VPA 6 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard improved cookstove project in Bangladesh with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified (albeit small) leakage deduction, but undermined by an unusually large volume of material findings and corrective actions that point to weak MRV execution. The project-specific baseline, absence of a stated buffer or permanence framework, and several unresolved data inconsistencies between the monitoring and verification reports limit confidence in the claimed emission reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠30+ material findings and 28+ corrective actions in the 2023 verification report, including inconsistent emission-reduction values, DFb parameter mismatches, and missing sample calculations, indicating a fragile MRV chain
• ⚠Leakage deduction discrepancy: the 2023 verification report states 0.95 % while the 2023 monitoring report states 5 %, a five-fold difference that was not explicitly reconciled
• ⚠Internal inconsistency in the 2023 monitoring report: claimed ER of 262,185 tCO₂e alongside a lower figure of 157,839 tCO₂e in the same document
• ⚠Stove lifetime crediting beyond the 5-year design life was challenged and accepted only on the basis of a manufacturer's 7-year certificate, with no independent durability testing documented
• ⚠No ex-ante lifetime emission-reduction estimate is available in the extracted record, preventing a pro-rata over/under-delivery check

Credit Vintages