Ayala Land holds world’s largest EDGE Zero Carbon–certified office portfolio

Ayala Land Inc. has secured EDGE Zero Carbon certification for more than 1.5 million square meters of commercial office space, making it the world’s largest EDGE Zero Carbon–certified office portfolio as of December 2025.

The milestone highlights Ayala Land’s push for sustainability at scale and reflects the company’s long-term climate strategy and capital discipline.

The certifications were formally awarded on 22 January during a ceremony in Bonifacio Global City attended by representatives of the International Finance Corporation, the Philippine Green Building Initiative, Ayala Land executives and property management teams. The Philippine Green Building Initiative, an IFC-accredited certifier, conducted the third-party audits and granted the certifications.

“This achievement demonstrates that sustainability at scale is both measurable and achievable,” said Robert S. Lao, Ayala Land chief sustainability officer. “By securing the EDGE Zero Carbon Certifications for our office portfolio, we are able to verify the performance of our green buildings with measurable results that support operational efficiency, and long-term asset value.”

Ayala Land’s certified portfolio covers 50 office properties located in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo and Bacolod, with a combined gross floor area of 1,529,179 square meters. The properties include corporate headquarters and business process outsourcing facilities.

EDGE Zero Carbon is a global green building certification developed by IFC. To qualify, buildings must first obtain EDGE Advanced certification, demonstrating at least a 40 percent reduction in energy use, as well as at least 20 percent savings in water consumption and embodied carbon in materials. Projects must also operate on 100 percent renewable energy or verified carbon offsets and maintain at least 75 percent occupancy for one year.

The certification milestone also fulfills a key sustainability performance target under Ayala Land’s sustainability-linked financing program, which follows international frameworks such as the ASEAN Sustainability-Linked Bond Standards, the Sustainability Linked Bond Principles of the International Capital Market Association, and the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association.

Between 2024 and 2025, Ayala Land raised about $1 billion, or roughly ₱56 billion, through sustainability-linked financing instruments. These include a ₱14.2 billion sustainability-linked loan obtained in July 2024 and a ₱12.87 billion loan secured in August 2025, both from IFC. The company also issued ₱29 billion worth of sustainability-linked bonds listed on the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. between July 2024 and October 2025.

The financing arrangements are tied to sustainability targets, including achieving EDGE Zero Carbon certification for 1.5 million square meters of office space by December 2025 and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent across malls, offices and hotels by December 2030. Failure to meet the targets would trigger higher interest rates.

In September 2023, Ayala Land and AREIT Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding with IFC to pursue EDGE Zero Carbon certification for 1.5 million square meters of office space by 2025. The initiative involved retrofitting existing buildings, shifting to renewable energy sources and accelerating energy efficiency measures.

Beyond offices, Ayala Land said it continues to pursue green building certifications across its malls, hotels, residential developments, logistics facilities and mixed-use estates as part of its broader sustainability strategy.

As the company works toward its Net Zero 2030 emissions targets, Ayala Land said it remains focused on integrating sustainability into development, operations and capital allocation to align climate action with long-term business value.