One of the country’s leading developers of sustainable mixed-use estates is taking the lead in the global call to abate climate-change impacts.
The real-estate arm of Ayala Corp., Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is engaging in sustainability project called Carbon Neutral by 2022, a carbon emission-offsetting program that targets the carbon neutrality of its commercial properties by 2022.
In January the company announced that it is dedicating 450 hectares of land to develop carbon-guzzling forests in line with its aggressive targets, alongside its endeavors in renewable energy and green building.
“We have been tracking, among other environment, social and governance metrics, our greenhouse-gas emissions throughout the various stages of our project-development process for the last 10 years,” said Anna Maria Gonzales, ALI Sustainability manager.
According to documents provided by the company, ALI produces about 68,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The figure is expected to grow as ALI also plans to double its income and revenue by 2020.
“Because we are in expansion mode, our emission also [grew]. So we decided last year to do something about it. We are aiming for carbon neutrality, and one of the ways to achieve this is through our carbon forests,” she added.
Through a process called carbon sequestration, the carbon-forest sites remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through natural processes.
ALI collaborated with the Center for Conservation Innovations Inc. for a study to determine the baseline carbon stock in the carbon-forest sites, which consist of five sites in different parts of the Philippines. Three of the sites are within or adjacent to existing ALI development projects.
Forest sites in Lio in El Nido, Palawan, and Sicogon Island in Iloilo province are integrated into the estate’s master plan as part of the project’s “nature-trail areas.” The Alaminos site in Laguna lies north of Ayala Land’s BellaVita subdivision.
Meanwhile, the Kan-irag and Talomo sites in the cities of Cebu and Davao, respectively, are not part of any ALI’s property development. ALI is spending P42 million for the initiative.
“That’s small amount for a project that will give long term, sustainable benefits not only for the company but for the Filipino people,” Gonzales said.
The company said it has partnered with community-based, nongovernmental organizations like Pusod Inc., Soil and Water Conservation Foundation and Philippine Eagle Foundation, which specialize in reforestation, native tree nursery management and volunteer mobilization.
“ALI’s carbon forests sites are expected to augment ALI’s total carbon-emission reduction by approximately 20 percent year-on-year,” Gonzales added.
ALI has identified the best protection and enhancement approach through assisted natural regeneration to maximize the carbon-storage potential for each site.
This method aims to support forest regrowth through protection, and encourage biodiversity through the tending of diverse indigenous plant-life.
Ayala Land is the only Philippine company included in the Sustainability Yearbook 2017, the most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability produced by Swiss international investment company RobecoSAM.
Multidisciplinary teams have been formed within the company to implement targeted eco-efficiency approaches and enhance greenhouse-gas accounting capacities.
The company claimed that has also used a combination of strategies, such as the implementation of passive cooling designs in its developments, energy efficiency and renewable-energy sourcing in operating its properties.