Manulife Releases 2019 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement

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TORONTO, May 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife today released its 2019 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement. The report highlights Manulife and John Hancock's environmental, social and governance performance in 2019.

"As the global pandemic has reinforced, we are a highly interconnected world and we have a collective responsibility to preserve and enhance the sustainability of the planet," said Roy Gori, President & Chief Executive Officer, Manulife. "While we are doing our part to support our customers, partners and communities during this difficult time, contributing $25 million to focus on several critical fronts, Manulife's mission to make decisions easier and lives better goes far beyond our response to the COVID-19 crisis."

"Our mission is also a driving force behind our Sustainability strategy and we are dedicated to focusing our efforts on priorities that can enhance the wellbeing of our stakeholders. This includes supporting the transition to a lower carbon economy, investing in the health and well-being of our employees and customers, and meeting the needs of our local communities."

Some highlights from 2019:

• We invested $1.2 billion in renewable energy and energy efficient projects.
• We provided $8.2 billion in investments and loans to businesses, helping fuel their growth and support the development of local economies.
• We continue to help nearly 30 million customers live longer and healthier lives, protect what matters most to them, and manage their wealth.
• Through our agriculture and timber businesses, we had carbon removals of 3.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, based on a five-year trailing average.

Further details on our commitment to Sustainability and our results for 2019 are available in our newly released 2019 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement, available at www.manulife.com/sustainability.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2019, we had more than 35,000 employees, over 98,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving almost 30 million customers. As of March 31, 2020, we had $1.2 trillion (US$0.8 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $30.4 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

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SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation