As the voluntary carbon market (VCM) shifts its focus to integrity and quality, a new analysis from carbon procurement platform Abatable finds that clean cookstove projects require enhanced budgets due to increased development costs, so buyers must adjust their price expectations.
Close-up of an African woman cooking a meal using an energy-efficient clean cookstove. AI generated picture.
According to the report, projects using advanced cookstove technologies and robust methodologies need a minimum carbon credit floor price between $15.30 and $38.90 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) to remain economically viable. These figures stand in sharp contrast to current market rates, which often fall significantly below the required break-even threshold. ‘Our model finds a significant disconnect between the median spot price for cookstove projects and the spot price we would expect to see for a high-impact project’, Abatable said in its research note.
The higher costs stem from factors such as advanced monitoring procedures, more conservative accounting methodologies, and the use of newer stove technologies, like metered stoves powered by biomass pellets or LPG. While these projects produce fewer credits due to stricter methodologies, they offer greater environmental and social impact.
Abatable modelled five simplified scenarios for cookstove projects, varying in technology, methodology, and alignment with key integrity frameworks like the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). The models illustrate how older methodologies, particularly Verra’s VMR0006, have led to significant over-crediting. By contrast, newer initiatives like the Clean Cooking Alliance’s ‘CLEAR’ framework yield fewer but more credible credits.
Read more: High-quality carbon credits vs regular carbon credits: what sets them apart?
Although some high-tech cookstove projects have managed to fetch prices near $35/tCO₂e, these deals tend to be limited in scale. The broader market remains anchored to outdated price benchmarks that don’t reflect the realities of delivering verifiable emissions reductions. ‘To drive real climate impact, carbon credit buyers must move beyond outdated price benchmarks and recognise the actual costs of delivering high-integrity avoidance credits’, the report stated.
While Abatable acknowledges that costs will likely decline as technology matures and distribution scales, it stresses the importance of early-stage financial support and a shift in buyer expectations to sustain the transition. ‘Ultimately, buyers should be prepared to pay more for high-integrity credits, and rightly so—they're a better product and prices should reflect real tonnes of CO₂ and additional co-benefits’, it concluded.
Read more: Industry stakeholders call for governmental support to strengthen voluntary carbon markets
As buyers in the voluntary carbon market increasingly prioritise high-integrity solutions, it’s clear that the future lies in quality and impact. With growing scrutiny on methodologies and the true environmental impact of carbon credits, projects that demonstrate transparency, robust monitoring, and measurable benefits are setting the new standard. At DGB Group, we champion this shift—creating nature-based carbon projects, including energy-efficient cookstoves, rooted in scientific credibility and designed for long-term impact. Our verified carbon units allow companies to align with integrity-driven green action. Discover how you can enter this new era of meaningful sustainability.
