UpEnergy Group announces partnership with myclimate to deploy cleaner cookstoves in Malawi and create more than 5 million carbon credits through direct emissions reductions

UpEnergy Group, a social enterprise making cleaner technology more accessible for people and communities in low-income countries, today announced a partnership with Zurich-based foundation myclimate. An investment from the foundation will help establish a distribution network for cleaner technology to decarbonize household energy use in Malawi.  The project will support the distribution of at least 400,000 cleaner cookstoves in the southeast African country of Malawi over a 10-year period and will create more than 5 million carbon credits in which climate-conscious business leaders can invest.

Cookstoves deployed via the myclimate-supported UpEnergy initiative will prevent more than 5 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted over the first decade of the project by approximately halving the amount of charcoal Malawian households burn for cooking. The carbon credits will be verified under the Gold Standard, creating a new avenue for corporations to invest in carbon offsets with added real-world benefits, from cleaner indoor air quality to job creation. The project is predicted to positively impact the lives of more than 2 million residents in the next 10 years. In addition, the reduction in charcoal demand resulting from the project will help protect Malawi’s vanishing forests from further destruction.

“We’re honored to be working on this project with an organization focused on social impact like myclimate. We’re well-aligned in our missions to create new platforms for decarbonization in developing nations,” said Matt Evans, co-founder and chair of UpEnergy Group. “Projects like this prioritize the economic, and social empowerment of people living in low-income regions of the world; these communities are often most affected by the climate crisis but have had little to do with creating the problem.”

The cleaner cookstoves to be distributed throughout the project run on 45-55% less charcoal, thanks to thermal efficiencies, and have the power to bring substantial financial benefits to families. For the average household in Malawi, cost savings will be equivalent to nearly 18% of annual income.          

This reduction in charcoal use offers larger environmental benefits, as well, with one household cookstove cutting an estimated additional 3.75  tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. Use of the cookstoves can also help ease the burden on local forests by reducing deforestation related to charcoal production — an important benefit for a country that saw a 14% decrease in tree cover from 2001 to 2021.

For the people of Malawi, the project will offer important economic and social advantages. UpEnergy estimates that more than 150 jobs will be created thanks to local manufacturing and distribution of the cookstoves. Finally, access to cleaner cookstoves will disproportionately benefit women and girls in Malawi, who are most often responsible for household cooking, and who suffer the most when the process is expensive and time consuming. 

“At myclimate, we are constantly looking for ways to broaden our impact, create a cleaner planet on a global scale, and simultaneously support more prosperous communities on a local level,” said Stephen Neff, CEO of myclimate. “For example, all the cookstoves for this project will be manufactured in Malawi, creating a substantial opportunity for job creation and giving a boost to local economies. We are eager to see the difference that our work with UpEnergy will create in Malawi.” 

myclimate is a global leader in climate protection solutions and promoting and managing voluntary high-quality carbon offsetting. The foundation links individuals, communities, and corporations for the purpose of real and sustainable climate change mitigation action. In 2021, myclimate customers supported the reduction of  3.7 million tonnes of CO2.

Over their 11 years of work leveraging climate finance to fight both climate change and poverty, UpEnergy has launched projects impacting 7 countries in Africa, with more than 110 employees delivering emission reduction projects. The organization’s work has resulted in a total of three million tonnes  of CO2 emissions reduced to date.