Clean water and CO₂ reduction: How Element15 uses carbon credits to provide safe drinking water

In Ghana, many families still lack reliable access to safe drinking water. In order to make contaminated water drinkable, it is often boiled on top of open fires – a practice that harms health, contributes to deforestation and releases greenhouse gases. With support from Partners for Water, Dutch organisation Element15 has introduced an alternative: BAR filtration systems that provides clean water straight from the source, while reducing CO₂ emissions through an innovative carbon financing model.

An innovative solution financed by carbon credits

Element15’s BAR filtration systems allow families to drink water safely and directly from the source – without the need to boil it on burning wood. This benefits both the villages where the systems are installed and the global climate.

What sets this project apart is its financing model. Because boiling water is no longer required, significant greenhouse gas emissions are avoided. These emission reductions are converted into certified carbon credits – units that companies can purchase to offset their own emissions. Element15 sells these credits and uses the income to keep the systems running, carry out maintenance and expand to new communities.

Tracing carbon credits

Each filtration system is equipped with a digital IoT water meter that records precisely how much carbon is saved. On the online platform, anyone can trace where a credit originates from, the specific village, the filtration unit and which meter. All credits are independently verified and meet international standards such as the Gold Standard, a globally recognised certification for carbon credits from projects that meet certain environmental and social standards.

Impact for people and planet

The outcomes are significant. Families gain access to safe drinking water without the health risks of wood fires. Women and children spend less time collecting firewood, freeing up hours for education or income-generating activities. Deforestation is reduced, CO₂ emissions are cut and local employment is created through training for system installation and maintenance.