Today, ESG investing is significant in that it allows the individual investor to engage with the market and the economy in small but marked ways, aligning with businesses that share their values, a process known as conscious capitalism.  As the practice spreads, and ESG investing is utilized by increasingly larger groups, it allows socially conscious investors to put pressure on corporations from the inside via shareholder activism — using their influence as partial owners to encourage businesses toward a brighter, more sustainable future.