EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is a new set of European Union rules that came into effect on March 10, 2021, with the goal of making the sustainability profile of funds more comparable and easy to understand for investors. They categorise products into specific types and include metrics for assessing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts of the investment process for each fund.
As the name suggests, this regulation will place much more emphasis on disclosure. The information on this page describes our approach to SFDR and includes our policies and procedures, disclosed in accordance with these new rules.
Many of our clients will also be subject to these new requirements. Apart from our disclosures in prospectuses, annual reports and on this website, we will provide our clients with the information they need to comply with SFDR.
Background to SFDR and how it impacts Aviva Investors
SFDR is part of the EU’s wider Sustainable Finance Framework, which is backed by a broad set of new and enhanced regulations that will apply across the region. The framework includes the Sustainable Finance Action Plan, which aims to promote sustainable investment across the EU, and a new Taxonomy to categorise economic activity through a sustainability lens and help create a level playing field across the region.
Many of the new measures are a response to the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change in December 2015, and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development published earlier the same year, which set out the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. SFDR and other regulations are also aligned with the European Green Deal, which aims for the EU to be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050.
Product reporting obligations under SFDR
The most visible and impactful aspect of SFDR is the reporting format funds and mandates will need to make based on three categories, as laid out by Articles 8 and 9 of the SFDR and those funds not defined by either article, referred to as ‘neutral’ funds.
Neutral funds do not integrate any kind of binding sustainability controls into their investment process and can include stocks that may be excluded by ESG-focused funds, such as tobacco companies or thermal coal producers. While neutral funds are still allowed to be sold in the EU, they may not be promoted as ESG funds.
Among other characteristics, Article 8 products promote environmental or social characteristics, or a combination of those characteristics, provided the companies in which investments are made follow good governance practices.
Article 9, also referred to as ‘products targeting sustainable investments’, covers products targeting bespoke sustainable investments and those that have sustainable investment as their objective.
Aviva Investors fund classifications under SFDR
Currently, most funds managed by Aviva Investors will be classified as neutral under SFDR. We also have a number of Article 8 funds, including our Climate Transition range. We do not currently manage any Article 9 funds or mandates.
Aviva Investors has updated EU fund prospectuses, website product information and Key Investor Information Documents to align with SFDR rules where applicable, along with updated responsible investment policies shown below.
Aviva Investors Liquid Markets - Principle Adverse Sustainability Impacts Statement
Remuneration
To meet the requirements set out under Article 5 of the SFDR, we have published additional information on remuneration and ESG in our Pillar 3 disclosure.
Asset Class Responsible Investment Policies

Credit & Equities - Responsible Investment & Sustainability Risk Policy
This policy describes how we integrate our responsible investment philosophy into each asset class investment process. Credit and Equities covers funds managed by Aviva Investors that primarily invest in equities and bonds and includes money market funds.

Multi-Asset & Macro & Liability-Driven Investment - Responsible Investment & Sustainability Risk Policy
This policy describes how we integrate our responsible investment philosophy into each asset class investment process, Multi-asset covers a wide variety of product types including Multi-Strategy, Multi-Asset ranges, Fund of Funds, Liability Driven Investment, Global Convertibles.

Real Assets - Responsible Investment & Sustainability Risk Policy
This policy describes how we integrate our responsible investment philosophy into each asset class investment process, Real Assets covers traditional real estate products and our alternatives real assets business including infrastructure equity and commercial property/private market debt.
Discover our responsible investment policies.

Aviva Investors Luxembourg Sustainability Risk Policy
Aviva Investors Luxembourg (AILX) recognises and embraces its duty to act as long-term stewards of clients’ assets, maintaining a deep conviction that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors can have a material impact on investment returns and client outcomes. This policy includes the key pillars AILX’s ESG approach including consideration of sustainability risk and how they apply to the funds we operate.
Luxemburg SICAV funds with SFDR ESG characteristics (Article 8)
Aviva Investors will transition specific sub-funds from Article 6 to Article 8 Funds in compliance with the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (or “SFDR”). This transition will be effective 1 July 2022 and was advised in the Notice to Shareholders on 31 May 2022 for Aviva Investors (SICAV) and 1 June 2022 for Aviva Investors Global (SICAV-SIF).
The investment process will now include binding ESG characteristics (ESG screens and sector exclusions), further integration of ESG considerations and the investment manager’s transition philosophy into investment decisions.
This change aligns with Aviva Investors’ long-standing investment philosophy and commitment to responsible investing. The changes will not affect the sub-funds’ stated investment objectives, the way they are managed or the overall risk profile.
For further information regarding these changes, please see the below documentation which includes the Notice to Shareholders, the SICAV Impact Assessment Matrix and an outline of Aviva Investors’ approach to Article 8.
We know what it takes to make a difference
It takes working together to drive sustainable transition across People, Climate, and Earth. It takes Aviva Investors.

Responsible investment views

Equities
Global equity income Q&A: Richard Saldanha on the outlook for dividends and growth
3 Aug 2022
The lead manager of our Global Equity Income strategy discusses risks and opportunities for income-seeking investors in a turbulent time for markets.
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Real Assets
Long income, short ESG windows: Matching real estate long income and responsible investing timelines
2 Aug 2022
Luke Layfield looks at how real estate long income can help address clients’ ESG responsible investing objectives and how respective timelines for implementing change can be best aligned.
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Equities
The AIQ Podcast: Taking stock of nature risk
15 Jul 2022
The idea that human actions are bringing natural systems close to breakdown, threatening livelihoods and financial stability, is making asset managers think harder about nature risk and the environmental dependencies in investee companies.
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Responsible Investing
Investing in a just transition to net zero: A Q&A with Nick Robins
30 Jun 2022
Reaching net zero by 2050 will require significant injections of capital. But it is also an opportunity to rethink social relationships, as Professor Nick Robins explains.
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Equities
Supply chains, painkillers and gene editing: ESG risks in pharma
29 Jun 2022
Reflecting on ESG risks in the pharmaceutical industry, Sora Utzinger discusses supply chains and counterfeit medicines, access to painkillers, and the ethics of gene editing.
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Responsible Investing
What does the data say? Biodiversity loss: From horror to hope
24 Jun 2022
In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we explore the world of biodiversity.
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Responsible Investing
ESG investing: Lasting lessons from Russia’s war on Ukraine
23 Jun 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to ESG receiving widespread flak. While much of the criticism is unjustified, the episode underlines how many issues related to ESG are complex and involve trade-offs. Investment approaches may need fine tuning, especially if the geopolitical landscape continues to change so rapidly.
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Responsible Investing
Levelling up for a new social contract
21 Jun 2022
The global financial crisis of 2007 and the COVID-19 pandemic widened social inequalities, with vulnerable communities hit the hardest. Governments, investors and companies all have a duty to address the issue.
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Responsible Investing
Antimicrobial resistance: Q&A with Dame Sally Davies
10 Jun 2022
Resistance to antibiotics is already killing millions. Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, spoke to AIQ on the latest developments to counter antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the UK and globally.
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Responsible Investing
The AIQ Podcast: Investing towards a new social contract
9 Jun 2022
As life returns to some form of normality, governments are free to move their focus from COVID-19 to left-behind communities and delivering a just transition. This is important to secure long-term economic outcomes, but also comes with investment opportunities and risks.
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Responsible Investing
Deep water: Ten threats to marine ecosystems
8 Jun 2022
Our air, weather, food, the health of diverse marine life and millions of jobs all depend on the ocean. But we have not done well as custodians of marine ecosystems. Here, we set out ten ways where human actions threaten the health of an essential environment.
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Responsible Investing
The investment case for nature
17 May 2022
The impact of economic activity on the natural world has long been ignored. However, governments, companies and investors can all play a role in helping to protect nature.
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AIQ Feature
Levelling up: Investing towards a new social contract
17 May 2022
As we learn to live with COVID-19, focus is returning to delivering a just transition. This is important to secure long-term investment outcomes, but also presents direct opportunities.
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Equities
Life force: Why nature matters
12 May 2022
Growing awareness that natural systems are stressed or even close to breakdown is prompting asset managers to look closely at nature-based risks and investee companies to understand their environmental impacts and dependencies.
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Equities
Why investors must act now on the biodiversity crisis
26 Apr 2022
The concepts of biodiversity and ‘natural capital’ have been largely ignored by business and finance until recently. Investors are now starting to take the issue seriously and build it into their thinking.
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Responsible Investing
The challenge of delivering net zero
11 Apr 2022
Financial services businesses have begun the complex businesses of working out how to deliver on their net-zero ambitions and play their part in tackling climate change.
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Responsible investment
Responsible investment isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes sound financial sense.