15 Years of Partnership, 15 Years of Sustainable Impact Across Africa
- FC-Newsteam
- Jun 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 1
First Climate and Impact Carbon celebrate the anniversary of their transformative collaboration
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the start of the collaboration between First Climate and carbon project developer, Impact Carbon. Since 2010, the two companies have been cooperating closely to promote climate action through carbon financing and sustainable development in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria – starting with a project for the distribution of energy-efficient cook stoves followed by a project for a safe and emission-free water supply for schools.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon emissions have already been avoided as part of the project cooperation between Impact Carbon and its sister company Impact Water and First Climate, while at the same time improving the economic and health outcomes of millions of for innumerable families and students. This was made possible by the support of committed companies worldwide, which have supported the project work on the ground over the past 15 years and actively promoted it by purchasing carbon certificates from the two Gold Standard-verified projects.
15 Years of Partnership and Impact
The “15 years” milestone is actually more than just a statistic; above all, it stands for measurable impact and sustainable change through collaboration. It all began in 2010 with a partnership focused on then fledgling Improved Cookstoves project in Uganda, which was the first project of its kind to be certified in accordance with the demanding Gold Standard requirements.
The Uganda ICS project promotes the spread of energy-efficient cooking stoves in the Kampala region and not only ensures lower fuel consumption and drastically reduced costs for firewood, but also makes an important contribution to reducing indoor air pollution in regional households.
As a partner of the project, First Climate has been exclusively responsible for the marketing of carbon certificates generated by the project since 2010, thus enabling the further development and scaling up of activities. Today, the Uganda Cookstove project is the largest project of its kind in the whole of East Africa. What started as a grassroots mission to generate climate solutions and create positive environmental and social impact in some of the most climate vulnerable and poverty-heavy regions, has developed into some of the most remarkable and impactful carbon emission reduction initiatives in the region.
Photo credit: © First Climate; © Impact Carbon/Impact Water
Working in tandem for a livable future
However, First Climate is not only the exclusive partner of the cooking stove project developer Impact Carbon, but also of its sister company Impact Water. Its Safe Water Program is committed to the safe supply of drinking water to schools in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria and provides solutions that make the inefficient and emission-intensive boiling of water obsolete.
The results of the project activities and the joint collaboration have been impressive to date: in recent years, the impact projects have saved around 1,600,000 tons of charcoal, supplied 24 million schoolchildren with clean water and enabled thousands of families to save a total of around $100,000,000 by avoiding fuel wood through the adaptative power of clean cooking and safe drinking water solutions.
“15 years of collaboration with Impact Carbon and Impact Water not only represents avoided carbon emissions, but also many millions of people whose lives have improved as a result of our activities: From clean water in classrooms and schoolyards to easy and safe cooking at home, our projects have brought measurable change to rural communities in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda," says Heike Natzet, Head of Portfolio Management and Responsible Partnership Coordinator at First Climate. “We are delighted that we have been able to be a part of these important projects for 15 years now."
The resulting joint impact has not transpired in isolation. Central to the success of these community initiatives has been a network of committed teams working in close collaboration. The partnership with First Climate is distinguished not only by its strategic value but also by the on-the-ground cooperation between teams. The shared ambition for positive change and measurable impact is also at the heart of Impact Carbon CEO, Evan Haigler's, collaboration with First Climate.
“Our long-standing partnership with First Climate has been absolutely instrumental in scaling up the impact of our clean cookstove project in Uganda, as well as our safe water program for schools in Africa. Thanks to the continued support of First Climate and companies around the world, we have been able to implement our vision of improving the lives of millions of families and schoolchildren in Africa, while delivering significant, measurable climate impact. It has been a privilege to work with First Climate, and we very much look forward to continuing our collaboration to increase climate ambition and foster sustainable development further.”
Looking back, looking forward
In this anniversary year of collaboration, First Climate and its climate action partners will share their successes and milestones under the banner "15 Years of Partnership, 15 Years of Impact". In the coming months, more information will be shared via First Climate's social media channels and corporate newsletter.
About Impact Carbon
Impact Carbon's work reduces poverty and improves local environments while slowing climate change. We build and support projects that help people access energy efficient cook stoves. We leverage carbon finance and social finance to bring these projects to scale. Since 2006, Impact Carbon has built programs that have supported the distribution of over 1,000,000 improved stoves in Uganda, China, and Nigeria benefiting more than 5 million people.
About Impact Water
Impact Water is led by a dedicated global team, based in the U.S., and multinational teams in its three 3 country offices in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria. The multi-discplinary team includes entrepreneurs, development practitioners, social scientists, marketeers, and project managers by training, who are deeply committed to what they do. Before Impact Water launched their project, boiling was often the only tool schools had to make drinking water safe for their students. Schools struggled with the cost of firewood as well as the hours lost to the chore of boiling water. With more than 60,000 water purification systems installed in schools in Africa, Impact Water now aims to make universal coverage of safe drinking water systems a reality in all schools, everywhere.
