1700s: The first ESG

What is happening? ESG investing traces back to Quakers and the Methodist Church in the 1700s. The Quakers and Methodist Churches asked their members to not invest in business that relied on slave labor. Same for the 1960s when institutional investors avoided investments that supported the Vietnam War or civil rights. Same for the 1980s when investors divested from Apartheid supporting investments.

Why is this important? By definition “woke” means  “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)” according to Merriam Webster and according tot he Cambridge dictionary as “aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality” Woke is the verbiage of choice as attacking ESG by conservative American politicians.

Forbes | How To Become The ESG Company You Want To Be