Ayala Land and AREIT Partner with Prime Waste for Sustainable Waste Management in Cebu

L-R: Prime Infra’s Market Sector Lead for Waste Cara Peralta, Prime Infra Chief Finance Officer Sandy Alipio, Prime Infra President and CEO Guillaume Lucci, Ayala Land Senior Vice-President, Leasing and Hospitality Head Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Land Chief Sustainability Officer Robert Lao, and AREIT President and Ayala Land Offices Head Carol Mills during the ceremonial signing last June 26, 2024 in Makati.

Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), and its real estate investment trust AREIT Inc. (AREIT), have embarked on a pioneering journey towards sustainability with a strategic collaboration alongside Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, Inc. (PWS) facility in Cebu City. This transformative partnership is set to revolutionize waste management practices in the region by leveraging PWS’s advanced resource recovery facility.

This initiative aims to recover 80% to 90% of solid waste from eight office buildings through cutting-edge segregation and treatment methods. These eight (8) properties include eBloc Towers 1 to 4, Central Bloc Towers 1 & 2, Tech Tower, and Ayala Center Cebu Tower.

Carol Mills, President of AREIT and Head of Ayala Land Offices, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “Our partnership with Prime Waste Cebu represents a pivotal milestone in our sustainability journey. By adopting cutting-edge waste management technologies, we are not only mitigating our environmental footprint but also setting new benchmarks for the industry.”

Cara Peralta, Prime Infra’s Market Sector Lead for Waste, echoed enthusiasm for the joint endeavor: “We are excited to collaborate with ALI and AREIT, who share our commitment to pioneering waste management solutions that promote a cleaner and more sustainable future for all stakeholders.” This partnership underscores Ayala Land’s leadership in driving industry-wide transformation and reinforces their commitment to sustainability.

Robert Lao, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ayala Land, highlighted the broader impact of the initiative, “At Ayala Land, sustainability is ingrained in our corporate DNA. Our alliance with Prime Integrated Waste Solutions exemplifies our proactive approach to environmental stewardship, aiming to foster enduring positive impacts within the communities we serve.

Ayala Land’s sustainability efforts extend beyond waste management, with innovative projects converting plastic waste into valuable construction materials such as brick pavers, fencing materials, plastic pallets, and low-carbon concrete. In 2023 alone, these initiatives diverted 359 tons of plastic waste from landfills, demonstrating their commitment to circular economy principles.

Guillaume Lucci, President and CEO of Prime Infra, emphasized the transformative potential of such initiatives, “The industry is evolving rapidly, driven by innovators like Ayala Land who integrate waste management into their core business strategies. We look forward to partnering with more forward-thinking companies committed to reducing methane emissions and advancing sustainable waste solutions.”

Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Land Senior Vice-President, Leasing and Hospitality Head, expressed gratitude for a significant achievement, “With the help of PWS’ state of the art facility in Cebu, we look forward to reducing 80% of the waste generated by our Cebu office portfolio, by year-end. We are proud to note that this will secure Ayala Land’s position as the largest office portfolio to commit to a circular economy approach – and will mean 359 tons of waste diverted from landfills in the area. This effort is a move forward towards our significant sustainability objectives. We currently manage the largest portfolio of properties using renewable energy sources and are also the largest office portfolio certified Edge Zero Carbon, in the country.”

She said that this milestone not only signifies a partnership between Ayala Land, AREIT, and Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, but also reinforces the companies’ commitment to establishing higher benchmarks for responsible and sustainable development in the country.

PWS, a subsidiary of Razon-led Prime Infra, operates the Philippines’ first two automated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies from Europe and Asia—including vibrating sieves, baler systems, magnetic separators, and air density separators—the facility maximizes resource recovery and minimizes landfill use. Their strategic focus includes converting segregated plastic waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and other valuable resources.

With plans underway to replicate their success with additional facilities in Luzon, Ayala Land, AREIT and Prime Infra are poised to expand their partnership, further advancing sustainable waste management practices in other commercial properties.