Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, announced today that thirteen sites at its worldwide headquarters inColumbus, Georgia, have met the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 50001:2011 certification requirements for energy management. Following an audit performed by SAI Global, a leading assurance provider, Aflac became the first insurance company in the United Statesto obtain ISO 50001:2011 certifications.

The ISO 50001:2011 standard is a global energy-management system developed by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization, which helps companies to continually improve their performance with regard to energy efficiency, use and conservation.  ISO is the world's largest developer of voluntary International Standards that give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective.

"Aflac is proud to join an elite group of companies around the world that have certified their systems and processes against the ISO 50001 standard and demonstrated best practices for energy use and conservation," Aflac Vice President of Facilities and Support, Alfred Blackmar said. "Our company has made tremendous strides in becoming a model for sustainability in our industry, and this certification validates our efforts in the area of energy management."

The ISO 50001:2011 standard provides organizations with guidance for integrating energy performance into their management practices. It provides a framework of requirements for organizations to:

• Develop a policy for more efficient use of energy
• Fix targets and objectives to meet the policy
• Use data to better understand and make decisions about energy use
• Measure the results
• Review how well the policy works, and
• Continually improve energy management.

"Aflac believes in the value of strong management systems, and ISO 50001 represents the best-practice thinking in energy management. We are confident that implementation of ISO 50001 will lead to further reductions in energy usage at Aflac and further lessen our environmental impact," Blackmar said.