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INVESTING FOR

IMPACT

A (Very) Brief History Vietnam War and politics of the time. were heavily influenced by the
For example, some investors chose to Bhopal, Chernobyl, and Exxon Valdez
One of the earliest forms of impact
divest from companies that provided disasters, which led to concerns about
investing in America can be seen in the
weapons for the war. the environment and climate change.
1950s when investors began to avoid
These events helped launch the Forum
publicly traded companies involved in
By the 1970s, it was clear that impact for Sustainable and Responsible
or associated with alcohol, tobacco,
investing was here to stay. A growing Investment (US SIF), which is now one
or gambling. Over the decade, as
number of new funds aimed to of the largest educational resources
new investors entered U.S. markets,
combine social and environmental for impact investing.
impact investing evolved gradually.
considerations with financial
By the 1960s, some investors began
objectives, in an attempt to attract
to shift away from merely avoiding
the socially conscious investor of the
“sin” stocks, focusing instead on the
time. In the 1980s, some investors
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