Improved Cookstove Programme Bangladesh

In Bangladesh’s heartlands, traditional biomass-based cooking creates serious health and environmental problems. Open fires and inefficient stoves result in severe indoor air pollution, which contributes to respiratory diseases and premature deaths, disproportionately affecting women and children. This practice also aggravates deforestation, threatening our ecosystem’s balance.

The Bondhu Chula, or “Friendly Stove,” is a source of hope for rural communities. This innovative stove, created by the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation, replaces harmful cooking methods with efficient, clean, and sustainable ones. Improved cookstoves with chimneys in kitchens make this possible.

By introducing, training, empowering, and sustaining local communities with these improved cookstoves, we’re not only changing how people cook; we’re building a movement for a healthier, greener Bangladesh. This initiative has distributed over 1 million stoves, reducing CO2 emissions by over 1.13 million tonnes annually. Our network of over 6,000 micro-entrepreneurs ensures these stoves are well-maintained, providing regular support and ensuring long-term sustainability and success. This project uses local manufacturing for wide-scale distribution, making clean cooking technologies accessible and affordable, and enhancing economic growth and self-reliance in rural communities.

Project Impacts and Benefits

• SDG 5 - Gender Equality: The project liberates women from the time and labor of cooking (2 hours per day) and fuel collection (5 hours weekly). This allows them to access education, income generation, and personal growth, resulting in enhanced gender equity and community empowerment
• SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 1 - No Poverty: The project creates jobs for over 25,000 Daktars — the dedicated men and women who install and maintain the cookstoves. This initiative not only offers them a reliable income but also makes them essential contributors to their community’s health and environmental sustainability.
• SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land: The Bondhu Chula stoves reduce the need for traditional fuel sources by half, lowering deforestation and carbon emissions significantly. This initiative is a crucial step towards protecting Bangladesh’s natural habitats and biodiversity.
• SDG 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 7- Affordable and Clean Energy:  Health Advancements: The stoves have chimneys that vent smoke outside the home, lowering indoor air pollution drastically. This innovation decreases respiratory illnesses, eye irritations, and other health issues caused by smoke inhalation. The chimneys also improve the cooking environment and protect families from the dangers of open-fire cooking, making Bondhu Chula a pillar for healthier living in rural Bangladesh.

More information on this project is available in the Gold Standard Impact Registry. 

Vintages of credits: 2021, 2022
N.B.  Individual vintages cannot be selected for purchase. Purchases will include credits from the vintage range stated.