PHILIPPINES — Aboitiz Economic Estates has received the Business Leadership in Sustainability Award under the Developer category from the Philippine Green Building Council. The recognition highlights how the company embeds sustainability across the systems that support its industrial estates, from utilities and operations to workforce development.
A Recognition of Systemic Sustainability
The PHILGBC award criteria assessed strategic leadership, measurable performance, resilience, people outcomes, market transformation, and business value. For Aboitiz Economic Estates, sustainability extends beyond environmental programs. It is built into infrastructure, utility management, estate operations, and workforce development.
The company is the first industrial developer in the Philippines to achieve 5-Star BERDE District Certification across its entire operating portfolio. This covers LIMA Estate in Batangas, Mactan Economic Zone 2 Estate, and West Cebu Estate in Cebu. The certification evaluates energy, water, transport, infrastructure, land use, and estate management at district scale.
Reliable Utilities as a Competitive Edge
At LIMA Estate, power is distributed by LIMA EnerZone, part of AboitizPower's EnerZone Group, with supply that includes geothermal and hydroelectric sources. The estate-integrated utility model provides closer visibility over power performance and supports the reliability industrial locators require. It is complemented by 31 megawatts of installed rooftop solar capacity.
Water services are managed through LIMA Water, an affiliate of Aboitiz InfraCapital. Its Smart Water Network provides real-time visibility into system conditions and maintenance. The system has delivered up to 30 percent reductions in repair-related operating costs and up to 20 percent reductions in fuel consumption for monitoring, with average facility uptime of 99.3 percent.
Resilience by Design
Aboitiz Economic Estates organizes resilience across three interconnected areas: infrastructure, operations, and workforce. Infrastructure covers drainage, utilities, roads, and command centers. Operations include estate monitoring, maintenance, and emergency response. Workforce resilience addresses talent pipelines, training, and local employability.
Climate and disaster-risk considerations are integrated into estate masterplanning. Engineered stormwater systems, elevated road networks, and redundancy provisions in utility systems protect operations during disruptions. Estate-managed infrastructure gives operating teams greater visibility over service performance and enables coordinated response.
Building the Talent Pipeline
Through its Talent Edge program, Aboitiz Economic Estates connects education, recruitment, upskilling, and employer engagement with the requirements of companies within its estates. Its flagship partnership with Batangas State University established an industry-based engineering learning platform inside an operating industrial estate.
Micro-credential programs help existing workers build capabilities for evolving manufacturing technologies. The approach treats workforce capacity as part of industrial resilience. As manufacturing technologies and investment requirements evolve, talent must develop alongside physical capacity.
A Portfolio Built for Scale
Aboitiz Economic Estates currently manages and develops approximately 2,100 hectares of industrial-anchored estates. These support more than 260 locators, over ₱175 billion in investments, and more than 100,000 jobs. The company applies a consistent sustainability framework across estates at different maturity stages.
From established locations like LIMA Estate to newer platforms like TARI Estate in Tarlac, sustainability requirements are incorporated from masterplanning through construction and ongoing operations. This allows the same principles to carry forward as new industrial capacity is developed.
Independent Assurance Across Assets
The portfolio-wide BERDE certification provides an independent benchmark for estate-level performance. LIMA Estate maintains TÜV NORD-certified management systems covering quality, environmental management, and occupational health and safety. LIMA Tower One holds WELL Core Gold Certification under WELL v2.
These standards provide external assurance that sustainability and operational discipline extend from district management to individual assets. For companies with established ESG requirements, these systems offer transparency and operating assurance when evaluating long-term locations.
