Targeting household air pollution, Tramontana Asset Management – the winner of 'Impact project/investment of the year' for the air quality category –has provided cleaner cooking stoves to 125,000 families across southern India, 66,000 of which were distributed in the last year.

Under the Tramontana ICS-01 project, the asset manager provides Tramontana cooking stoves free of charge to socio-economically disadvantaged indigenous communities. The stoves minimise air pollution, compared with traditional cooking stoves, and generate minimal smoke.

The project's aim is to provide cooking stoves for 400,000 families in total, which have a life expectancy of seven years. They use the same fuel as traditional methods, firewood, but with a higher thermal efficiency of 36% in its ceramic combustion chamber, compared with traditional stoves that typically operate with approximately 8% to 10% thermal efficiency, resulting in it generating significantly more heat but with negligible smoke.

Prior to the implementation of this project, Tramontana reports, 93% of respondents in the region surveyed stated that there was significant localised smoke produced by their traditional stoves, causing severe health problems including retinal and respiratory issues.

Tramontana also found that 48.7% of survey respondents had no provisions for smoke removal, 33.2% had some small opening in the walls or ceiling, 18% had a window and only 0.1% indicated they had a chimney.

"Our bespoke Tramontana stove delivers measurable, long-lasting improvements in domestic air quality. Its efficient design not only reduces harmful emissions but also saves precious time. This empowers families, enabling children to attend school and parents to pursue additional income generating opportunities," said Ram Loganathan, head of climate projects at Tramontana. "By harnessing the power of environmental markets, we can create a healthier, more prosperous future for millions of people."

Surveys done after providing a cleaner cooking stove found 100% of respondents had decreased smoke pollution in their houses and were experiencing general health improvements.

So far, from the 125,000 cooking stoves provided, Tramontana estimates 440,000 people are directly benefitting from the improved air quality it has created, including 150,000 children.

The project has been independently verified by the approved auditor Earthood, and certified by carbon registry Verra.