SFDR

Though the EU consultation of the much-debated Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation is set to conclude only in December, the outlines of what will be termed as SFDR 2.0 are gradually emerging.

After a significant reclassification wave last year, many hesitate to award their funds the highest sustainability label, lacking the commercial upsides of SFDR 9 reporting.

The European Commission is considering a revamp of the way sustainable investment products are classified and is about to launch a three-month consultation soon. The current system, governed by the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), categorizes these products under Article 8 and Article 9, but this could be subject to change.

The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) framework’s Article 6 has often been perceived as a dumping ground for non-sustainable investments. However, experts question whether this perception is accurate. Some argue that an Article 6 fund can sometimes be even greener than an Article 8 fund.

Technical standards with which sustainability information must comply are becoming clearer as far as the European supervisory authorities are concerned. They published a comprehensive consultation paper with a high level of detail and many calculation formulae on the level 2 implementation of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Directive, or SFDR. The industry can propose amendments up to 4 July.

Some long awaited regulatory clarity on ESG and sustainability requirements for fund and asset managers appears to have reduced the state of confusion that had led to a downgrade of approximately 270 billion euro in assets under management last year. Yet, some specialists believe that claims of greenwashing that have plagued the industry in the last year are at serious risk of continuing. 

The European Union is taking a major step forward with its Green Deal initiative, and investors are now being encouraged to invest green faster. The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) has been designed to play an important role in this effort by providing transparency into how investment firms and managers integrate sustainability risks into their decisions. But it is struggling in a confused industry. 

As many as 70% of the ETFs touted as the most sustainable in their class by the fund companies that offered them have been downgraded in one year. Rather than aiming for sustainable investment, passive funds were found to incorporate only one ESG factor.

Even after 40 percent of the EU’s most sustainable fund assets was downgraded during the fourth quarter, managers of investment funds with an outspoken sustainability profile are still not sure whether their funds meet the requirements for ESG investments under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

Further downgrades are expected during the coming months.

French financial supervisor AMF is calling for a major reform of the EU’s SFDR rules for sustainable finance disclosures and proposed to remove fossil fuel activities from investment funds that are classified as “dark green” Article 9.