Low-cost stoves and water treatment can reduce the serious health impacts of cooking smoke and poor quality drinking water. But there are many challenges for a local business to produce or distribute these improved technologies, and the price may be out of reach for the people who need them most.
However, stoves and water treatment devices cut greenhouse gas emissions. Impact Carbon, a US-based not-for-profit company, saw the potential to use carbon finance to help businesses expand their work and bring the benefits of improved technologies to more people.
Estimated greenhouse gas savings are 800,000 tonnes every year.Â
In 2013, 11 local stove producers had been supported to expand their businesses.
The investment of carbon finance allows businesses and country programmes to sell technologies at prices affordable to those that need them most.
"Impact Carbon plays a unique role in growing the stove market in developing countries, by using carbon finance to provide intensive support and vital finance to local businesses. Their impressive results speak for themselves."
2013 Ashden Judging Panel