Carbon finance bankrolls water programme in Kenya

A pioneering sustainable water programme which aims to tackle global water, climate and health challenges has successful used carbon finance to fund a water treatment project in western Kenya.


The LifeStraw Carbon for Water programme, which was launched last year by water disease control technology company Vestergaard Frandsen (VF), is thought to be the world’s largest water treatment project in a developing country.

It is anticipated that proceeds from the sale of carbon credits will be used to help sustain the programme as part of the ten-year programme.

As part of the project, drinking water was treated using zero-carbon purification filters, with 877,505 filters distributed. As a result, VF said that more than 90% of Kenya’s western province now has access to safe drinking water at no additional cost to local communities or the Government.

Furthermore, VF, which has since gained gold standard accreditation, said the initiative demonstrates how carbon finance, rather than public or government funding, can be used to finance projects to treat some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities water.

VF ceo Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, said: “With millions of people in developing countries still lacking safe drinking water, and increased pressure on development aid to do more with less, innovating new ways to finance solutions to these problems is absolutely critical.

“I believe that our LifeStraw Carbon For Water programme blazes a trail for a wide range of projects that bring the public and private sectors together using carbon financing to address multiple public health and environmental issues.”

Carys Matthews

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