Temu and Shein endanger worldwide air transport capacity

Every day, Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu send the equivalent of 88 full Boeing 777 freighters to the rest of the world. That has more than doubled freight rates, while the environmental impact is also huge.

9,000 tonnes a day

Pinduoduo, which owns Temu, saw sales rise by as much as 241 % last year, while fashion app Shein managed to triple its profits. Those phenomenal figures are causing demand for air freight to explode, as the e-commerce players choose to bring orders to customers by the fastest route.

This is starting to lead to capacity issues, as both companies send 9,000 tons of cargo into the air every day – the equivalent to 88 fully loaded Boeing 777 freighters, Forbes reports based on survey data from Cargo Facts Consulting. By comparison, Apple is said to transport “only” 1,000 tons of products through the air each day.

Rising fares

Fast-fashion now charters a third of the world’s long-haul cargo aircraft. This is not without consequences: prices for cargo flights from China to Western countries have already doubled since 2019 and grew by another 14 % in April this year. Airlines cannot scale up fast enough: experts say demand will therefore eventually outstrip supply, especially during key bargain periods.

Needless to say, Western consumers’ appetite for low-priced Chinese offerings creates a huge environmental cost. Both e-commerce players are under fire for many reasons, on top of issues of not meeting European standards, counterfeiting and questions about how retailers handle their customers’ personal data.