Making life brighter: Sun Life Financial releases 2012 Public Accountability Statement and Sustainability Report

TORONTO, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Making life brighter - what does it mean? To Sun Life Financial, it's at the very heart of what we do, every day: help people achieve lifetime financial security and ensure we operate as a sustainable public company committed to delivering value to our stakeholders.

In Sun Life's Public Accountability Statement and Sustainability Report (PAS & SR), released today, making life brighter means:

• Fighting diseases, like diabetes, and improving health around the world;
• Giving back to our communities by supporting social services, providing disaster relief and encouraging volunteerism among our employees;
• Working with environmentally sustainable organizations and like-minded companies to advance the importance of sustainability within our own operations and, ultimately, the world; and
• Making responsible, sustainable investments to contribute to the Canadian and world economies.

"Sun Life wants to help philanthropic, social and community programs flourish because they strengthen communities and enrich the lives of Canadians and people around the world," said Mary De Paoli, EVP, Public & Corporate Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer, Sun Life Financial. "We are also very proud to be able to play a role in a global network of organizations seeking to advance sustainability priorities."

Sun Life's environmental, social and governance practices have earned us a range of recognition. We are the only life insurance company in North America to be listed as one of the 2013 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and we are one of the 2012 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada.

Sun Life is proudly using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) index reporting standards to guide our sustainability reporting. GRI has reviewed our PAS & SR and has confirmed that it meets all GRI standards.

See Sun Life's Public Accountability Statement and Sustainability Report at www.sunlife.com/PublicAccountabilityStatement.

About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial and its partners have operations in key 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 December 31, 2012, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $533 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.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.

Image with caption: "Making life brighter: Sun Life Financial has released its 2012 Public Accountability Statement and Sustainability Report. (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130506_C3778_PHOTO_EN_26364.jpg

Image with caption: "Sun Life Financial has released its 2012 Public Accountability Statement and Sustainability Report. Sun Life is committed to making life brighter in our communities, as seen at The Weekend to End Women's Cancers, where "Team Yellow" was led by Stuart Monteith (right of centre in dark green jacket), Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits, Sun Life Financial. (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130506_C3778_PHOTO_EN_26362.jpg