In Kirinyaga County, Kenya, the hum of activity inside DGB Group’s cookstove facility tells a story of craftsmanship, innovation, and impact. Here, teams of trained artisans transform simple, locally sourced materials into life-changing cookstoves—each one built to last, cutting household CO₂ emissions and reducing indoor smoke. Our stoves save hours of firewood collection, limiting deforestation and improving community health.
Close-up of an artisan crafting a cookstove. Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstoves Project, DGB.
The process begins with a careful blend of locally sourced or produced materials, including clay. Each ingredient plays a role: it adds lightness, conducts heat, and hardens the structure. The clay binds it all together. The clay is soaked before mixing, then blended by hand and foot—a technique refined through training and experience.
A lump of clay is pressed firmly into a mould and shaped into the stove using a simple hand-operated turning device. It is then passed to the next artisan, who cuts three notches into the top to support cooking pots. The stoves are then left to dry for a few weeks until their moisture content drops to the desired level. Inside the drying room, rows of stoves are carefully organised by day of the week to ensure consistent curing. Once dry, the stoves are fired in kilns—800 at a time—at 1,200°C for a few hours.
Read more: DGB’s cookstove projects: How they truly make a difference
Artisan in a cookstove factory preparing cookstoves for drying. Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstoves Project, DGB.
Crafting the outer jacket
Parallel to this, steel jackets are fabricated in a dedicated production line. Sheets of steel are cut, shaped, and fitted with handles, serial numbers, and doors for ash removal. The ceramic core and steel jacket are then assembled. Then the sides are filled again, this time with a heat-resistant material that quickly hardens, after which the stoves are prepared for registration.
Artisan crafting the outer jacket of a cookstove. Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstoves Project, DGB.
Delivering impact across Kenya
From the facility, the stoves will be distributed through distribution events and make their way into communities across Kenya. Each finished stove is matched to a recipient in the field, who signs a beneficiary agreement and begins preparing every meal on their new energy-efficient stove.
This shift means cleaner air in their home, less time spent collecting firewood, and reducing deforestation—while ongoing monitoring and kitchen performance tests ensure the reduction in carbon emissions is measured and verified, generating valuable carbon credits.
Aerial view of a local community during cookstove distribution. Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstoves Project, DGB.
Supporting change through carbon units
By purchasing verified carbon units from the Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstove Project, you directly support the production of these stoves. Each unit represents real, measurable carbon reductions, achieved through cleaner cooking technologies that transform daily life for thousands of households. Your investment fuels local job creation, improves public health, and helps protect Kenya’s forests.
Read more: The social impact of DGB Group’s projects
Local woman receiving a cookstove from a DGB team member. Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstoves Project, DGB.
For companies, offsetting unavoidable emissions is a vital step in meeting sustainability commitments and responding to increasing regulatory and stakeholder demands. Carbon units from high-integrity projects like the Hongera Energy Efficient Cookstove Project not only help you reach your sustainability targets—they also demonstrate your commitment to tangible environmental and social impact. Contact one of our sustainability experts to buy carbon units from this project.
