BURN in partnership with AIM Carbon has launched operations in Malawi with the opening of its first local production facility in the country.
The facility was officially opened by Hon. Dr. Owen Chomanika, Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change. It spans 2,000 square meters of production and warehouse space and will produce up to 50,000 biomass stoves per month once fully operational.
To begin with the rollout is the ECOA Char, a charcoal stove. In the initial phase, 5% of units will be fitted with digital monitoring to ensure data-backed usage, carbon credit accountability, and performance verification.
Hon. Dr. Owen Chomanika, Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, said: “We are truly honored to have been invited to this important occasion and proud to be part of this success story. We are here because we believe in BURN’s vision and what it seeks to achieve for the people of Malawi. Our women face challenges, walking long distances to collect firewood, exposing themselves to safety risks, and losing valuable time that could be spent on education, income-generating activities, or caring for their families. That is powerful. BURN’s life-saving stoves are not just improving health and household savings; they are protecting our forests, safeguarding our water bodies, and restoring our environment. I want to challenge BURN to produce 1.2 million stoves per year, to reach every household in Malawi within the next five years.
“In 2024, the Government of Malawi issued BURN a Letter of Authorization to bring our clean cooking appliances to families who need them most,” said Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of BURN. “Thanks to that support, we’re proud to launch this facility with an initial investment of USD $1 million. Our goal is to establish Malawi as a strategic manufacturing hub serving Central and Southern Africa—including Mozambique and Zambia.”
The facility has already created 520 jobs across the value chain with 99% of employees hired locally. Roughly 50% of all roles are held by women. The company aims to expand its workforce to 1,000 Malawians over the next five years. By 2030, BURN aims to distribute 2 million clean cookstoves across Malawi.
The program is projected to generate more than USD $60 million in carbon credit subsidies and deliver USD $400 million in household fuel savings, making clean cooking affordable for even the most vulnerable households.
The Malawi program is part of a wider initiative to deploy 1.2 million clean cooking appliances across four African countries i.e. Malawi, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria. These efforts are financed through high-integrity carbon credits, reducing the retail price of stoves by 60–90%. In Malawi, this means households can access a $40 life-saving stove for as little as $5.
All appliances distributed through this initiative will generate carbon credits under Gold Standard’s TPDDTEC methodology.