Improved Cookstoves for Social Impact in Ugandan Communities

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard cookstove project in Uganda has a fundamentally sound design with VVB-verified additionality and no reversal events, but is severely undermined by an extraordinary volume of material findings (over 60) and corrective actions (over 40) that point to persistent data-quality and reporting weaknesses. The project-specific baseline, absence of a stated buffer pool, a 13% gap between assumed and verified usage rates, and unresolved contradictions in ERR figures and leakage treatment collectively limit confidence in the integrity and safety of the claimed credits.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Over 60 material findings and 40+ corrective actions reported in the 2025 verification report, indicating systemic data-quality and reporting deficiencies
• ⚠Usage rate assumed at 0.90 but verified at only 0.7793, a 13% gap that inflates ex-ante claims relative to observed performance
• ⚠Contradiction in total ERR claimed: 994,730 tCO2e in the verification report versus 769,152 tCO2e in the monitoring report for the same period
• ⚠Leakage justification shifted from 'deemed negligible' (Jan 2025) to 'quantified' (Dec 2025) within the same verification cycle, with a 0% deduction in both cases

Credit Vintages