A series of pioneering projects by d.light, the global provider of transformational household products and affordable finance for low-income households, to distribute 600,000 energy-efficient clean cookstoves in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda have been officially certified by global verification body Verra. This certification confirms the d.light projects as trusted, verified sources of high-quality carbon credits in the voluntary carbon markets (VCMs).
The d.light projects aim to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, tackle indoor air pollution, and reduce deforestation through the sale of highly efficient biomass cookstoves subsidized by the revenues from the sale of carbon credits. Since their launch in late 2022, the projects have positively impacted more than one million lives and are projected to transform more than three million lives by 2025.
Commenting on the news, Karl Skare, d.light’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer, emphasized the projects’ positive impact, “With these projects, we’re not just addressing environmental concerns but also enhancing quality of life for millions. Each project underscores d.light’s commitment to practical, innovative solutions that address both environmental and social challenges, as part of our mission to transform the lives of one billion people by 2030.”
Each year, domestic cooking emissions contribute more than two percent of total global GHG emissions and up to 25 percent of anthropogenic black carbon emissions. Highly energy-efficient cookstoves solve this problem by reducing biomass use by up to 70 percent compared to traditional cooking methods, cutting emissions of both carbon dioxide and black carbon. The d.light projects are expected to reduce emissions by up to 12 million tons, contributing to climate change mitigation. These emissions reductions will be registered as carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.
As well as reducing emissions, clean cookstoves are also a benefit to public health. According to the World Health Organisation, exposure to smoke from cooking fires causes an estimated 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide each year and is still one of the predominant causes of pollution-related illness and death in Africa. In Uganda, for example, less than one percent of the population has access to clean cooking, household air pollution is the one of the largest risk factors for death and disability.
In addition, switching from traditional three-stone open fires to cleaner, energy-efficient cookstoves significantly reduces deforestation and reduces threats to wildlife and biodiversity caused by habitat loss.
Skare explained, “By subsidizing energy-efficient cookstove costs through carbon financing, d.light makes clean cooking accessible to more households, which in turn leads to healthier living conditions and conserves natural resources as well. Our projects in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda are models of how sustainable investments can yield multiple co-benefits, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change and also promoting socio-economic development.
Skare added, “d.light now has projects certified by both Gold Standard and Verra, the world’s two leading certifiers of carbon credits. Organizations looking for ways to offset their own emissions can be confident that when they purchase carbon credits in d.light’s clean cooking projects in sub-Saharan Africa, they are investing in transformative initiatives that reduce harmful emissions, improve people’s health and quality of life, and help conserve the environment as well.”
To learn more about d.light’s clean cookstove projects or to purchase carbon credits from d.light, please email carbon@dlight.com.
