Sustainability at MetLife FAQs

Sustainability at MetLife means living our purpose—Always with you, building a more confident future—for the long term. We are adapting to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world and we are strengthening our commitment to address critical challenges such as climate change, gender and racial inequity, and disadvantaged communities. MetLife is committed to promoting a more secure future for individuals, families and communities around the world. MetLife demonstrates our commitment to operating responsibly through the security the company provides customers, the claims MetLife pays during times of need, its activities and investments in the communities that the company serves and MetLife’s long-term investments in the broader economy. Sustainability is about managing responsibly and delivering long-term value for our stakeholders.

MetLife’s comprehensive sustainability strategy highlights the company’s strategic approach to monitoring and managing ESG issues. MetLife’s sustainability efforts focus on prioritizing five of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), given their relevance to MetLife’s business. The company leverages its products and services, workforce, investments and community to drive progress of these five SDGs.

Operationally, MetLife’s Sustainability Function is part of MetLife’s Corporate Affairs department and is dedicated to sustainability strategy, management and reporting. The Sustainability Function’s efforts are led by the Chief Sustainability Officer and overseen by MetLife’s Executive Vice President, Head of Corporate Affairs, who reports directly to the CEO.

Additionally, MetLife’s leaders include ESG in annual performance objectives as part of a shared sustainability goal for MetLife’s executive leadership team. MetLife employees are responsible for driving progress toward MetLife’s Next Horizon Strategy, which includes making progress on sustainability commitments. For information regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)-specific governance, see For Our Colleagues.

The Chief Sustainability Officer coordinates with other senior executives to establish sustainability goals and advance progress across the organization.

MetLife’s Sustainability function has responsibilities relating to, among other things:

• Directing and integrating MetLife’s sustainability strategy, target-setting activities, commitments, policies and key performance indicators (KPIs) across the enterprise;
• Summarizing MetLife’s sustainability performance and metrics in an annual report;
• Aligning disclosures to key reporting frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD); and
• Managing and monitoring ESG issues and opportunities relevant to MetLife.

MIM has a long history of responsible investing. We define responsible investments as those that achieve both a market financial return and promote social and/or environmental benefits. MIM’s responsible investments focus on the following core areas:

• Green investments 
• Infrastructure
• Municipal bonds
• Affordable housing
• Impact investments

Our latest Sustainability Report provides additional details on responsible investments and our GRI Index highlights our long history of responsible investing.

MetLife defines impact investments as those investments made with the intent to generate positive, measurable, social and environmental impact alongside a financial return, in alignment with 'The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)' industry definition. Impact investing is aligned with broader corporate social responsibility activities, including the MetLife Foundation. Impact investments are a part of our broader responsible investments categorization.

Learn more about MetLife’s impact investments.

MetLife Investment Management (MIM) believes that material ESG factors have an impact on investment performance and are important considerations to effectively manage risk and achieve MetLife’s, as well as MIM’s institutional investment management client's, investment objectives. ESG integration has always been a part of MIM’s disciplined risk management culture that has incorporated financially material ESG considerations into our investment processes as part of our fundamental, bottom-up credit analysis.

Learn more in MetLife Investment Management’s ESG Investment Policy.

MetLife’s General Account investment portfolio is managed in a manner that aligns with the best interests of our business and is also consistent with our purpose. MetLife believes it is a prudent financial decision to de-emphasize certain investments that may not deliver attractive, long-term, risk-adjusted returns. As a result, we made a business decision to place certain limitations on how we construct MetLife’s General Account investment portfolio, including no longer investing in: 1) manufacturers of automatic and/or semi-automatic assault weapons intended for sale to civilians; 2) direct producers of controversial weapons, including cluster munitions, landmines, biological and chemical weapons; 3) manufacturers of finished tobacco, e-cigarette and vaping products; and 4) companies that derive 25% or more of their revenue from thermal coal or hold at least 20% of their oil reserve in oil sands.

In 2022, MetLife, Inc. made the commitment to take the company’s carbon neutrality commitment a step further by targeting Net Zero emissions for global operations and its General Account investment portfolio by 2050 or sooner. The Net Zero commitment applies to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MetLife, Inc.’s owned and leased offices across the world, automobile fleets, employee business travel and assets in MetLife’s General Account investment portfolio, which includes the general accounts of MetLife, Inc.’s wholly owned insurance company subsidiaries, where data and methodologies are available. While reliable methodologies and data sets pertaining to certain GHG emissions are not available at this time, MetLife is committed to identifying and measuring relevant climate data as methodologies and standards evolve. Emissions are tracked in accordance with the GHG Protocol, unless otherwise directed by regulators. Read more about MetLife’s climate commitments online.

Additional information about MetLife’s general account investment portfolio is available here.

We communicate progress on sustainability year-round using multiple channels including our annual Sustainability Report, annual CDP disclosure and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) disclosure, social media engagement, news releases posted on MetLife.com and active engagement at both in-person and virtual events, as well as thought leadership. We also disclose sustainability progress and performance via ISS, EcoVadis, DJSI, MSCI and seeking third-party reviews such as Sustainalytics.

Please visit our Sustainability Resource Center for ESG-related statements, policies, definitions and more.

Please see a list of MetLife's recent awards and recognition.