Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) is one of the first Philippine real estate companies to embark on a sustainability journey towards achieving net zero emissions in the country. With that journey continuing nonetheless, ALI has been among the top in realizing sustainability in business, as evidenced by its operations and, in turn, its developments.
Throughout the years, ALI continues to strive in achieving long-term economic, environmental, and social value for its stakeholders, and this drive towards sustainability motivates the company to supporting and improving Filipino lives through its developments and its operations.
In its pursuit of its net zero goals, ALI shared, starting with manpower—from operations to procurement to HR—and enabling sustainability teams in all business units to work together have served as key factors.
The company started its sustainability journey in 2007, by using sustainability as a guided principle in property development, and from there ALI’s first sustainability report was released. the Ayala Land Sustainability Framework was designed in the following year as a manual for developing an eco-friendly real estate development.
The company currently has four sustainability focus areas, namely site resilience, pedestrian mobility and transit connectivity, resource efficiency, and economic development.
In 2009, in order to manage Ayala Land’s sustainable initiatives, the board of directors established and ratified the board-level sustainable committee, which identifies sustainability issues according to the impact it brings to the company.
In 2017, the company started recusing emissions from its commercial buildings and started launch of its carbon neutrality program, which focuses on neutralizing Scopes 1 and 2 emissions from its properties.
Scope 1 emissions are defined as emissions that a company causes by operating the things that it owns or controls; whole Scope 2 emissions are considered as those created by the production of the energy that an organization buys.
2017 was also the year that Ayala Land became the first and only Philippine company to be listed in RobecoSAM’s (now part of S&P Global) Sustainability Yearbook, a globally-recognized publication that recognizes companies that are leading in sustainability.
Other sustainable initiatives like the company’s circular waste management program were launched in 2019 at Arca South and Lio Ecohub developments. This program involves constructing built-in facilities for processing plastics created for building Ayala Land projects.
In 2020, amidst the pandemic’s challenges, ALI rose its rank on the climate change disclosure from C (Awareness) to A (Leadership) through the company’s carbon disclosure project.
In the “now normal,” ALI’s sustainability journey continues with its carbon neutrality programs, such as the utilization of renewable energy, energy-efficient cooling facilities, natural lighting and ventilation, and revegetation of carbon sink projects.
By the end of 2022, according to ALI’s latest Integrated Report, the developer’s efforts in carbon neutrality and circular waste management are continuing to bear fruit. About 90% of all malls and office buildings have been powered by renewable energy, and 216,000 native trees were planted in Ayala Land’s carbon forest.
Moreover, 130 tonnes of plastics were processed; 7,500 cubic meters of ready-mixed concrete with plastics for sidewalks we produced; and more than 150,000 tons of emissions are said to have been eliminated as a result of these processes.
“A total of 130 tonnes of plastics were used in Ayala Land developments during the year through the ready-mix concrete and continued use of eco-products… a significant increase from 75 tonnes in 2021. We have collected and repurposed more than 240 tonnes of plastics since we started the initiative in 2019. Meanwhile, composting efforts increased to 192 tonnes for the reporting year from only a tonne in 2020,” the report explained.
ALI’s steadfast move towards sustainability is also highlighted by its various projects in building sustainable cities.
The Ayala Center in the Makati Central Business District, one of ALI’s most remarkable developments, serve as its striking example of its focus on sustainability with One Ayala, the first intermodal transport facility for commuters at the intersection of Ayala Avenue and EDSA; and the 65,000-square meter Ayala Triangle Gardens, a modern and eco-friendly office space and retail platform that the general public is welcome to use for free.
Setting an example as well is the Ayala Land estate located in Bonifacio Global City, a vibrant lifestyle hub with a well-balanced mix of residences, offices, and various stores. The place is filled with retail stores with unlimited options, restaurants that are found on the ground floor of offices, and pocket parks to take a breather or unwind through recreational activities.
Further south of the metro, Ayala Land’s eco-city project Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna is considered the first and largest eco-city in the country, designed as an ideal residential, business, and leisure development complex for everyone.
The eco-city includes offices, prestigious schools, shopping centers and commercial strips, a mountain bike trail, a multi-functional lake, hiking paths, a wildlife, and bird sanctuary, as well as team building and camping grounds, apart from the different residential communities, which are within a convenient distance from one another.
With these developments, ALI lives up to its reputation in pioneering integrated estates, beginning to offer the public improved and more efficient spaces where they can live, work, and play.
“Essentially, this is how Ayala Land envisions a sustainable city—one that is healthy, accessible, and spacious yet inclusive, dynamic and vibrant, replete with all the modern creature comforts that urban dwellers need, want, and look for,” ALI said.
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