MetLife Becomes First US Insurer to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Footprint

MetLife has achieved its 2015 goal of carbon neutrality – becoming the first U.S.-based insurer to do so, the New York City-based company announced last week.

MetLife achieved carbon neutrality by integrating sustainability and energy efficiency best practices across the company’s global operations, and then offsetting the remainder of emissions through investments in carbon mitigation projects around the world.

Among the efforts the company has made to embed sustainability throughout its operations are:

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for MetLife’s Washington D.C. office, as well as its Global Technology Campus in Cary, North Carolina.. MetLife now boasts19 LEED certified offices globally (the equivalent of almost 4 million square feet of real estate), and six of these offices have earned the Platinum designation.
• Energy reductions of nearly 30 percent across U.S.-owned and operated offices.
• Engagement with its top suppliers to reduce environmental impact through the organization’s supply chain.
• Green investments of $9.7 billion which include ownership stakes in 37 wind and solar farms; equity stakes in 48 LEED-certified properties; and $3 billion in renewable energy projects.

These efforts were identified as central elements of the company’s global environmental goals.  established in 2015, which include:

1. Become carbon neutral in 2016 and going forward.
2. By 2020, reduce all energy consumption by 10 percent from a 2012 baseline.
3. By 2020, reduce location-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 10 percent from a 2012 baseline.
4. By 2020, require 100 of MetLife’s top suppliers to publicly disclose their GHG emissions and emission-reduction activities.

“MetLife is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and driving sound environmental stewardship across our business globally,” said Marty Lippert, head of MetLife Global Technology and Operations. “Sustainable business strategies not only reduce our environmental impact but also underscore who we are as a company.”

Serving about 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and, the company said, holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.03