Temu and Shein threaten the capacity of global air transport

Every day Chinese e-commerce platforms She in AND Ago send the equivalent of 88 full Boeing 777 freighters to the rest of the world. This has caused freight rates to more than double, and the environmental impact is also huge.

9,000 tons per day

Pinduoduo, which owns Temu, saw sales increase by as much as 241% last year, and fashion app Shein tripled its profits. These phenomenal numbers are causing an explosion in demand for air freight as e-commerce players choose to deliver orders to customers via the fastest route.

This is starting to lead to capacity problems as the two companies send 9,000 tons of cargo into the air every day – the equivalent of 88 fully loaded Boeing 777s – Forbes reports, based on survey data from Cargo Facts Consulting. For comparison, Apple transports “only” 1,000 tons of products per day.

Rising fees

Fast-fash currently charters one third of the world’s long-haul cargo aircraft. This is not without consequences: the prices of cargo flights from China to Western countries have already doubled since 2019, and in April this year. increased by another 14 percent Airlines can’t expand their operations fast enough: experts say demand will eventually outstrip supply, especially during key sales periods.

Needless to say, Western consumers’ appetite for cheap Chinese products is creating huge costs for the environment. Both e-commerce players are under fire for a number of reasons, including failing to meet European standards, counterfeiting and questions over how retailers handle their customers’ personal data.