E+E Leader Team
SHEIN and Lufthansa Cargo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the fashion retailer’s global deliveries. Announced August 19, 2025, the agreement outlines plans to finalize SAF adoption within six months, backed by third-party “Proof of Sustainability” certificates, and to collaborate on emissions traceability and logistics efficiency.
At face value, the deal signals a step toward lowering carbon emissions from one of the world’s most carbon-intensive logistics sectors. But industry experts warn it may be more about optics than transformation—especially given SHEIN’s fast-fashion business model and aviation’s structural sustainability challenges.
Lufthansa Cargo’s SAF Commitments
For Lufthansa Cargo, the agreement builds on years of SAF leadership within the Lufthansa Group:
- SAF at the Core of Strategy – Lufthansa uses SAF derived from biogenic residues like used cooking oil, which reduces lifecycle CO₂ emissions by up to 80% compared to fossil kerosene. Importantly, Lufthansa excludes palm oil–based feedstocks, aligning with EU sustainability standards.
- Investments in Next-Gen Fuels – The Group is advancing Power-to-Liquid and Sun-to-Liquid fuels, which convert renewable electricity, water, and CO₂—or solar heat—into aviation-ready fuels. In July 2025, SWISS became the first Lufthansa carrier to use solar-derived fuel in regular operations.
- Scaling SAF Use – Lufthansa Group consumed around 20,000 tonnes of SAF in 2024, up from 13,000 the year before. While this makes them one of the largest SAF users globally, supply is a constraint: worldwide, SAF accounted for less than 0.3% of jet fuel supply in 2024.
- Passing on Costs – SAF costs three to five times more than fossil fuel. Lufthansa Cargo now includes SAF-related expenses in its airfreight surcharge index, while EU and UK regulations are mandating passenger environmental surcharges of €1 to €72 per ticket.
- Fleet Efficiency and Logistics – Beyond fuel, Lufthansa is modernizing its fleet with 250+ new aircraft that cut fuel burn by up to 30%, applying drag-reducing AeroSHARK film to aircraft surfaces, and expanding intermodal rail-air connections across 40 European destinations.
These efforts align with the Group’s goal to halve net CO₂ emissions by 2030 (vs. 2019) and reach net-zero by 2050.
The Greenwashing Risk
Despite these ambitions, critics argue that SHEIN’s SAF partnership risks functioning more as sustainability marketing than meaningful impact.
- Scarcity of SAF – Even as one of the biggest buyers, Lufthansa can only secure a fraction of fuel needs. SAF is expected to cover less than 2% of global demand in 2025, making it incapable of offsetting the emissions from high-volume air freight at current scales.
- Offset Accounting – “Proof of Sustainability” certificates may validate SAF purchases but effectively act like carbon offsets. They reduce reported emissions but don’t address the broader climate impact of operating one of the most carbon-intensive transport modes.
- Fast Fashion’s Contradictions – SHEIN’s business model relies on ultra-fast production and rapid global shipping. Air freight emits nearly 50 times more CO₂ per ton-kilometer than sea freight. Adopting SAF for a fraction of these flights doesn’t address overproduction, textile waste, or opaque labor practices—the issues that fuel accusations of sustainability theater.
- Shifting Responsibility – By highlighting logistics emissions, SHEIN risks framing sustainability narrowly, while the environmental cost of its disposable fashion model remains largely unaddressed.
Why It Matters
The MoU underscores a growing tension in corporate sustainability: the gap between climate marketing and systemic change. Lufthansa Cargo’s role is credible—it has made tangible SAF investments and fleet upgrades. But for SHEIN, the partnership raises questions about priorities.
If SAF adoption is limited, expensive, and symbolic, it cannot meaningfully offset the emissions created by a business model built on mass overproduction and rapid shipping.
Until companies like SHEIN tackle production waste alongside transportation emissions, they risk reinforcing the very critique they aim to avoid—greenwashing.
