In 1990, Peter Scott was traveling through Zaire when he witnessed the deforestation caused by charcoal production for household cooking. At that moment, he committed his life to save forests in Sub-Saharan Africa through the design and manufacture of fuel-efficient cookstoves.
In 2010, after spending 13 years as a cookstove consultant in Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa, Peter launched Burn Design Lab and BURN Manufacturing Co. on Vashon Island, Washington. On a shoestring budget, BURN assembled a team of world-class designers and engineers who were also committed to designing the world’s most fuel-efficient cookstoves.
In 2014, BURN launched its first full manufacturing facility in Kenya - the first and only one of its kind. BURN is now the only vertically integrated modern cookstove company in Sub-Saharan Africa. The solar-powered facility currently has capacity of 250,000 per month and employs over 1,000 people, 50% of whom are women.
When BURN started there was little faith in the cookstove sector to deliver tangible results. Over the last 10 years, BURN has built a successful business while proving that cookstoves can deliver transformative social, financial, and environmental impacts. A recent study done by UC Berkeley shows that a $40 household investment to purchase a Jikokoa generates a staggering $1000 return for society.
Over the next three years, BURN aims to expand to Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, DRC, Nigeria, and Ghana, launch five new products and increase production capacity in Kenya from 250,000 to 1m per month.
Learn more about BURN's impact here.
