Vending Sense Environment and Social Impact

We’re proud to have;

• Planted over 2,700 trees in the UK and around the World
• Help prevent 3tonnes of  CO2 emissions from being emitted in Uganda
• Fund 8.94sqm of habitat restoration across the UK

Watch the video for an update on one of the recent projects we have supported through our partnerships that has provided fuel-efficient cookstoves in Uganda:

According to World Bank estimates, approximately 42% of Uganda’s population survives on less than $2.15 per day. In many rural communities, households- particularly women- spend significant amounts of time gathering firewood and preparing meals over traditional open-fire stoves that produce harmful smoke. Access to clean cooking solutions remains critically low across sub-Saharan Africa, where only around 17% of people have access to cleaner cooking technologies. These challenges extend beyond environmental concerns, affecting health, livelihoods, gender equality, and economic opportunity.

Household air pollution caused by traditional cooking methods contributes to nearly 490,000 premature deaths each year, with women and children facing the greatest health risks. Clean cookstoves therefore offer benefits that go far beyond emissions reductions—they can improve quality of life, health outcomes, and household resilience.

This project aims to expand access to cleaner cooking technologies in Uganda by reducing reliance on non-renewable wood fuel and charcoal. By promoting more efficient cooking solutions, the initiative helps lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while delivering meaningful social and economic benefits to local communities.

UpEnergy

Based in Uganda, UpEnergy is working to address both energy poverty and climate change by making affordable, life-enhancing technologies available to low-income households across Africa.

The organisation manages every stage of the project lifecycle, including stove design and engineering, ongoing research and development, monitoring and verification processes, data management, carbon finance, and compliance with carbon market standards.

Manufacturing is carried out entirely in-house, from sourcing raw materials and producing the clay and metal components to painting, assembly, and quality control. Distribution networks and sales operations are also locally managed, creating a highly integrated and self-reliant model. During our site visit, we had the opportunity to observe these operations firsthand and gain insight into how each part of the organisation works together to deliver impact at scale.