Carbon Emission Reduction Through Cooking with Sustainable Bamboo-Based ‘Firewood’

A systems approach is applied to a real-life case involving the production and use of a non-carbonized briquette branded YAZINI, made from renewable bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris). YAZINI is promoted as a green fuel alternative to traditional hardwood firewood and charcoal. Currently, approximately 95% of East Africans rely on unsustainable firewood and charcoal derived from hardwoods—a practice that is rapidly degrading forest cover and contributing to adverse climate change impacts. Conventional wisdom holds that bamboo afforestation in the energy value-chain where the end product is used for cooking is eligible for carbon credits. However, the location-dependent net YAZINI value-chain stages’ contribution to the overall carbon footprint is worthy exploring. This case study shows that when each stage of the YAZINI production value chain is analyzed for carbon sequestration and emissions, a net positive sequestration of approximately 1.3 metric tons of carbon per ton of briquettes used annually can be achieved, the bulk of which is due to bamboo left in the field.