, Lake Region Medical, Panasonic Healthcare, Pets at Home, PortAventura, Sundrop Farms, Sungard Availability Services, Tarkett, Toys "R" Us, and US Foods. Coriance, an infrastructure portfolio company; Pacific Retail Capital Partners, three shopping malls in KKR's real estate portfolio; and Ursa, a special situations portfolio company, are also reporting into the program.

KKR will continuously engage with key stakeholders for feedback and input as this program grows over time. Longtime partner Environmental Defense Fund will continue to provide strategic advice to KKR and the new GSP.

"We're proud to see this effort that we worked with KKR to launch eight years ago continue to evolve, expanding beyond the bottom-line benefits of eco-efficiency to the potential top-line benefits from companies making environmental solutions core to their business models," said

Tom Murray, Vice President of corporate partnerships at Environmental Defense Fund.

For more on KKR's Green Solutions Platform (GSP) and participating portfolio companies, visit www.green.kkr.com.

To read KKR's annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Citizenship report, visit www.kkresg.com.