In the early years of socially responsible investing, the idea was to exclude investments in countries and organizations, such as the South Africa divestment process. Socially responsible investing is now about building coalitions. The 100 Best Companies to Work For . Socially responsible investing addresses many issues, including product purity and safety, environmental standards, workplace safety, and women and minorities in the workplace and in senior management. The extent to which groups share their concerns determines how effective they are.
Many groups can put the power of their money behind their issues.
For example, we put pressure on Kodak in the 1960s to employ people of color. We were one of the first denominations to make that kind of move. In the 1960s and 1970s, GA passed four resolutions to empower the Board and Finance Committee to do socially responsible investing. In 1979, GA passed a resolution against Nestle and its production of infant formula in the third world. In 1986, GA passed a resolution against Shell Oil for its investment in South Africa.