Sun Life Philippines has switched Sun Life Centre, its head office in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, from conventional grid power to geothermal energy under an arrangement with First Gen. The building now draws 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, a move the company links to its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets. Michelle Cordero-Garcia, chief human resources officer of Sun Life Philippines, framed the change as a reflection of how the company expects businesses to respond to environmental pressures. “This milestone demonstrates that sustainability isn’t just part of our corporate values, but embedded in how we operate. Our commitment to renewable energy reflects our belief that businesses have a responsibility to contribute to environmental solutions,” Cordero-Garcia said.
Sun Life Centre has carried a green building designation since 2012, when it became the first structure in the Philippines to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification under the Core and Shell category from the US Green Building Council. Physical features already in place at the site include rainwater collection systems, motion-activated lighting, double-glazed windows, and a rooftop garden, each designed to cut energy use. The switch to geothermal power adds an energy-source layer to what the building already does on the operational side. Sun Life described the transition as part of a wider plan to lower its environmental footprint and maintain what it calls responsible business conduct.
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The Philippines move reflects a pattern seen elsewhere in the region, where insurance companies have started applying ESG principles not just to investments and products but to how their offices run day to day. AXA Hong Kong and Macau ran “AXA Week for Good 2025” in June, a two-week campaign that brought together more than 1,100 staff members and partners to carry out environmental and social activities, including planting 300 trees in the New Territories. On the operational side, AXA Asia set a target to cut CO2 emissions by 20% between 2019 and 2025, covering energy consumption in office buildings, business travel, and paper use.
Ping An Insurance of China received a AAA from MSCI in its 2025 ESG assessment – the fourth year running it has held that standing among multi-line insurers and brokers in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the first nine months of 2025, the company logged RMB 55.279 billion in green insurance premiums, and its responsible investment book reached RMB 1.017 trillion as of June 2025. Great Eastern, based in Singapore, set a target to reach net zero operational emissions by 2025. Where practical, the company said it would shift office buildings to renewable energy sources and use carbon credits to cover emissions it could not eliminate outright. In Japan, MS&AD Insurance Group, Sompo Japan, and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire joined several major banks to form the Sustainable Finance Platform, a digital system designed to make ESG data more accessible between listed companies and institutional investors.
