Malk Sustainability Partners services

Responsible Investment Management Drives Value Creation, Private equity funds own a significant portion of U.S. and global companies and leverage their roles as owners to drive value creation within their portfolio companies.  In an era when funds are working harder than ever to create value amidst rising resource costs and increased LP scrutiny, leading funds from KKR in the U.S. to Doughty Hanson in the U.K. are focusing on responsible investment and management practices to boost returns.

Operational Management and Responsible Lending Decisions Drive Value Creation As underwriters of the global economy, the financial services sector is particularly exposed to evolving environmental risks and opportunities. By managing their own footprints, capturing new lending opportunities, and understanding evolving risks, commercial banks can capture considerable value from focusing on sustainability. Giants in the sector from Citibank to Bank of America have moved aggressively on this issue set, with many mid-market and small banks following close behind.
While the direct environmental footprint of banks is smaller than some sectors, visionary and responsible banks can contribute to environmental and social sustainability through their lending products and policies. This issue is particularly important now when the sector is focused on enhancing its brand perception with regulators and the communities in which they operate.

Information Technology: Innovative Companies Lead on Sustainability Information technology (‘IT’) has grown into a massive set of industries with the top 100 IT companies grossing over $750 billion – more than the nominal GDP of the entire nation of Turkey.  Leaders in IT and related services, from Cisco to Autodesk to Deutsche Telekom, have chosen to prioritize sustainability and mid-market companies are following suite as the environment becomes an important strategic issue.

Sustainability & the Consumer & Household Goods Industry The manufacturers and marketers of retail products have come under increasing scrutiny for their labor practices, the health impacts of their products, and the impact of manufacturing on communities, particularly in the developing world. More recently, attention has turned to their environmental impacts, including material sourcing, energy intensity and waste generation. A number of firms, such as Levi’s, Unilever, Patagonia, and Tom’s of Maine have committed to significantly reducing the environmental impacts of their operations, which opens new risks for those who have not.

Sustainability & Real Estate & Property Management Environmental strategy has evolved from a luxury to a necessity in the building and property management industry. Green building and maintenance is now a core issue for real estate investors and property managers as green properties are becoming more desirable to tenants and buyers. The incremental cost of integrating environmental best management practices at a property typically reaches 2% of development costs but often yields an ROI of more than 50%.