Ali now world’s largest green building developer

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January 27, 2026 | 12:00am

With a portfolio of 1.5 million square meters

MANILA, Philippines — Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has reached a historic milestone, emerging as the holder of the world’s largest EDGE Zero Carbon-certified office portfolio.

ALI said it has achieved EDGE Zero Carbon certification for more than 1.5 million square meters of commercial office space, making it the largest EDGE Zero Carbon-certified office portfolio globally as of end-December.

ALI’s certified portfolio spans 50 office properties across Metro Manila, Laguna, Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo and Bacolod, covering a total of 1.53 million square meters.

It includes a mix of corporate headquarters and business process outsourcing facilities.

ALI said the milestone reinforces the company’s leadership in sustainable real estate development and reflects disciplined execution of its long-term climate and capital strategy.

“This achievement demonstrates that sustainability at scale is both measurable and achievable. 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,” ALI chief sustainability officer Robert Lao said.

EDGE Zero Carbon is a global green building certification developed by the International Finance Corp. (IFC).

To qualify, buildings must first achieve EDGE Advanced certification, demonstrating at least 40 percent reduction in energy plus at least 20 percent savings in water use and embodied carbon in materials.

Projects must then operate using 100 percent renewable energy or verified carbon offsets, maintaining at least 75 percent occupancy for one year.

The Philippine Green Building Initiative, one of the approved certifiers by IFC in the Philippines, conducted the third-party audits and awarded the EDGE Zero Carbon certifications to ALI.

According to ALI, the EDGE Zero Carbon milestone fulfills one of the company’s key sustainability performance targets under its sustainability-linked financing program, which was established in adherence to international guidelines.

The company was able to raise approximately $1 billion through sustainability-linked instruments between 2024 and 2025.

The financial instruments are tied to clearly defined sustainability performance targets, including achieving EDGE Zero Carbon certification for 1.5 million square meters of commercial office properties by December 2025 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent across its malls, offices and hotels by December 2030.

If targets are not met, then the financing structures require a step-up in interest rates.

ALI also continues to pursue green building certifications across its portfolio, including malls, hotels, residential developments, logistics facilities and mixed-use estates.

“As ALI advances toward its Net Zero 2030 emissions -reduction targets, the company continues to integrate sustainability into development, operations and capital allocation – aligning climate action with business performance and long-term value creation,” it said.