6.3 million stoves. 32.5 million lives improved. 36.5 million tonnes of wood saved. 62.3 million tonnes of CO₂ avoided.
These are the outcomes of our work to date, and in a year marked by growing emissions, policy uncertainty and pressure on carbon markets, they defined our response. 2025 was another challenging year for climate solutions globally, yet our mission remained clear and urgent: to save lives, protect forests and deliver high-integrity climate action at scale across Africa.
As international cooperation weakened and confidence in carbon markets was tested, we doubled down on what differentiates BURN. We scaled proven clean cooking technologies, accelerated the deployment of electric cooking solutions and continued to set benchmarks for integrity, transparency and impact in carbon markets.
This year, we visited more than 120 communities across 12 African countries, meeting families, entrepreneurs, teachers and farmers whose lives are changing through access to clean, efficient energy. From households cutting fuel use by up to 50 percent to institutions adopting modern and electric cooking systems that protect users from harmful smoke, every visit reinforced why our work matters.
Awards
One of our proudest moments came in June, when BURN was honored with the Ashden Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Global South, celebrating our leadership in clean cooking, climate action and forest preservation and reaffirmed our impact across the millions of households we serve.
Later in the year, we were further recognized on the global stage when we were named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025, highlighting our innovation, scale and role as a high-integrity leader in clean energy and carbon markets.
These recognitions highlighted the strength of our mission, the integrity of our carbon work, and the meaningful change driven by the millions of households we serve.
Milestones That Inspired Us
This year marked several historic achievements that strengthened our mission and solidified our leadership in the high-integrity carbon space:
- We launched our first production facility in Malawi, expanding regional manufacturing capacity and ensuring more households can access clean, modern cooking. BURN and AIM Carbon Launch Operations in Malawi, Accele
- We issued our first ICVCM Core Carbon Principles (CCP)-labeled clean cooking credits, setting a new global benchmark for transparency, integrity and climate impact in carbon markets, the second-ever such issuance in a Gold Standard clean cooking project. BURN Issues Our First-Ever CCP-Labelled Carbon Credits!
- We also achieved a significant aviation-sector milestone by releasing our first CORSIA-tagged credits, demonstrating our readiness to support compliance buyers seeking high-integrity mitigation outcomes, again the second-ever such event on Gold Standard.
- We pioneered digital monitoring through the Gold Standard–approved Digital Kitchen Performance Test (DKPT), ushering in a new era of scalable, data-driven verification. BURN and Climate Solutions dKPT pilot for Biomass Stove
- We continued scaling our reach, surpassing 6.3 million stoves distributed, improving 32.5 million lives, saving 36.5 million tonnes of wood and avoiding over 62.3 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions since 2013.
These milestones reflect more than numbers. They represent cleaner kitchens, safer homes, and forests protected for future generations. They reinforce that high-integrity carbon finance can deliver real, measurable development impacts at scale.
Team Moments That Shaped Us
Behind every stove shipped and every carbon credit issued stood a team committed to excellence. We welcomed over 300 new colleagues across Africa, celebrated well-earned promotions and worked across departments to deliver our strongest year yet. Whether in late-night strategy sessions or shared moments during field visits, our team demonstrated that innovation grows where courage, collaboration and purpose meet.
We celebrated, laughed, we showed up for one another. From team-building retreats, strategy sessions and sports, we were reminded that impact is built not only on technology and systems, but on relationships, trust and shared purpose.
Looking Forward
As we move into 2026, our focus is clear and execution driven. We will continue scaling access to clean and electric cooking while strengthening our position as a leader in high-integrity carbon markets.
In the year ahead, we will:
- Issue additional CORSIA-tagged credits, expanding supply for aviation and compliance buyers seeking high-integrity mitigation outcomes
- Fully transition new issuances to CCP-labeled credits, embedding ICVCM-aligned quality across our carbon portfolio
- Scale electric cooking deployments, across up to 17 eligible African markets, building on delivery capability already embedded across our broader carbon footprint in Africa.
- Advance Article 6 engagements, in 12 markets, including deeper, in-flight pathways already underway across 5 markets, and building on authorizations already secured.
- Deepen digital monitoring, further operationalizing DKPT and data-driven verification across projects
We step into 2026 with momentum and clarity, committed to delivering measurable climate impact, healthier communities, and protected forests at scale. We believe this same momentum is building across the wider carbon market, and we wish you strong progress and real wins in 2026 as you advance your climate commitments.
