SFDR Article 6 funds: meaning, scope and market practice What is an SFDR Article 6 fund? Where are SFDR Article 6 funds commonly established? How Article 6 differs from SFDR Articles 8 and 9 Interaction between SFDR and non-EU fund structures How Harneys can help

The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is one of the most consequential pieces of EU financial regulation to emerge in recent years. It establishes a classification framework for financial products based on their sustainability characteristics, dividing them broadly into three categories under Articles 6, 8 and 9. While much of the market's attention has focused on the higher-tier classifications - Article 8 (products that promote environmental or social characteristics) and Article 9 (products with sustainable investment as their objective) - the reality is that the vast majority of funds in the market sit within Article 6. This article explains what an SFDR Article 6 fund is, where they are typically established, how they differ from Articles 8 and 9 products, and how SFDR interacts with non-EU fund structures - a question of particular significance for managers domiciling funds in offshore jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda. An SFDR Article 6 fund is a financial product that does not promote environmental or social characteristics (Article 8) and does not have sustainable investment as its objective (Article 9). In practical terms, Article 6 is the default classification: any fund that does not make specific ESG commitments in its investment process falls within this category. Article 6 does not mean a fund ignores sustainability risks entirely. Under Article 6(1) of the SFDR, managers of Article 6 products must still disclose the manner in which sustainability risks are integrated into their investment decisions, or explain why sustainability risks are not considered relevant. This is a disclosure obligation, not an investment mandate — the fund is not required to adopt any ESG strategy, but it must be transparent about its approach. Article 6 funds must also comply with pre-contractual disclosure requirements under Article 6(2), including a statement in offering documents on whether and how the product considers principal adverse impacts (PAIs) on sustainability factors. Where PAIs are not considered, an explanation must be provided. A common misconception is that Article 6 funds are "non-ESG" or sit outside the SFDR framework. This is incorrect. Every financial product offered by an EU-regulated financial market participant falls within the scope of the SFDR and must be classified. Article 6 is simply the baseline category for products that do not make affirmative ESG commitments beyond the minimum disclosure requirements. Article 6 funds are established across a wide range of jurisdictions, both within and outside the EU. The SFDR classification itself does not dictate where a fund must be domiciled - it is a disclosure regime that applies to the manager (or, more precisely, to the financial market participant making the product available), not to the fund vehicle itself. Within the EU, Article 6 funds are commonly structured in Luxembourg, the largest European fund domicile. Luxembourg offers well-established regulatory frameworks and is home to the majority of UCITS and EU-regulated alternative investment funds. Many managers without an ESG-specific strategy will establish their funds in Luxembourg and classify them as Article 6 funds by default. Outside the EU, a significant number of funds that are classified as Article 6 — or that would be classified as such if marketed into the EU — are domiciled in offshore jurisdictions. The Cayman Islands remains the dominant global fund domicile for alternative investment funds, particularly hedge funds, private equity vehicles and venture capital structures. The British Virgin Islands and Bermuda are also well-established fund jurisdictions. These offshore fund structures do not fall directly within the scope of the SFDR, but SFDR classification becomes relevant when the fund is marketed to EU investors by an EU-regulated manager or distributor, or where a non-EU manager delegates to or is managed by an EU-regulat...