Partner for development and climate action

Profile & Contact

EcoAct is an international climate consultancy and project developer, helping businesses and organisations succeed in their climate ambitions. We illustrate the challenges and opportunities that climate change, individual climate targets and climate-related reporting bring for organisations and companies. In doing so, we build a solid foundation for sustainable and customised solutions for a low-carbon world.

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London, SW1E 5JL, UK

+49 163 166 2300

markus.budelski@se.com

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Photo credits: EcoAct

Specifications

Project countries and regions:

Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Oceania

Project sectors:

Renewable energies, Energy efficiency & fuel switching (e.g. from coal to gas), Sustainable agriculture and land use, Afforestation, forest or peatland conservation

Co-benefits/Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 14 – Life below Water, SDG 15 – Life on Land, SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

Target group:

Small enterprises, Schools, Local communities, Other

Employed project standards:

Clean Development Mechanism + Gold Standard (CDM CER + GS), Gold Standard bzw. Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS VER), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) + Social Carbon Standard (SCS), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) + Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS)

Legal form:

Commercial

Portfolio:

Own climate protection projects:

Offers and services:

Tailored CO2e footprint accounting, Marketing support, Projects with a biodiversity focus

Specific features:

PROJECT EXAMPLE

Hifadhi Livelihoods II

Project background

The Hifadhi Livelihoods Cookstoves project provides low-income households with affordable, improved and efficient cookstoves. This reduces the consumption of wood for daily cooking by around 60%. The project avoids emissions from wood burning, improves health through reduced exposure to wood fire smoke and reduces deforestation.

Country/Region

Kenia, Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties

Technology

Energy efficiency, local energy supply

Standard

Gold Standard for the Global Goals

Status and duration

Project in operation since 2024, duration 10 years

Target group

Low-income households in the Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties which currently have to cook on an open fire

Effect achieved

174,813 tonnes CO2e per year on average / 1,748,127 tonnes CO2e (at the end of the project)

Co-benefits achieved

Environmental impact:
SDG 6 ‘Clean Energy‘: In this project, over 60,000 households will use improved cookstoves for cooking and heating water, which means they will use less firewood. Wood consumption is reduced by 60%, from an average of 11.75 kg to just 4-6 kg/day.
SDG 13 ‘Climate Action‘: By reducing CO₂ emissions and deforestation, the project makes an important contribution to climate change mitigation and forest conservation.

Socio-economic impact:
SDG 5 ‘Gender equality‘: 88.5% of the people responsible for collecting wood in the project area are women. The project will therefore primarily benefit women and girls, as they save time when collecting wood and cooking – the time required for this is reduced from approximately 12 to 5 hours per week. The women can use this time for educational and/or income-generating activities.
SDG 8 ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth‘: Local communities and local representatives are involved in the decision-making process of the project. Over 200 jobs (direct and indirect) are created in production and project monitoring, with equal pay for men and women.
SDG 3 ‘Good health and well-being‘: Project participants will benefit from improved indoor air quality, as less smoke and harmful gases will be produced, reducing the risk of respiratory diseases and contributing to healthier living conditions.

Local cooperation partners

The project is developed and financed by the Livelihoods Carbon Fund, in cooperation between EcoAct and Climate Pal. The Livelihoods Fund develops innovative investment models to combat environmental degradation, climate change and poverty in rural areas and to help companies become more sustainable. The Kenyan company Climate Pal is our local partner and subsidiary, which was founded to optimally incorporate local needs and conditions into project development and support.

Link to further project examples