NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, June 21, 2018

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) today announced its impact investment portfolio grew to $50 billion in 2017, an increase of 12 percent year-over-year from 2016 to 2017, and MetLife Foundation reached more than six million low-income individuals through the fourth year of its five year, $200 million dollar commitment to financial inclusion.

Those are just two of the ways MetLife and MetLife Foundation are making an impact on society, as outlined in the company’s latest corporate responsibility report. Released today, Global Impact, the company’s annual corporate responsibility report, highlights how MetLife manages Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues and makes a positive impact on society and the economy.

The report includes information on MetLife’s leadership on climate issues and social impact investing as well as our efforts to make our products more accessible and easier to use, enhance customer service and improve employee wellness. It details our accomplishments in workplace diversity and MetLife Foundation’s work to improve financial inclusion. The report also provides a progress update on the ESG goals and commitments established in 2015.

“For 150 years, MetLife has managed its business with a commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen, and communicating about our ESG activities is one of the many ways we continue to set a high bar for ourselves,” said Mike Zarcone, MetLife executive vice president and head of Corporate Affairs.

Some of MetLife’s corporate responsibility activities and accomplishments in 2017 included:

• Named to the Dow Jones® Sustainability Index, North America (DJSI) for the second year in a row. The DJSI is a widely recognized standard for corporate responsibility that tracks leading sustainability-driven companies.
• Received a grade of “A minus” from CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for reporting and management of climate issues. This rating places MetLife in CDP’s top quartile “Leadership” category among financial services providers.
• Named to the first all-sector Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index in January 2018. This followed MetLife’s inclusion on the Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index in 2016 and 2017.
• Recognized by Deloitte® and the Alliance for Board Diversity for having one of the most diverse boards of any company in the Fortune 500®.¹
• Made $45 million in grants by MetLife and MetLife Foundation, including $30 million for financial inclusion efforts that help low-income individuals and families access safe and affordable financial products and services.
• Included by FORTUNE® Magazine on the World’s Most Admired Companies® list for life and health insurers in 2018.²

Global Impact is prepared in accordance with the latest guidelines published by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the nonprofit organization that sets the standard for sustainability reporting. The GRI Guidelines provide a globally recognized framework for companies to measure and communicate their environmental, economic, social and governance performance. By using this framework, MetLife joins thousands of companies around the world in quantifying the benefits and impacts of its business activities.

This year, we are again providing an Overview summarizing our efforts along with a more detailed full report. To view either the Overview or the full report, and to learn more about MetLife’s corporate responsibility activities, please visit www.MetLifeGlobalImpact.com.