About a 5 minute read
You probably know MetLife for insurance, but we’re about more than policies and premiums.
Sustainability, for example, is ingrained in everything we do—from the learning opportunities we offer our people, to the ways we help communities thrive, to the products we design, and the investments we make. Sustainability shapes our choices and actions in every corner of our work.
One way we put sustainability into practice: the premiums customers trust us with are invested to keep our financial promises and to create positive impact. This includes funding clean energy projects, expanding affordable housing, and supporting infrastructure that strengthens communities. These investments and actions will help drive our success during our New Frontier strategy and the difference we aim to make every day.
If you’re exploring your next role—or just curious how sustainability shows up at work—these highlights from MetLife's 2024 Sustainability Report offer a peek at how our teams turn goals into meaningful results.
Growing our people’s potential in a fast-changing world
Behind every product, service, and customer experience are 45,000 employees making it all happen. That’s why creating space for growth, innovation, and connection is at the heart of our culture. In 2024, we introduced opportunities to build skills, share ideas, and shape the future of work, together:
- Personalized learning, at your pace – Growing@MetLife offers tailored learning journeys—from career conversations to AI-driven course recommendations—so employees focus on skills that matter most to them. Participation in skill development through MetLife’s learning platform, MyLearning, grew 53% in 2024! We also introduced deep-skilling programs to help colleagues become future-ready and offered boot camps for leaders to sharpen financial and business expertise.
- Hands-on AI experience – Our AI Academy, an online training portal that helps unlock colleagues’ potential in AI through advanced learning, and AI Literacy for All, a program to demystify the power of generative AI—helps colleagues explore AI technology, spark creativity, and develop practical skills for tomorrow’s challenges.
- Turning ideas into action – Through our global Experimentation Fund, employees can get support for low-cost, quick experiments—whether that’s testing fresh ideas, improving a customer experience, or making day-to-day work easier. And thanks to the “removing pebbles” program, we’ve already saved an incredible 1.7 million hours since July 2023, simply by encouraging everyone to share ways to simplify how we work.
Supporting communities through action and care
Communities face unique challenges—and opportunities to help each other. In 2024, MetLife teams around the world found meaningful ways to lend time, skills, and resources in the communities we operate in:
- Volunteering year-round – Colleagues across 38 markets contributed 179,000 hours to causes they care about—from mentoring students to restoring green spaces and offering pro bono expertise. U.S.-based colleagues who volunteered and tracked more than 100 hours of volunteer service were recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
- Opening doors through partnerships – MetLife Foundation contributed grants to nonprofit organizations like UNICEF to help young people in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon gain essential technical, 21st-century skills. Through the Community Impact Grant Program (CIGP), MetLife Foundation awarded $2.6 million to nonprofits reaching 650,000 low-income individuals. CIGP expanded to the Asia-Pacific region in 2024, contributing $1 million in grants to nonprofits in six markets since program inception in 2023.
- Standing with communities in crisis – After floods in Brazil, an earthquake in Japan, and hurricanes in the U.S., MetLife Foundation contributed $1.4 million in 2024 for recovery efforts including providing food and other goods, as well as donations.
Creating products that meet people where they are
Sustainability shows up in our customer products too—we look after the well-being of our customers by designing solutions that feel personal, practical, and truly helpful when it matters most. In 2024, that meant:
- Expanding access to practical financial support – we know that navigating finances can feel complex. That's why programs like PlanSmart® offer free workshops and one-on-one sessions with financial professionals—helping people feel more confident about their next steps. With MetLife Xcelerator, we're teaming up with digital banks, e-wallets, e-commerce platforms, traditional financial institutions, and even retailers to make financial services more accessible and inclusive in Latin America.
- Making mental health care more accessible – In the U.S., we have partnered with global healthcare provider TELUS Health to bring cognitive behavioral therapy services to employers with long-term disability plans and/or New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave.1 This offering gives enrolled employees access to a digital platform, which covers anxiety, depression, burnout, substance use, insomnia, adjustment to change, grief, and more.
- Simplifying leave planning – The new My Leave Navigator helps employees visualize and understand what their leave may look like, and offers an intuitive intake experience, access to claims activity, and timely updates to track leave and return-to-work status.
Investing in stronger communities and a healthier planet
Our investments focus on financial returns—while also helping communities flourish. In 2024, that included:
- Boosting access to energy – We committed $50 million to finance the construction of the Mayakan natural gas pipeline, which aims to bring cheaper natural gas from the U.S. to the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, an expansion that could help reactivate economic growth in the region.
- Powering greener spaces – From solar panels to water systems and energy-efficient upgrades, our investments help lower carbon footprints and support climate resilience worldwide.
- Creating safe, stable housing – We committed £120 million to Local Space, a U.K. charitable housing association providing temporary accommodations to people experiencing homelessness, while helping connect residents with health, education, and other support services and resources.
Taking steps to reduce our environmental footprint
Environmental challenges impact customers, colleagues, and communities in countless ways. MetLife helps tackle these challenges through a mix of local initiatives, emissions reduction, and partnerships with suppliers who share our values. In 2024, that included:
- Our people taking action – Thousands of employees join Our Green Impact initiative each year to support environmental stewardship. In 2024, 3,400 colleagues participated in 100 litter pickup events (11,600 volunteer hours) and another 3,000 colleagues across 37 markets logged 118,000 actions during the two-week EcoChallenge.
- Beehives, biodiversity, and beyond – We support honey beehive programs at our Cary and Tampa offices and at MetLife Stadium. Alongside expert partners, these programs promote pollination, biodiversity, and environmental education. Since 2020, we've planted 2.4 million trees worldwide, helping restore habitats and absorb carbon.
- Greener supply chains – Our Supplier Inclusion and Sustainability Program encourages top suppliers to disclose their climate risks, environmental targets, and greenhouse gas emissions through the annual CDP Questionnaire. In 2024, participating suppliers reported saving 17 million metric tons in annual CO2e and $1.5 billion through emission reductions.
At MetLife, building a more confident future goes beyond products and services—it's about the real difference we can make every day for customers, colleagues, communities, and the environment. It’s about balancing today’s needs with tomorrow’s possibilities and helping people feel cared for and empowered.
Our work is ongoing, but every choice—from investing wisely to lending a hand in communities—adds up to change that matters. If you’re considering joining us or just want to see how we put purpose into action, we invite you to explore MetLife’s 2024 Sustainability Report and the stories behind the impact we’re creating together.
1 TELUS Heath CBT is not currently available to customers sitused or principally located in New York or to customers sitused in Washington. It is available to customers with long-term disability and/or New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave.
