AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC. (NYSE: AVB) (the “Company”) announced that it has been named the Regional Sector Leader for Americas Listed Residential in the 2025 GRESB Development Benchmark, earning a score of 95 out of 100. The annual GRESB Sector Leader Awards assess and benchmark the performance of real assets worldwide, delivering insights to financial markets on performance factors that influence long-term value.

“Sustainability is integral to how we design, develop, and operate our communities,” said Pamela Thomas, Executive Vice President, Asset Management at AvalonBay Communities. “By embedding environmental standards and climate considerations into projects and business decisions, we’re building greater efficiency, resilience, and long-term value across our portfolio. It’s rewarding to see that commitment reflected in GRESB’s recognition of AvalonBay as a Sector Leader.”

The GRESB Assessments are guided by what investors and the industry consider to be the most significant issues in the performance of asset investments and are aligned with international reporting frameworks, goals and emerging regulations. This year’s participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment remained steady and in line with last year’s record levels. Together, 1,002 fund managers (including 84 new members) completed 2,382 assessments.

“We set ourselves up for success by developing high-performance communities that we own and operate efficiently over the long-term. This positioning creates a continuous feedback loop that generates actionable insights we can scale,” said Thomas. “This competitive advantage allows us to pilot sustainability solutions in new developments, evaluate their real-world performance, and apply those learnings to drive efficiency gains and carbon reduction across our 300-plus communities.”

Aligning development practices to best-in-class certifications, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating systems, helps ensure AvalonBay’s design and development standards evolve to reflect changing building codes and regulations. In addition to LEED Gold certification for mid- and high-rise buildings, AvalonBay’s Sustainable Development Policy targets other value-enhancing sustainability features that can drive both financial and environmental performance, including energy efficiency, electrification, embodied carbon, renewable energy, water efficiency, construction waste, and EV charging. Seventy-six AvalonBay communities have achieved one or more environmental certifications, with 43 additional communities pursuing certification.

“GRESB Sector Leaders exemplify success in action. They set the pace for the industry, translating strong governance and operational excellence into real-world performance and long-term value,” said Sebastien Roussotte, CEO of GRESB.

Earlier this, year AvalonBay issued its fourteenth annual Corporate Responsibility report summarizing the Company’s sustainability program and accomplishments for calendar year 2024, including cumulative progress on its greenhouse gas reduction targets, reporting a 7.7% year-over-year reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity (down 55% from a 2017 baseline). The company also reported progress on enhanced climate risk disclosures, sustainable materials procurement, adoption of 1.5°C-aligned emissions reduction targets, expansion of its solar portfolio to 69 installations, and the completion of a portfolio-wide decarbonization assessment.

About AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is an equity REIT that develops, redevelops, acquires and manages apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado. As of September 30, 2025, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 314 apartment communities containing 97,219 apartment homes in 11 states and the District of Columbia, of which 21 communities were under development. More information may be found on the Company’s website at https://www.avalonbay.com.

About GRESB

GRESB is a partner for sustainable investments across real assets in climate-critical industries. GRESB helps members accelerate towards net zero while mitigating risk and building portfolios that are resilient, efficient, and financially attractive for long-term success. For more information, visit GRESB.com.

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