Sun Life Financial named one of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens for 2012

TORONTO, June 11, 2012 /CNW/ - Sun Life Financial is pleased to be named to the 2012 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list by Corporate Knights. For the seventh time in 11 years, Sun Life has been recognized as one of the country's top companies in the area of corporate social responsibility, which is a testament to the company's ongoing commitment to environmental, social and governance issues.

"We're proud to once again be considered a leader in corporate social responsibility," says Mary De Paoli, Executive Vice-President, Chief Marketing Officer and Public & Corporate Affairs, Sun Life Financial. "We care deeply about the communities in which we operate and to us, sustainability is embedded in our culture. It means being able to assure our customers that we'll be in business for the long-term - living up to our mission of helping people achieve lifetime financial security."

Sun Life was the only publicly-traded insurance company and one of only two life insurers on the Corporate Knights Best 50 this year. Several key factors contributed to Sun Life's recognition as a top corporate citizen, including, reducing its total greenhouse gas footprint by 7% between 2010 and 2011, strong health and safety performance, and year-over-year reductions in waste produced.

For more complete information about the methodology visit www.CorporateKnights.com.

Other recognition

In addition to the Corporate Knights' 2012 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada ranking, Sun Life is the only North American insurance company on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and is the "Most Trusted Life Insurance Company" in Canada, according to the 2012 Reader's Digest Trusted Brand consumer survey. We were also listed, once again, on the 2012 FTSE4Good Index as well as on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America.

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. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2012, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $494 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.