The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and investment labels are central to UK sustainable finance. This hub brings together The Planet Brief's guides on SDR (Sustainability Disclosure Requirements) labels, fund greenwashing, ESG (environmental, social and governance) funds, sustainable ETFs (exchange-traded funds), green pensions and sustainable investing terminology.
Financial information only
This hub is for education only. It is not investment advice, a recommendation or a personal financial promotion. SDR labels can help readers understand sustainability objectives, but they do not remove investment risk.
FCA SDR reading path
| Guide | Best for | What it helps you understand |
|---|---|---|
| FCA SDR labels explained | UK sustainable investors | What the labels are, why they exist and how to read them. |
| Greenwashing in sustainable funds | Fund due diligence readers | How SDR fits into a wider check of holdings, objectives, benchmarks and disclosures. |
| What are ESG funds? | Readers comparing fund types | Why ESG integration is not automatically the same as a labelled sustainable objective. |
| Sustainable ETFs UK | ETF (exchange-traded fund) investors | How passive sustainable products can differ in screening, weighting and methodology. |
| Green pension funds UK | Pension savers | Why some pension products need extra care when comparing labels and sustainability claims. |
| ESG vs sustainable investing | Terminology readers | The difference between ESG, sustainable, ethical and impact approaches. |
What SDR is trying to solve
UK sustainable investment products have often used similar language for very different strategies. One fund may exclude a small number of sectors. Another may target measurable environmental outcomes. Another may invest in companies that are improving over time. Without clear labels and disclosures, investors can struggle to compare products.
SDR is designed to make those claims clearer. It does not make a product risk-free, and it does not mean every sustainable product will perform well. It gives readers a better starting point for asking what the product is trying to do and how that objective is evidenced.
What investors should still check
- Does the product have a label, and which one?
- What is the sustainability objective?
- What does the fund actually hold?
- What is excluded, and what thresholds apply?
- Does the fund publish a consumer-facing disclosure?
- How are impact or improvement claims measured?
- What financial risks, fees and concentration risks remain?
Bottom line
SDR labels are useful, but they are not a shortcut around due diligence. Treat the label as the start of the evidence trail, not the final answer.