If Your SFDR Report Took More Than A Week, You're Doing It Wrong
May 16, 2025
3 min read
Article
Still spending weeks pulling together your SFDR reports? That might feel normal by now, but let’s be honest, it shouldn’t be.
Most ESG teams are stuck in a loop. Weeks of chasing down scattered disclosures. Spreadsheets layered on top of PDFs layered on top of legacy data portals. Compliance trying to squeeze numbers from the investment team, and everyone wondering why this still feels like a group project gone wrong.
And yet, this is the accepted standard across the industry. SFDR has grown more complex, with mandatory PAIs, evolving rules, and real greenwashing risks, but the workflows haven’t caught up. Most teams are still wrestling with static tools and outdated systems like it’s 2019.
Here’s the truth: SFDR reporting doesn’t need to take this long. There is a faster way. And no, it doesn’t involve another spreadsheet.
Why SFDR Reporting Still Sucks for Most Teams
Ask around and you’ll hear the same story: ESG analysts are underwater. They’re manually extracting data from PDF disclosures that don’t even follow a common format. They’re comparing estimates from different providers and hoping the gaps won’t come back to bite. They’re chasing down missing fields while trying to align it all to SFDR’s requirements. And that’s before the compliance team even starts asking for a final draft.
Departments are siloed. Responsibilities are unclear. Everyone’s interpreting the same guidance differently. And after weeks of effort, the result still feels shaky, inconsistent, and barely defensible.
Why? Because most firms are relying on off-the-shelf ESG platforms that weren’t built with SFDR in mind. Or worse, they’re relying on a stack of Excel, SharePoint, and elbow grease.
It’s Not a Regulatory Problem
Yes, SFDR is complex. The PAI indicators are detailed, the data scope is huge, but none of that means the process should be slow. The real issue is the tools. Most platforms weren’t built for real-time, regulation-first reporting, and they can’t keep up with daily data. They don’t automate the grunt work, and they certainly weren’t designed with analysts in mind.
So teams are stuck. Copy and pasting, ‘Ctrl+F’ing, manually estimating, and building custom workflows to fill in what their systems can’t. That’s not compliance, that’s inefficiency.
GaiaLens: What ‘Fast SFDR’ Looks Like
GaiaLens was built to solve this.
We pull in daily ESG data for over 22,000 companies and map it automatically to SFDR, PAIs, and more. You don’t need to chase data or figure out alignment logic, it’s already done. Our platform fills gaps smartly, flags issues early, and gives you full transparency into sources and confidence levels. Plus, you can generate a full report in minutes.
There’s no onboarding headache. We offer a free trial, and our subscriptions run month to month, with no contracts. Just log in, pick your filters, and get what you need. Fast.
Try It the Faster Way
If your current SFDR process takes more than a week, it’s not a process, it’s a problem. The industry is moving faster, regulators aren’t slowing down, and you shouldn’t be stuck cleaning up spreadsheets every quarter.
GaiaLens is ready when you are. Try the free plan, explore the platform, and see how fast SFDR reporting can actually be, without the mess.