MetLife Becomes First Life Insurance Company to Earn Fitwel Building Certifications

NEW YORK, January 10, 2020 — MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) today announced that it has become the first life insurance company to earn Fitwel certifications for its commitment to healthy workplaces.

Operated by the Center for Active Design, Fitwel is a joint initiative of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the General Services Administration. It is the leading global health certification system providing effective design and operational strategies to support occupant health and productivity. 

Fitwel measures the health impact of a building based on several factors, including how it promotes occupant safety, how it increases physical activity, and how it affects the health of the surrounding community. 

“MetLife is proud that our offices and amenities help people live healthier lives and feel more connected to the work they do,” said Timothy O’Brien, MetLife’s senior vice president of real estate and corporate services. 

To date, MetLife has obtained Fitwel certifications for three offices in the United States with more than 4,000 employees covering over 1.3 million square feet of real estate, including its global headquarters at 200 Park Avenue in New York City. Amenities include meditation rooms, sit-stand desks, fitness centers, healthy dining options, nursing mother rooms, and treadmill desk meeting rooms.

The company’s institutional asset management business, MetLife Investment Management (MIM), has also obtained certifications for three properties held in its real estate equity investment portfolio. Representing more than 2 million square feet of office space combined across the three locations, the certifications underscore MIM’s commitment to promoting wellness in the communities it serves across the U.S. 

“MetLife Investment Management is committed to sustainable building practices, including healthy tenant environments, and we’ve used the lessons learned from our own Fitwel-certified corporate assets to promote wellness across our real estate equity investment portfolio,” said Robert Merck, senior managing director and global head of real estate and agriculture for MIM.

MetLife and MIM have a long history of sustainable building practices, including: 

• Investing in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)–certified buildings, with more than 66 offices and 30 million square feet of real estate across MetLife’s global office and investment portfolios achieving this distinction.
• Being recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the 2019 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award.
• MIM becoming a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment.

For more information on MetLife’s commitment to its employees and the environment, visit www.MetLifeGlobalImpact.com. For news and information on Fitwel, follow @fitwel.

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About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

For Media
Duncan Currie
(917) 940-1969
Duncan.Currie@metlife.com