SRI had an important role in ending the apartheid government in South Africa . International opposition to apartheid strengthened after the 1960 Sharpeville massacre . In 1971 , Reverend Leon Sullivan ( at the time a board member for General Motors ) drafted a code of conduct for practicing business in South Africa which became known as the Sullivan Principles . However , reports documenting the application of the Sullivan Principles said that US companies were not trying to lessen discrimination in South Africa . Due to these reports and mounting political pressure , cities , states , colleges , faith-based groups and pension funds throughout the US began divesting from companies operating in South Africa . In 1976 , the United Nations imposed a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa . From the 1970s to the early 1990s , large institutions avoided investment in South Africa under apartheid . The subsequent negative flow of investment eventually forced a group of businesses , representing 75 % of South African employers , to draft a charter calling for an end to apartheid . While the SRI efforts alone did not bring an end to apartheid , it did focus persuasive international pressure on the South African business community
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Socially responsible investing