Sun Life Financial named one of the Most Sustainable Corporations in the World for tenth year in a row

Sun Life is ranked ahead of all insurance companies evaluated

TORONTO, Jan. 22, 2019 /CNW/ - For the tenth consecutive year, Sun Life Financial Inc. SLF SLF ("Sun Life") has been named one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (the "Global 100") in a ranking released today by Corporate Knights, a Toronto based media and investment research firm. Sun Life is the only Canadian insurance company to appear in the 2019 ranking, and is ranked ahead of the 249 insurance companies evaluated.

"This recognition is a testament to our commitment to embed sustainability into our culture and across our global business," said Melissa Kennedy, Executive Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Public Affairs, and Executive Sponsor of Sustainability at Sun Life. "All of the sustainability advancements we're making are focused on building up our resilience as an organization, so that we can continue to deliver on our commitments to Clients, employees, shareholders and investors, for decades to come."

Sun Life's sustainability strategy is focused on achieving improvements in four key areas: organizational resilience, environmental responsibility, community wellness and governance and risk management. In 2018, Sun Life Investment Management launched its ESG+ framework to help ensure investing strategies and sustainability actions remain current, coordinated and aligned for maximum effectiveness. Sun Life also continued to progress on its Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) journey and was once again included in Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index (GEI). The GEI recognizes organizations that make strong commitments to gender-equality, measuring their contributions across employee policies, external community support and engagement, and gender-conscious product offerings.

"We were proud to once again be recognized by Bloomberg for our commitment to D&I which we view as a key driver of sustainability," Kennedy added. "Given the strong link between an organization's diversity culture and its long-term profitability, investors are increasingly looking to indices such as this to assess growth potential and mitigate risk."

Release of the 2019 Global 100 ranking comes on the heels of an award-winning year for Sun Life in areas central to its sustainability strategy. Some 2018 achievements include:

• Sun Life's global headquarters at One York in Toronto received the 2018 REmmy Award for sustainable design and social responsibility in workplace management and corporate real estate.
• The Sun Life building in Montreal earned BOMA BEST Platinum certification, the highest distinction awarded to buildings for outstanding environmental performance and management. The 100-year-old structure is the first centennial building in North America to achieve this certification.
• 2018 Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships in Hong Kong – As title sponsor, Sun Life Asia worked with local charities to set up free water refill stations and recycling bins at the Hong Kong event, collecting more than 13,400 plastic bottles and aluminum for recycling.
• Sun Life U.S. awarded over $250,000 to organizations across the country to help support diabetes education and prevention initiatives through the Team Up Against Diabetes grant program.

The 2019 Global 100 ranking was determined after evaluating 7,536 companies on up to 21 quantitative key performance indicators, including financial and employee management, clean revenue and supplier performance. The final list of 100 companies represent the top 1.3% in the world based on sustainability performance.

To learn more about Sun Life's sustainability strategy and initiatives, visit www.sunlife.com/sustainability.

Connect with Sun Life Financial
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About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2018, Sun Life Financial had total assets under management of $984 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

About Sun Life Financial in the Community
At Sun Life Financial, we are committed to building sustainable, healthier communities for life and we're proud to hold the Caring Company designation from Imagine Canada. Community wellness is an important part of our sustainability commitment and we believe that by actively supporting the communities in which we live and work, we can help build a positive environment for our clients, employees, advisors and shareholders. Our philanthropic support focuses on two key areas: health, with an emphasis on diabetes awareness, prevention, care and research initiatives through our Team Up Against Diabetes^TM  platform; and arts and culture, through our award-winning Making the Arts More Accessible^TM  program. We also partner with sports properties in key markets to further our commitment to healthy and active living. Our employees and advisors take great pride in volunteering over 29,000 hours each year and contribute to making life brighter for individuals and families across Canada.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars

Media Relations Contact: 
Deanna Natalizio
Senior Specialist
Corporate Communications
T. 647-326-8146
deanna.natalizio@sunlife.com 

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.

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