Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

ADES was founded in 2001 in response to the rapid deforestation in Madagascar, with the goal to reduce the demand for wood as a cooking fuel. ADES‚ primary goal is to manufacturer and sell solar stoves and fuel-efficient stoves for every household, business, and school in Madagascar. 

The environment benefits from stoves that reduce solid fuel consumption, decrease CO2 emissions, and mitigate the negative effects of global warming. 

Green jobs with ADES offer a path out of poverty and affect generational change for employees and their families. In addition, customers receive financial savings when they spend less for fuel with an ADES stove. In a country that is one of the poorest on earth, ADES is making a change for the environment and the Malagasy people.

By the end of 2022, ADES will have sold 460,000 solar and fuel-efficient stoves, reducing CO2 emissions in Madagascar by 3.5 million tonnes.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

ADES stoves reduce GHG emissions by reducing the demand for solid fuels during cooking.

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

ADES created a unique sales and distribution solution to empower people in the communities where they live to make money selling ADES stoves. ADES trains people to become independent resellers of ADES stoves and raise awareness of environmental issues in their community. Seventy percent of the resellers are women who now have an opportunity to make money for food, health, or medical expenses. Resellers purchase stoves from ADES at a reduced rate and sell them at the retail price.

In rural households, girls spend almost 500 hours per year collecting wood. ADES‚ efficient stoves empower them to allocate time saved for other necessities, such as school. 

A reduction of smoke particles also provides a health benefit for women and children, when they cook indoors. The World Health Organization has stated that approximately 18,000 women die prematurely each year in Madagascar due to exposure to smoke particles from a traditional cook stove.

Reforestation now receives 10% of ADES‚ budget, having planted over 550,000 trees throughout Madagascar. ADES educates and funds projects with local community groups and NGOs to help them restore their land. This partnership allows Malagasy people to take the lead with the restoration of their forests.

In addition to native trees, ADES also plants trees that provide health, nutrition, or economic benefits for people. Fast growing trees provide wood for cooking and protect the natural forests, providing an alternative fuel source. Cash crops are also planted to provide food and nutrition, combining poverty reduction with environmental conservation.

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Mission Statement:

ADES manufactures solar stoves and fuel-efficient stoves in Madagascar to reduce the demand for wood as a cooking fuel by at least 50%, protecting the climate, biodiversity, health, and contributing to the fight against poverty. ADES now produces nine different models of stoves for use in residential homes or commercial kitchens. 

ADES‚ three-pillar approach - stoves, environmental education, and reforestation - provides low-cost and effective solutions to preserve Madagascar‚ diminishing forests and to mitigate the many interrelated social and environmental issues in Madagascar. ADES works to put fuel-efficient stoves in the hands of people who are most affected by, and directly benefit from, the fuel savings. 

ADES is based in Switzerland with four employees. Manufacturing and distribution of the stoves are done in Madagascar, with over 200 employees and 230 resellers/distributors (70% are women) throughout the country. Another 200 jobs are created with the vendors with whom we work.

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