As part of COBIS’ commitment to sustainability, we are pleased to share the details of our recent carbon emission offsetting initiative. As a global organisation, we are committed to climate action worldwide and we are proud of our long standing partnership with Planet Mark who have helped COBIS to benchmark our own emissions. While we recognise that offsetting is just one piece of the puzzle, and we will continue to consider our journey towards net zero, we have recently invested in a carbon offsetting initiative via Planet Mark approved partners, Gold Standard.
We have invested in Simoshi, a social enterprise dedicated to improving the livelihoods of low-income individuals, especially women and children. Through the installation of institutional improved cookstoves (IICS) this project brings cleaner, healthier, and environmentally friendly cooking technology to schools in Uganda, saving money, forests, emissions and improving health.
About 90% of the total primary energy consumption in Uganda is generated through biomass: firewood (78.6%), charcoal (5.6%) and crop residues (4.7%). Every year 19,700 people die as a consequence of using 3-stone fires for their daily cooking activities. Not only does this result in indoor and outdoor air pollution, but also contributes to regional deforestation and forest degradation - from 1990 and until 2010 more than 39% of the existing forest disappeared, making fuel scarce in rural areas and increasing the price of charcoal and firewood. This project helps alleviate all these issues through institutional improved cookstoves that enable cleaner, safer, and more efficient cooking. You can find out more about how the emission reductions brought about by the IICS are monitored and assessed by Simoshi here.
Our contribution will positively impact the school finances, reduce air pollution and health related problems for children and cooks, decrease the deforestation impact, reduce CO2 emissions, while also empowering women and children in Uganda. Simoshi is proud of its strong relationships with the local schools built on 7 years of trust and ongoing support in the form of staff training and free annual IICS maintenance.
You can read more about COBIS’ commitment to sustainability here.