Zaarcoal is tackling two major problems: Firstly, in Ghana, urban areas face major challenges in the disposal of household waste because there is no adequate waste management which results in street dumping or illegal waste disposal. If there is a system in place, people have to pay for the services which most of them cannot afford because they do not earn enough income.

Secondly, many low-income households rely on firewood to prepare meals which is why Ghana has lost a third of its forests to charcoal and firewood. The forest commission estimates over 91% of all trees cut in Ghana is used for either firewood or charcoal. Statistics from the Ghana Energy Commission states that over 75% of Ghanaians rely on Charcoal/Firewood as their primary source of cooking fuel.

The Ghanaian company Zaacoal developed a process to transform coconut waste into charcoal to recycle coconut waste and to offer an alternative biomaterial for charcoal. They pick up the waste from coconut sellers by charging no fee and process it in their own factory. They are targeting the Ghanaian household that uses charcoal for cooking.

With Africa using about 30 million tons of charcoal annually, mostly as primary cooking fuel, Zaacoal provides a sustainable alternative to a climate-conscious world.