2021 Sustainability Report
As a global insurer, MetLife exists to protect people, businesses and communities from unexpected challenges, to sustain them in times of need and to help them move forward confidently. Our liabilities are a promise to pay, helping to sustain people as they rebuild. And our assets promote job creation, economic growth and financial stability.
At the very heart of our commitment to sustainability is MetLife’s purpose: Always with you, building a more confident future.
As we look out at the horizon, we see inequities running deep, underserved communities requiring innovative ways to drive long-term economic growth and the risks associated with climate change continuing to mount. It is difficult to overstate how crucial sustainability will be in building a more confident future for generations to come.
This is why we’re deploying the full strength of our people, products, services and investments to be a greater force for good in the world. To ensure we’re making meaningful impact across multiple dimensions of sustainability, we’ve charted an ambitious path forward and are holding ourselves accountable by tracking and reporting our progress along the way.
MetLife has made the commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for our global operations and general account investment portfolio by 2050 or sooner.
Our net zero commitment builds upon our existing 2030 Climate Goals aimed at reducing the environmental impact of MetLife’s global operations and supply chain, while leveraging our investments, products and services to drive innovative climate solutions. Specific goals include maintaining carbon neutrality annually, which we’ve done since becoming the first U.S.-based insurer to achieve that status in 2016; reducing our location-based emissions by an additional 30%; originating $20 billion in new green investments; and planting 5 million trees.
To complement our longer-term climate goals, in March 2022 we announced a series of 2030 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitments that address the needs of underserved and underrepresented communities through our investments, products and services, supply chain, volunteering and community efforts. These commitments, which include financial components totaling more than $2.5 billion by 2030, build upon our existing partnerships, policies and practices designed to create a more inclusive and equitable workforce and society.
Such efforts include achieving top-quartile performance in our industry for workforce diversity across each ethnically and racially diverse category in the U.S. and for female officers globally; completing the commitment MetLife Foundation announced in June 2020 to provide $5 million over three years to advance racial equity in the United States; joining the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act; and expanding our talent sponsorship program, EXCELERATE, globally to advance the development of high-potential diverse leaders.
The power of our sustainability roadmap is in the sum of its parts. We are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which are interconnected by nature. To truly foster people’s health and well-being, we must reduce inequalities and advance gender equality. To drive economic growth and opportunity in our communities, we must invest in a more resilient planet. Ultimately, none of these areas can progress in a silo.
That’s why we’re integrating sustainability across our operations. Throughout this report, you’ll read about how we’re creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, innovating our products and solutions, reducing the environmental impact of our real estate, managing our risk and responsibly directing our investments and philanthropic contributions.
We believe that the right strategy, coupled with a relentless focus on execution, will enable us to deliver value for all stakeholders, now and in the future. It is how we run our business and, ultimately, how we will deliver on our long-term sustainability mission.
MICHEL A. KHALAF
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
METLIFE, INC.
Learn all the ways we are living our purpose.