From Smoke-Filled Kitchens to Safer Homes: How the Bondhu Chula Cookstove Project is Supporting Female Entrepreneurs

Bondhu Chula cookstove project receives eligibility for highest quality label for c.500,000 carbon credits and earns ex-ante ‘A.pre’ rating with low execution risk, supporting millions of households and thousands of entrepreneurs.

London, UK - 29th July 2026 - Climate Impact Partners, a global leader in high-quality carbon market solutions, today announced that Bondhu Chula, its exclusive clean-cooking project partner in Bangladesh, has achieved Core Carbon Principle (CCP) labelling approval for nearly 500,000 carbon credits. The Gold Standard project has also received an independent ex-ante ‘A.pre’ rating with low execution risk from BeZero Carbon. This combined recognition – enabled by Climate Impact Partners’ expertise – confirms Bondhu Chula as one of the largest and highest-integrity clean cooking initiatives globally.

Nearly one-third of people globally still lack access to clean cooking, creating one billion tonnes of annual emissions – equivalent to the aviation industry. In Bangladesh, where 80% of households rely on traditional biomass and wood-burning stoves, the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation has installed 200,000 stoves through Climate Impact Partners, delivering a triple impact:

Climate and air quality – each stove cuts fuel consumption by 50%, reducing household costs and removing about 1 tCO2e per year to date.

Better health outcomes – each stove includes a chimney that directs smoke outside, addressing a public health crisis that contributes to 50,0001 premature deaths and millions of lung, eye and skin conditions annually in Bangladesh.

Economic agency – the project is underpinned by a network of 10,000 entrepreneurs, many of them women, who are trained as technical stove experts and business owners.

The project has scaled nationally whilst remaining deeply embedded in local communities. More than 5 million stoves have been installed to date, making Bondhu Chula the most successful cookstove programme in the country.

At the heart of this project are women like Nusrat Jahan. Nusrat joined the project as a service provider in 2019 after recognizing a significant business opportunity to serve her community. As one of the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation’s first female business partners, she has since expanded her operations by recruiting and training new team members to install and maintain stoves.

Nusrat says: ”Working in the Bondhu Chula Programme has offered me a good opportunity to serve the community people as well as to earn some money.”

This scale has been made possible through carbon finance, which subsidizes 50% of installation, funds a dedicated entrepreneur training program, and ongoing after-sales service. The Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation also trains women to become ‘stove doctors’ responsible for end-user onboarding, stove maintenance such as chimney cleaning, and ongoing end-user support.

To ensure integrity, each stove features a visible yellow tag with a unique ID, creating a permanent digital record in a proprietary mobile app. Daily field inspections provide real-time evidence of stove use and condition, with field officers using live video to verify each inspection with desk-based analysts. This tech-enabled, transparent monitoring system ensures every emissions reduction is backed by verifiable data.

Kelly Fitzwater, Chief Operating Officer at Climate Impact Partners said: “We’ve worked together with the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation since its inception, helping the programme evolve to meet the most rigorous global standards for quality and integrity. That partnership is how we deliver climate and community impact that endures. With carbon finance and strong local collaboration, technical expertise helps deliver real progress for the millions of people who still lack safe, clean cooking.”

Khaleq Uzzaman, from the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation said: “Bondhu Chula is a success because it is deeply rooted in the community. Our entrepreneurs - the majority of whom are women - are trusted local experts who help families adopt and maintain clean cooking, leading to lasting economic, social and health benefits. Their leadership is what has allowed the programme to grow and expand throughout many communities. With support from Climate Impact Partners, we’ve built a model that delivers both integrity and opportunity, and we’re proud to see it recognized on the global stage.”

With additional CCP approved projects registered and underway, Climate Impact Partners continues to set the standard for high-integrity, carbon market solutions.