Better cookstoves for Uganda

The forest area in Uganda is shrinking by approximately 2% every year. The main reasons for this are logging and the use of firewood - over 90% of Uganda's households use wood as the primary energy source. Only a small percentage of the wood is harvested from renewable sites.

Launched in 2006, this project is working to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by using more energy-efficient cookstoves. The cookstoves save, on average, 50% more energy than conventional metal cookstoves. One cookstove reduces an estimated 2.5 tCO₂e_. The energy-efficient cookstoves reduce the need to chop down forests for firewood and they burn more cleanly, thus protecting local inhabitants from harmful gases. Air pollution is a widespread problem in Uganda. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 20,000 people die each year from air pollution-related causes.

Adoption of the new cookstove will cut the charcoal consumption of an average five-person family by approximately 300 kg a year. Reduced logging slows erosion and prevents the disappearance of natural habitats and biodiversity.

Hesburger's involvement in the project 10/2016-12/2022

Carbon footprnt compensation is equal to annual use of 76,000 energy-efficient cookstoves.
Around 410,000 trees have been saved from being cut. The amount of carbon these trees bind is equal to about 60,000 individual travellers flying a round trip between New York and Helsinki.
Helping local communities by creating jobs, reducing health problems caused by pollution and freeing up time for education and farming.

Check out the project on the Impact Carbon website.

Hesburger compensates the carbon footprint of select products also through another project.