A new ISO International Workshop Agreement IWA 11:2012, Guidelines for evaluating cookstove performance, defines criteria for clean, efficient and safe cookstoves. The agency says, "IWA 11 represents a critical first step toward a common understanding of how to define and verify clean stoves and fuels among all affected countries and stakeholders, and to encourage innovation to find even better cooking solutions."
The agency also reports that the guidelines are expected to reduce the safety and health risks that cookstoves may present, while encouraging the "large-scale adoption of clean cooking solutions."