VPA 83 - 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 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by the absence of a buffer pool, no stated permanence mechanism, FPIC not conducted per the most recent verification report, and a project-specific baseline. Multiple contradictions across documents on key parameters (FNRB method, usage rate, grievance mechanism, safeguards) and 18+ corrective actions signal documentation quality issues that reduce confidence in the overall record.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠FPIC not conducted per the 2024 verification report, contradicting the 2023 validation report which stated it was conducted — a serious safeguards gap for a project targeting household users in Bangladesh
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage or permanence mechanism stated in any available document, leaving reversal risk (stove replacement or abandonment) unaddressed
• ⚠18+ corrective actions required across verification and validation, including unresolved questions on stakeholder consultation compliance, credit ownership transfer evidence, and double-counting prevention via serial numbers
• ⚠FNRB method contradicted between the validation report (local field measurement) and the verification report (national default), with no explanation for the change
• ⚠Usage rate assumption changed from 100% in the 2020 PDD to 0.9 in the 2024 monitoring report without documented justification for the revision

Credit Vintages