AYALA Land, Inc. (ALI) has achieved EDGE Zero Carbon certification for more than 1.5 million square meters (sqm) of commercial office space, making it the largest office portfolio certified as such globally as of December 2025, the company said on Monday.
The milestone was said to highlight Ayala Land’s leadership in sustainable real estate development and reflect its long-term climate and capital strategy.
The company received the certifications on Jan. 22 during a ceremony attended by representatives from the International Finance Corp. (IFC), Philippine Green Building Initiative (PGBI), Ayala Land executives and property management teams.
PGBI, an IFC-approved certifier in the Philippines, conducted third-party audits.
“This achievement demonstrates that sustainability at scale is both measurable and achievable,” said Robert 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,” Lao added.
Ayala Land’s certified portfolio covers 50 office properties located across Metro Manila, Laguna, Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo and Bacolod, with a combined gross floor area of 1,529,179 sqm.
The buildings include a mix of corporate headquarters and business process outsourcing facilities.
EDGE Zero Carbon is a global green building certification developed by IFC. To qualify, buildings must first achieve EDGE Advanced certification, which requires at least a 40-percent reduction in energy use and at least 20-percent savings in water consumption and embodied carbon in materials.
The projects must also operate on 100-percent renewable energy or verified carbon offsets and maintain at least 75-percent occupancy for one year.
Ayala Land said the milestone fulfilled one of its key sustainability performance targets under its sustainability-linked financing program.
Between 2024 and 2025, the company raised about $1 billion, or roughly P56 billion, through sustainability-linked loans and bonds, including two sustainability-linked loans from IFC and P29 billion in sustainability-linked bonds.
The financing instruments are tied to specific environmental targets, including achieving EDGE Zero Carbon certification for 1.5 million sqm of office properties by December 2025 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent across malls, offices and hotels by 2030.
The structures include interest-rate step-ups if targets are not met.
In 2023, Ayala Land and AREIT Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding with IFC to pursue EDGE Zero Carbon certification for 1.5 million sqm of office space by 2025.
The commitment involved retrofitting existing buildings, shifting to renewable energy, and accelerating energy-efficiency initiatives.
Ayala Land said that other than offices, it continues to pursue green building certifications across its malls, hotels, residential developments, logistics facilities and mixed-use estates in support of long-term net-zero goals.
Ayala Land shares shed P0.45, or 2.04 percent, to close at P21.60 each on Monday.