Sustainable shift for Shein: Can a partnership with Lufthansa Cargo make fast fashion fly greener?
August 21, 2025
China-based global online fashion and lifestyle retailer Shein has agreed to collaborate with German carrier Lufthansa Cargo to explore initiatives that will promote more sustainable air transportation.
Shein turns to sustainable aviation fuel for air freight
Shein signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lufthansa Cargo on 1`9 August, which confirms the intention to finalise the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) within the next six months.
Ethan Shen, Shein’s General Manager of Global Fulfilment, explained that thanks to Lufthansa’s “extensive experience” in driving the adoption of SAF, the cargo carrier will provide the fashion giant with “opportunities to adopt lower-carbon air cargo options.”
The partnership will enable both companies to “pilot and gradually expand the use of SAF where feasible, while continuing to explore additional ways to reduce the carbon footprint across our delivery network,” added Shen.
“While the use of SAF is one step towards reducing our transportation and distribution emissions, we recognise it as part of a broader decarbonisation strategy that should also include optimising logistics, fleet efficiency, and exploring other low-carbon solutions.”
Shein’s fast freight challenge
Shein is largely acknowledged as one off the largest emitters of carbon emissions in fast fashion. To ensure speed to market, rapid restocks and quick inventory turnover, air transport is used heavily to maintain weekly or daily product drops. Transport emissions in fast fashion often rival production emissions.
In 2024, the company’s carbon emissions from transporting products climbed 13.7%, according to the fashion retailer’s sustainability report. Transport (mostly by air) made up over 50% of Shein’s total 8.52 million tonnes of CO2e out of 16.7 million tonnes.
Although the company has increased its use of sea freight and trucking, it still relies heavily on air freight to send cheap products directly from suppliers in China to shoppers around the world.
Shein’s transport emissions for 2024 were more than three times those of Inditex (which owns the popular Spanish fashion brand Zara).
Can Shein’s collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo really reduce its carbon footprint?
The collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo aligns with Shein’s strategy to address its carbon footprint from transportation. Lufthansa Cargo will provide “Proof of Sustainability” certificates for the quantities of SAF used.
The two companies will also explore fleet efficiency measures and process quality to further reduce the carbon footprint across the delivery network.
Highlighting that the signing of the MoU also signals Lufthansa Cargo’s commitment to implementing high-performance logistics solutions responsibly, Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, said:
“It demonstrates the importance of concrete measures and reliable implementation in the international air freight business. Together with all stakeholders within the supply chain, we are driving the development of more sustainable global supply chains in line with our purpose.”
Shein’s partnership with Lufthansa Cargo is certainly a step in the right direction, but a wider shift from sea to air could have a much greater impact in reducing logistics emissions, as could supply chain localisation and improved demand forecasting to reduce emergency air shipments and help reduce unsold stock.
