2025
9
UK Sustainable Investing Market Report 2025
2025-12-15T16:00:56+00:00
REPC9F61DA8_4347_49C6_A9EF_E76D62A0E5FF
2195
189632
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Report
en_GB
There is significant consumer interest in investing sustainably. Most UK investors have good intentions in this area, with 64% keen to invest in ways that have a positive social or…
UK
Sustainability
Savings and Investments
simple

UK Sustainable Investing Market Report 2025

"Make sustainable investments more visible and accessible to capitalise on a high level of investor interest and boost capital flows into the sector."

Sarah Hitchcock, Associate Consultant – Financial Services

Sarah Hitchcock, Associate Consultant – Financial Services

Market Intelligence ReportsSustainabilitySavings and InvestmentsUK

UK Sustainable Investing – Trends and Insights

  • There is significant consumer interest in investing sustainably. Most UK investors have good intentions in this area, with 64% keen to invest in ways that have a positive social or environmental impact. However, issues around transparency and firms making misleading claims have undermined trust in the market and held back its growth.
  • New rules to tackle greenwashing, and a standardised labelling system introduced in 2025, go some way to restoring confidence. It also provides an opportunity for sustainable investments to grow their share of retail funds, as asset managers and platforms and other distributors improve visibility, searchability and access.
  • Prospects for the market are generally positive. However, a potential threat to expansion is a seismic shock to the stock market, such as that caused by COVID-19 in 2020, the financial crisis in 2008-09 and over-valued internet companies in 2000.
  • Speculation of an AI bubble bursting has increased in the latter months of 2025. Yet this does not appear to have dampened investor appetite.
  • Falling savings rates over the past year have increased interest in alternative asset classes, such as equity, and sustainable investments in particular.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Growing awareness of the social and environmental impact of companies underpins strong consumer interest in sustainability, while new rules to tackle greenwashing aim to improve trust
  • The value of responsible funds under management (FUM) has grown since 2000 but remain small as a proportion of total retail FUM
  • New Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) provide expansion potential, but success depends on the visibility and effectiveness of new sustainability labels, as well as improvements to platform search functionality
  • Consumer analysis of investor familiarity with, and usage of, sustainable investing strategies, as well as where sustainability ranks in their overall investment approach
  • Gaps in understanding, and issues around trust and accessibility, create opportunities for both traditional advisers and digital advice/guidance services to help investors build and maintain sustainable portfolios.

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for sustainable investing
    • Opportunities
    • Address visibility and accessibility to boost uptake
    • A sustainability specialist would flourish in the platform space
    • SDR presents numerous opportunities
    • Potential to gain over 2 million new female investors within the next year

  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size
    • Value of responsible investments stagnates, as confidence weakens
    • Graph 1: value of responsible investments, by funds under management and share of total industry, 2020-25
    • Reducing barriers to access will switch the direction of flow
    • Graph 2: net sales of total retail funds versus responsible investments, 2020-24
    • Higher inflation and cuts to savings rates prompt more people to consider investing
    • AI boom raises bubble concerns
    • New SDR labels will make it easier to identify and select sustainable funds
    • Fairly limited uptake so far, but many positive signs for future growth
    • If used widely, SDR labels will raise the profile of sustainability
    • Environmental concerns are widespread among UK consumers
    • Graph 3: agreement with the statement “I worry for the future of the environment in the UK, % of adults, 2025
    • Consumers expect brands to give greater priority to sustainability over the next few years

  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Importance of sustainability
    • The market for sustainable investments offers good growth potential
    • Graph 4: ownership of investments and interest in investing, 2025
    • Under-45s are particularly keen on making a positive impact
    • Sustainability is important, but only after other considerations are taken care of
    • Graph 5: ranking of factors, by importance to investors, 2025
    • Enhance navigation tools to engender greater customisation
    • Investor familiarity with sustainable strategies
    • Most investors are aware of at least one sustainable investment approach
    • Graph 6: familiarity with one or more sustainability approaches, % of investors/prospective investors, 2025
    • Nearly half of investors have used a sustainable approach
    • Assessing the effectiveness of SDR labels
    • Impact labels are the most persuasive
    • Impact and Focus labels attract the greatest interest
    • SDR labels will have a positive impact on future behaviour
    • Key limitations of the labels: indistinct and unclear
    • More could be done to raise awareness among the wider public
    • Interest and confidence in sustainable investing
    • Many investors want guidance and better information
    • Opportunity for a digital advice or guidance service to specialise in sustainable investments
    • Platforms must provide clear and accessible info on sustainable funds
    • Provide regular updates via succinct and personalised communications
    • Room in the market to specialise
    • Younger, wealthier investors are strongly in favour of using a specialist platform
    • Most under-45s have faith in the long-term performance of sustainable funds

  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • The Big Exchange stands out as a specialist sustainability platform
    • Information and access to sustainable investments vary by platform
    • A variety of approaches used
    • Opportunity for Willis Owen to grow its presence in the sustainable investing market
    • Triodos Bank’s Impact Investment range

  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope and market definition
    • Product definitions
    • The market
    • The Investment Association data on responsible investments
    • Market size: funds under management
    • Market size: net sales
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • CHAID analysis methodology
    • CHAID analysis: table output
    • UK generation groups
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • Abbreviations

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