In the ‘70s, American economist Milton Friedman pioneered the idea that a company’s sole responsibility was to maximize shareholder value — if your shareholders are happy, your company is doing well. This value maximization approach worked for a while, and perhaps this is why big businesses get a bad rap for being “money-grabbing machines”. But today society has moved away from this concept somewhat. It’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with working for profit, since it’s essential for companies to continue operating, but fixating on value maximization as the sole objective is a short-sighted view for any corporation in this day and age. As society moves towards a more socially conscious one, investors are also looking to invest in companies that do more than just generate profits. What is ESG investing? ESG investing (a.k.a sustainable investing, socially responsible investing, or mission-related investing) is gaining traction recently with more...