Putnam
ESG Core Bond
ETF

Summary prospectus

8 | 30 | 24

Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.

Putnam ESG Core Bond ETF Fund

Investment objective

Putnam ESG Core Bond ETF seeks high current income consistent with what Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Franklin Advisers) believes to be prudent risk.

Fees and expenses

The following tables describe the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Example

The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or the above example, affect fund performance. The fund’s turnover rate in the most recent fiscal year was 166%.

Principal investment strategies

The fund invests mainly in a diversified portfolio of investment-grade fixed-income securities with a focus on companies or issuers that the fund’s investment manager believes meet relevant environmental, social or governance (“ESG”) criteria on a sector-specific basis (“ESG criteria”).

The fund invests mainly in bonds of governments and private companies located in the United States that are investment-grade in quality with intermediate- to long-term maturities (three years or longer). Investment-grade securities are rated at least BBB or its equivalent at the time of purchase by a nationally recognized securities rating agency, or are unrated investments that the investment manager believes are of comparable quality. The fund may also invest in below-investment-grade investments. However, the fund will not invest in securities that are rated lower than B or its equivalent by each rating agency rating the investment, or are unrated securities that the investment manager believes are of comparable quality. The fund will not necessarily sell an investment if its rating is reduced (or increased) after purchase. The fund may also invest in foreign fixed income investments, although foreign investments do not represent a primary focus of the fund.

The investment manager may consider, among other factors, a company’s or issuer’s ESG criteria (as described below), credit, interest rate, liquidity and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets in fixed-income securities that meet the investment manager’s ESG criteria. This policy is non-fundamental and may be changed only after 60 days’ notice to shareholders. The investment manager may not apply ESG criteria to investments that are not subject to the fund’s 80% policy, and such investments may not meet the investment manager’s ESG criteria. The fund will not necessarily sell an investment if it no longer meets the investment manager’s ESG criteria after purchase, subject to compliance with the 80% policy.

In evaluating investments for the fund, the investment manager identifies relevant ESG criteria for specific sectors, subsectors or countries using an internally developed framework, which may take into account independent third-party ESG data. The investment manager identifies specific ESG criteria (i.e., quality of board, product safety and quality, workforce relations, lending criteria, emissions and waste management, energy efficiency, or governmental corruption, among others) and assigns a percentage weighting to those criteria based on the investment manager’s assessment of which criteria are more or less important. The investment manager then categorizes the relevance of each ESG criterion and assigns each criterion a percentage weighting. As part of this analysis, the investment manager may utilize metrics and information such as emissions data, carbon intensity, sources of energy used for operations, renewable energy consumption, water use and re-use, waste diversion from landfill, employee safety and diversity data, FICO credit scores and income statistics for borrowers, supplier audits, product safety, board composition, or the Global Peace Index. After evaluating these criteria and applying the established weightings, the investment manager will assign each company, issuer or country, as applicable, a proprietary ESG rating ranging from a 5.0 to a 1.0, with 5.0 indicating the highest (best) ESG rating and 1.0 indicating the lowest (worst) ESG rating. In order to meet the investment manager’s ESG criteria for purposes of the above-referenced

non-fundamental investment policy, a company or issuer must generally be rated 2.5 or above by the investment manager.

For corporate credit investments, which may include investment grade-rated and below investment grade-rated securities, the investment manager also applies a momentum factor in determining the ESG rating of a company or issuer based on the investment manager’s view of whether the performance of the company or issuer under the relevant ESG criteria is expected to improve or decline. If an issuer is rated 2.0 or above and has a positive momentum factor, a company or issuer will be viewed as meeting the investment manager’s criteria for purposes of the above-referenced non-fundamental policy. Conversely, if an issuer has a negative momentum factor, it will be viewed as meeting the investment manager’s criteria for purposes of the above-referenced non-fundamental policy only if it is rated a 3.0 or above.

While the investment manager may consider independent third-party data as a part of its analytical process, the portfolio management team performs its own independent analysis of issuers and does not rely solely on third-party screens.

The fund’s approach to ESG investing incorporates fundamental research together with consideration of ESG criteria which may include, but are not limited to, those included in the following descriptions. Environmental criteria include, for example, a company’s or issuer’s carbon intensity and use of resources like water or minerals. ESG measures in this area might include plans to reduce waste, increase recycling, raise the proportion of energy supplied from renewable sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions per capita or improve product design to be less resource intensive. Social criteria include, for example, labor practices, supply chain management, and community relations. ESG measures in this area might include programs to improve employee well-being, commitment to workplace equality and diversity, stewardship of supplier relationships and working conditions, lending to underserved populations, or the degree of universal healthcare coverage. Governance criteria include, for example, board composition, executive compensation, and debt structures that improve transparency and bondholders’ rights. ESG measures in this area might include improvements in board independence or diversity, alignment of governmental or management incentives with appropriate strategic ESG objectives, and disclosure of operating and ESG metrics to bondholders.

In the corporate credit sector, the investment manager combines fundamental analysis with relevant ESG insights with a forward-looking perspective. The investment manager believes that this approach contributes to a more nuanced assessment of an issuer’s credit profile.

The investment manager believes that securitized debt instruments present unique challenges in applying ESG criteria due to the presence of various asset types, counterparties involved, and the complex structure of the securitized debt market along with a lack of available ESG-related data. In evaluating securitized debt instruments for potential investment, the investment manager takes a broad approach, analyzing both the terms of the transaction, including the asset type being securitized, the terms of the transaction, the structure of the securitization, as well as key

counterparties. Opportunities are analyzed at the asset level within each securitization and each subsector to identify assets that meet relevant ESG thresholds. Additionally, in evaluating securitized debt instruments, the investment manager analyzes relevant ESG criteria regarding the originator, servicers, or other relevant counterparties.

In the sovereign debt sector, the investment manager uses quantitative modeling and fundamental research to evaluate countries across a variety of ESG criteria (i.e., natural resource dependence and level of public corruption) and non-ESG criteria (i.e., global economic conditions, market valuations, and technical factors). The investment manager believes that sovereign issuers with better ESG scores generally benefit from lower borrowing costs and that ESG criteria may influence the perception of the credit risk of a country’s debt.

The investment manager evaluates ESG considerations using independent third-party data (where available), and also uses company or issuer disclosures and public data sources. The investment manager believes that ESG considerations are best analyzed in combination with a company’s or issuer’s fundamentals, including a company’s or issuer’s industry, location, strategic position, and key relationships.

In addition to bonds, the fund may also invest in other fixed-income instruments. In addition to the main investment strategies described above, the fund may make other types of investments, such as assignments of and participations in fixed and floating rate bank loans, investments in hybrid and structured bonds and notes, and preferred securities that would be characterized as debt securities under applicable accounting standards and tax laws. The fund may also use derivatives, such as futures, options, certain foreign currency transactions and swap contracts, for both hedging and non-hedging purposes.

Principal investment risks

• ESG investing risk. Investing with a focus on companies or issuers that meet the investment manager’s ESG criteria may result in the fund investing in certain types of companies, issuers, industries or sectors that the market may not favor. Conversely, investing in such companies or issuers may result in the fund foregoing investment in securities that outperform the fund’s investments in certain environments. In evaluating an investment opportunity, the investment manager may make investment decisions without the availability of optimal ESG-related data (which may be even less available with securitized debt instruments) or based on information and data that is incomplete or inaccurate. ESG metrics are not uniformly defined and applying such metrics involves subjective assessments. ESG scorings and assessments of issuers can vary across third-party data providers and may change over time. The investment manager does not rely exclusively on third-party data providers in evaluating ESG criteria. ESG information from third-party data providers may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, particularly with respect to companies in emerging market countries, which may adversely impact the investment process. The fund does not restrict its investments to “green bonds” (i.e., U.S. dollar-denominated bonds designated as “green” by the Climate Bonds Initiative) and does not restrict investments based solely on “negative screens”. In addition,

a company’s or issuer’s business practices, products or services may change over time. As a result of these possibilities, among others, the fund may temporarily hold securities that are inconsistent with the fund’s ESG investment criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds, such as the fund, whose strategies include ESG criteria. Because fixed-income investments generally represent a promise to pay principal and interest by an issuer, and not an ownership interest, and may involve complex structures, ESG-related investment considerations may have a more limited impact on risk and return (or may have an impact over a different investment time horizon) relative to other asset classes, and this may be particularly true for shorter-term investments. In addition, holders of fixed-income investments do not typically have voting rights, unlike holders of equity investments who have the right to vote on issuer proposals, including ESG-related proposals.

• Model risk. If the quantitative models or data that are used in managing the fund prove to be incorrect or incomplete, investment decisions made in reliance on the models or data may not produce the desired results and the fund may realize losses. Additionally, market movements are likely to change the risk levels and risk allocations of the fund. Investments made based on quantitative models may perform differently from the market as a whole.

• Fluctuation of NAV and share price risk. Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) than shares of other ETFs. The NAV of the fund will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the fund’s holdings. The fund’s shares can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for the fund’s shares may result in the fund’s shares trading significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) NAV or the intraday value of the fund’s holdings. In addition, in stressed market conditions or periods of market disruption or volatility, the market for fund shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund’s underlying portfolio holdings.

• Trading issues risk. The fund, which began trading publicly in January 2023, has a limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop or be maintained or that the market for fund shares will operate as intended, which could lead to the fund’s shares trading at wider spreads and larger premiums and discounts to NAV than other actively managed ETFs. As a result, it may cost investors more to trade fund shares than shares of other ETFs. There is no guarantee that the fund will be able to attract market makers and authorized participants. Market makers and authorized participants are not obligated to make a market in the fund’s shares or to submit purchase and redemption orders for creation units. The market prices of the fund’s shares are expected to fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the fund’s holdings and supply and demand for the fund’s shares. The investment manager

cannot predict whether the fund’s shares will trade above, below or at their NAV or the intraday value of the fund’s holdings. During such periods, investors may incur significant losses if they sell shares.

The securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the fund’s shares are listed. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on the exchange and the corresponding premium or discount to the shares’ NAV may widen.

• Large shareholder risk. The fund may be an investment option for mutual funds that are managed by Franklin Resources, Inc. (Franklin Templeton) and its affiliates as “funds of funds.” Additionally, other investors from time to time may make substantial investments in the fund. Such shareholders may at times be considered to control the fund. Dispositions of a large number of shares by these shareholders may adversely affect the fund’s liquidity and net assets to the extent such transactions are executed directly with the fund in the form of redemptions through an authorized participant, rather than executed in the secondary market. These redemptions may also force the fund to sell securities, which may increase the fund’s brokerage costs. In addition, fund returns may be adversely affected if the fund holds a portion of its assets in liquid, cash-like investments in connection with or in anticipation of shareholder redemptions. To the extent these large shareholders transact in shares of the fund on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect (upward or downward) on the market price of the fund’s shares.

• Authorized participant concentration risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation and redemption transactions directly with the fund. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as authorized participants, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/ or redemption transactions. To the extent that those authorized participants do not engage in creation and redemption orders, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for fund shares or fund shares may trade at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing.

• Cash transactions risk. Unlike certain ETFs, the fund may effect creations and redemptions in cash or partially in cash. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently recognize gains on such sales that the fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind. As such, investments in the fund’s shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that distributes portfolio securities entirely in-kind.

• Market risk. The value of investments in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions, investor sentiment and market perceptions, government actions, geopolitical events or changes, outbreaks of infectious illnesses or other widespread public health issues, and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility

and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings, may negatively impact the fund’s performance and may exacerbate other risks to which the fund is subject.

• Fixed-income investments risk. The risks associated with fixed-income investments include interest rate risk, which is the risk that the value of the fund’s investments is likely to fall if interest rates rise. Fixed-income investments are also subject to credit risk, which is the risk that the issuer of a fixed-income investment may default on payment of interest or principal. Credit risk is generally greater for debt not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and interest rate risk is generally greater for longer-term debt. Fixed-income investments may be more susceptible to downgrades or defaults during economic downturns or other periods of economic stress. Mortgage-backed investments, unlike traditional debt investments, are also subject to prepayment risk, which means that they may increase in value less than other bonds when interest rates decline and decline in value more than other bonds when interest rates rise. The fund may have to invest the proceeds from prepaid investments, including mortgage-backed investments, in other investments with less attractive terms and yields. The fund’s investments in mortgage-backed securities, and in certain other securities and derivatives, may be or become illiquid. The fund’s investments in mortgage-backed securities may make the fund’s net asset value more susceptible to economic, market, political and other developments affecting the residential and commercial real estate markets and the servicing of mortgage loans secured by real estate properties. During periods of difficult economic conditions, delinquencies and losses on commercial mortgage-backed investments in particular generally increase, including as a result of the effects of those conditions on commercial real estate markets, the ability of commercial tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain commercial tenants.

• Derivatives risk. The fund’s use of derivatives may increase the risks of investing in the fund by increasing investment exposure (which may be considered leverage) or, in the case of many over-the-counter instruments, because of the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations. The risk of a party failing to meet its obligations may increase if the fund has significant investment exposure to that counterparty. The value of derivatives may move in unexpected ways due to unanticipated market movements, the use of leverage, imperfect correlation between the derivative instrument and the reference asset, or other factors, especially in unusual market conditions, and volatility in the value of derivatives could adversely impact the fund’s returns, obligations and exposures. Derivatives are also subject to other risks, including liquidity risk (e.g., liquidity demands arising from the requirement to make payments to a derivative counterparty), operational risk (e.g., settlement issues or system failures), and legal risk (e.g., insufficient legal documentation or contract enforceability issues).

• Portfolio turnover rate risk. The fund’s portfolio turnover rate measures how frequently the fund buys and sells investments. A portfolio turnover rate of 100%, for example, would mean that the fund sold and replaced securities valued at 100% of the fund’s assets within a one-year period.

From time to time the fund may engage in frequent trading. Funds with high turnover may be more likely to realize capital gains that must be distributed to shareholders as taxable income. High turnover may also cause a fund to pay more brokerage commissions and to incur other transaction costs (including imputed transaction costs), which may detract from performance. The fund’s portfolio turnover rate and the amount of brokerage commissions it pays and transaction costs it incurs will vary over time based on market conditions.

• Management and operational risk. There is no guarantee that the investment techniques, analyses, or judgments that the investment manager applies in making investment decisions for the fund will produce the intended outcome or that the investments the investment manager selects for the fund will perform as well as other securities that were not selected for the fund. The investment manager, or the fund’s other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the fund. The fund may not achieve its goal, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program.

An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.

Performance

Performance information will be available after the fund completes a full calendar year of operation.

Your fund’s management

Investment advisor

Franklin Advisers

Portfolio managers

Michael Salm
Senior Vice President, Fixed Income,
portfolio manager of the fund
since 2023

Andrew Benson
Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager
of the fund since 2023

Albert Chan
Head of Portfolio Construction,
portfolio manager of the fund
since 2023

Sriketan Mahanti
Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager
of the fund since 2023

Sub-advisors

Putnam Investment Management, LLC (Putnam Management)

Putnam Investments Limited (PIL)*

Franklin Advisers, Putnam Management, and PIL are each indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton.

Purchase and sale of fund shares

Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market price. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day, rather than at NAV. Shares of the fund may trade at a price greater than the fund’s NAV (premium) or less than the fund’s NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling fund shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information regarding the fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spread, is available at franklintempleton.com.

Tax information

The fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you hold the shares through a tax-advantaged arrangement, in which case you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawal of monies from the arrangement.

Financial intermediary compensation

The fund and its related companies may pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker/dealers, or financial professionals, for the sale of fund shares and related services. Please bear in mind that these payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your advisor or visit your advisor’s website for more information.

Information about the Summary Prospectus, Prospectus, and SAI

The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI for a fund provide information concerning the fund. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI are updated at least annually and any information provided in a summary prospectus, prospectus, or SAI can be changed without a shareholder vote unless specifically stated otherwise. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and the SAI are not contracts between the fund and its shareholders and do not give rise to any contractual rights or obligations or any shareholder rights other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

Additional information, including current performance, is available at franklintempleton.com, or by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.

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