Solution: Apply a single, globally applicable asset-level label - built as a meta-standard from 55+ existing guidelines and including a dedicated Adaptation & Resilience dimension - so that infrastructure project sustainability and resilience credentials are documented once and recognized consistently by financiers, developers and public authorities.

Key challenge: There is no market-recognized, comparable way to measure the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure projects, so financiers cannot easily identify credible assets and developers cannot evidence quality - leaving an estimated USD 18 trillion infrastructure investment gap to 2040 while only 46% of required projects are shovel-ready.

Context: More than 90% of the SDGs rely on infrastructure and more than 88% of adaptation costs sit in infrastructure, yet financiers lack a market-recognized system for measuring sustainability and resilience at asset level, and there is a lack of knowledge on the ground on how to implement practices and improve asset performance. The Label applies across all infrastructure sectors, regions, sizes and stages, spanning urban, peri-urban and rural infrastructure assets. It was developed by a coalition of over 60 financial institutions, 20+ governments and intergovernmental bodies, 30+ contractors, developers, service providers and supply chain organizations, and 30+ civil society organizations and academic institutions, representing more than USD 6 trillion of assets under management. It is governed independently through a Steering Committee and Executive Advisory Committee, and is directly funded by the French government’s Infrastructure Financing Support Mission (Fin Infra) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Solution in practice: The Label is a meta-standard drawn from 55+ recognized sources, populating 14 criteria across four dimensions: Environmental, Social, Governance, and Adaptation & Resilience. Projects register free on the application portal, powered by Bloomberg, and self-assess against minimum safeguards (including the IFC Performance Standards), all 14 baseline criteria, and at least one positive-contribution criterion, receiving a complimentary performance report and a Self-Assessed Label; third-party verification by trained verifiers then converts this to a Verified Label. The Label applies at every lifecycle stage from development through construction and operations, and at fund level: managers make Label commitments in marketing, mandates and legal agreements, pass requirements down to SPVs and EPC contractors, and upload KPIs to the Bloomberg Data Repository for disclosure aligned with EU SFDR, EU Taxonomy, ISSB and MDB/DFI frameworks. Adoption is visible in market practice: Dalmore Capital includes FAST-Infra in its Responsible Investment Policy due diligence, Pentagreen has incorporated it into its ESG framework for assessing assets, and the IDB has embedded it in Terms of Reference and legal structuring for projects supported by its PPP Unit. As of June 2026, 373 projects had been created, 216 labelled, covering USD 36 billion of CAPEX, alongside 46 certified professionals across 23 countries trained through the 20-hour capacity-building Program, and a SECO-funded repayable grant scheme (the FAST-Infra Access Program) covering verification costs for projects in ODA countries.

Impact / outcome: 373 projects created and 216 labelled, covering USD 36bn of CAPEX; 46 certified professionals in 23 countries (June 2026).

Next steps: Fin Infra is funding the FAST-Infra Group to develop its institutional penetration in the sector, working with governments and relevant institutions to promote Label adoption. SECO is funding the FAST-Infra Access Program, a repayable grant scheme covering verification costs for projects in the development phase within ODA countries, together with roadshows to engage financiers and provide access to finance. The verifier network is being built out across regions - 2 trained verifiers in Latin America (Brazil), 2 in Europe (Spain), 2 in Africa (South Africa and Tunisia) and 7 in Asia (China, Hong Kong and Vietnam) - alongside the capacity-building Program, which has certified 46 professionals across 23 countries to date (38% MDBs, 19% public sector, 18% ESG consultants, 8% advisors). The Label is embedded in Bloomberg’s data architecture and is creating a future marketplace for sustainable infrastructure projects. The stated call to action is for further organizations to join the FAST-Infra Label and accelerate the development of sustainable infrastructure.

Organizations involved:

Authoring: FAST-Infra Group; Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation

Actors: Infrastructure Financing Support Mission (Fin Infra), French government; Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO); Bloomberg; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Dalmore Capital; Pentagreen

Implementation partners: Investors & Banks; Regulators & Policymakers; Data Providers; Property value chain stakeholders; Civil Society Organizations