Beyond the Stars: Luna e Stelle's Journey Toward Sustainable Shipping

"We are stardust, we are golden, and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden." ~ Joni Mitchell

In the vast tapestry of the cosmos, every action creates ripples that extend far beyond our immediate view. As we at Luna e Stelle craft garments that honor both earthly resources and celestial inspiration, we've long wrestled with a profound question: How do we ensure that our pieces, these physical manifestations of our commitment to sustainable luxury, reach you in a way that honors our responsibility to Mother Earth?

The journey of a Luna e Stelle creation – from our atelier to your wardrobe – is more than just a physical passage through space and time. It's a moment where our values meet reality, where our commitment to sustainability faces one of its greatest challenges: the environmental impact of shipping.

The Cosmic Weight of Shipping

When we speak of fashion's environmental impact, we often focus on materials and manufacturing. Yet lurking in the shadows is another significant contributor to our industry's carbon footprint: shipping. Each year, the fashion industry's logistics operations release millions of tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, creating an invisible veil between Earth and stars.

• For a typical small package (around 1 pound) traveling 500 miles:
  • Ground shipping produces 0.59 kg CO2e
  • Air shipping produces 0.98 kg CO2e
• For a large package traveling 2,500 miles (LA to NYC):
  • Ground shipping produces 1.82 kg CO2e
  • Air shipping produces 8.82 kg CO2e

The e-commerce industry was predicted to produce 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by the end of 2023. It's now almost 2025.

This reality weighs heavily on our consciousness. As a brand rooted in the marriage of earthly craftsmanship and celestial inspiration, we understand deeply the responsibility of transformation not just of garments, but of industry practices. The question became not whether to address this challenge, but how to do so in a way that aligns with our commitment to genuine sustainability and innovation.

Luna e Stelle's Celestial Solution

After careful consideration and extensive research, we've chosen to partner with Shopify Planet to offset the carbon emissions from each shipment we send. But this is not merely about purchasing carbon credits – it's about investing in the future of our planet through cutting-edge carbon removal technologies.

To date, Shopify Planet's program has accomplished:

• Total shipments neutralized: 43,878,987
• Carbon emissions removed: 30,614 tonnes

Through this initiative, we support a diverse portfolio of innovative solutions, from direct air capture facilities that pull carbon dioxide straight from the atmosphere to mineralization projects that transform CO₂ into stone. These aren't simple offset projects – they're technological pioneers pushing the boundaries of what's possible in our fight against climate change.

The process is both practical and precise: each shipment's carbon footprint is calculated based on weight, distance, and transportation method. We then invest in carbon removal projects that not only offset these emissions but also help scale up the technologies we'll need for a sustainable future.

Shopify’s Sustainability Fund supports several innovative carbon removal technologies, each employing unique methods to capture and store carbon dioxide.

Innovative Carbon Removal Technologies

1. Direct Air Capture (DAC)

• Climeworks: Utilizes DAC technology to capture CO₂ directly from the air, which is then stored permanently underground. Climeworks operates the world’s largest DAC plant, Orca, which can capture up to 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Carbon Engineering: Develops large-scale DAC facilities capable of capturing one million tonnes of CO₂ per year. This technology pulls in air and extracts CO₂ for permanent storage or conversion into fuels.

2. Ocean-Based Carbon Capture

• Captura: Uses a sea-based electrodialysis machine to extract CO₂ from ocean water, leveraging existing infrastructure like desalination plants to reduce costs.

3. Biomass and Biochar

• Charm Industrial: Converts plant waste into a stable, carbon-rich liquid bio-oil, which is then stored underground. This method provides a long-term storage solution that is protected from environmental risks like wildfires.
• Carbofex: Turns waste wood into biochar, a form of carbon that can be stored for over 100 years, helping to sequester carbon effectively.

4. Mineralization

• 44.01: Harnesses mineralization by injecting CO₂ into peridotite rock formations, where it naturally mineralizes and is stored permanently.
• Heirloom: Accelerates natural mineral processes to capture CO₂ more efficiently without energy-intensive methods.

5. Transportation Solutions

• Remora: Captures CO₂ directly from semi-truck exhausts as they drive, storing it for long-term sequestration. This approach helps decarbonize land transportation.
• Twelve: Converts captured CO₂ into E-Jet®, an aviation fuel with a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional jet fuel.

Why These Technologies Are Considered Innovative

Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness: Many of these technologies aim to reduce the cost of carbon capture significantly, making it feasible for large-scale deployment. For example, Sustaera’s DAC technology targets costs below $100 per tonne of CO₂ at scale, where others cost as much as $1200 or more per tonne of CO₂ because of the costs of the technology used.

Diverse Approaches: By supporting a wide range of technologies—from direct air capture to biochar production—This fund is fostering innovation across multiple fronts, which is crucial given the complexity of climate change.

Integration with Existing Infrastructure: Some solutions, like Captura’s ocean-based system, utilize existing infrastructure such as desalination plants and oil platforms, which can lower implementation costs and increase feasibility.

Permanent Storage Solutions: Many supported technologies focus on permanent carbon storage methods, such as mineralization and underground sequestration, ensuring long-term removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

These innovations represent significant advancements in the field of carbon removal and are crucial for scaling up efforts to combat climate change effectively. Shopify’s support helps these technologies move from pilot stages to commercial viability, accelerating their impact on global carbon reduction efforts.

Beyond Carbon Offsets

Yet our commitment to sustainable shipping extends beyond carbon offsets. Like the intricate patterns we create through our ice-dyeing process, our approach to sustainability is multilayered and thoughtful. We've carefully chosen packing and shipping materials that mirror our garments' sustainable ethos. Each Luna e Stelle piece travels to you in packing designed to minimize environmental impact while maintaining the luxury experience you deserve. From the recycled cardboard boxes, tissue paper, insert cards, and packing slips, to the biodegradable kraft paper and cellulose adhesive packing tapes that use non-toxic glues, we do not compromise.

We also work closely with shipping carriers who share our vision for a more sustainable future. Package shipping companies like UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx are implementing various strategies to reduce their carbon emissions and environmental impact.

UPS

1. Carbon Neutrality by 2050: UPS aims to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2050 across its global operations, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions
2. Alternative Fuels: The company has invested in a fleet of over 15,600 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, including electric and hybrid models. By 2025, they aim for 40% of their ground operations to use alternative fuels
3. Renewable Energy: UPS plans to power 25% of its facilities with renewable energy by 2025, with a goal of reaching 100% by 2035
4. Sustainable Aviation Fuel: They are working towards incorporating 30% sustainable aviation fuel into their air network by 2035

USPS

1. Emission Reduction Targets: USPS has set goals to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% and Scope 3 emissions by 20% by 2030
2. Electric Vehicle Fleet: Starting in early 2024, USPS will introduce at least 66,000 battery electric-powered delivery vehicles as part of its fleet modernization efforts
3. Route Optimization: USPS is optimizing delivery routes and moving freight from air to ground transportation to reduce emissions
4. Circular Economy Goals: They aim to divert 75% of waste from landfills and increase the recycled content of packaging to enhance sustainability

DHL

1. Net-Zero Emissions by 2050: DHL is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with interim targets set for significant reductions by 2030
2. Electrification of Fleet: Over 66% of DHL's last-mile delivery vehicles are targeted to be electrified by 2030
3. Sustainable Fuels: DHL plans to increase the share of sustainable aviation fuels to over 30% as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
4. Climate-Neutral Buildings: New DHL buildings are designed to be climate-neutral, focusing on reducing operational carbon emissions through renewable energy use

FedEx

1. Carbon Neutrality by 2040: FedEx aims for carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040, which is ambitious given the scale of their operations
2. Electrification of Fleet: The company plans to electrify its entire FedEx Express pick-up and delivery fleet as part of its sustainability strategy
3. Investment in Carbon Capture: FedEx has committed $100 million to establish the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, focusing on developing scalable natural carbon sequestration solutions
4. Sustainable Energy Initiatives: FedEx is investing in sustainable energy solutions across its facilities and logistics operations

From USPS's emission reduction targets, and UPS's investment in alternative fuel vehicles to DHL's GoGreen initiatives, we seek partners whose actions align with our values. This holistic approach ensures that every aspect of your Luna e Stelle experience reflects our commitment to environmental stewardship.

The True Value of Sustainable Shipping

In the realm of sustainable luxury, true value often extends beyond traditional metrics. Yes, offsetting our shipping emissions through innovative carbon removal technologies, and choosing more expensive packing and shipping materials comes at a financial cost. But we view this not as an expense, but as an investment in our collective future.

Just as we carefully select vintage materials and antique textiles for our creations, we've chosen to invest in carbon removal projects that represent the future of environmental protection. These projects, from direct air capture to oceanic carbon removal, are not just offsetting emissions – they're pioneering the technologies we'll need to heal our planet.

Looking to the Horizon

As we gaze toward the future, like astronomers searching distant galaxies, we see both challenges and opportunities. The landscape of sustainable shipping is evolving rapidly, with new technologies and solutions emerging like stars in the night sky. Our commitment is to remain at the forefront of these developments, continuously improving our practices and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

We dream of a future where every Luna e Stelle piece travels to its new home on winds of change, where the journey of each garment leaves no trace on our precious planet. This isn't just about offsetting emissions – it's about reimagining the very way fashion moves around our world.

A Call to Action

As we navigate this journey toward truly sustainable shipping, we invite you to join us. Each time you choose Luna e Stelle, you're not just selecting a piece of sustainable luxury fashion – you're supporting innovative technologies that could transform our planet's future. Every order contributes to scaling up carbon removal solutions that may one day help restore our Earth's delicate balance.

Like the stars that guide sailors across vast oceans, let our collective commitment to sustainability guide us toward a brighter future. Together, we can ensure that the journey of fashion across our planet becomes as sustainable as the garments themselves.

We are all stardust, indeed. And in choosing conscious, sustainable shipping, we take one small step closer to preserving the beauty of our cosmic home.

With every thread sewn,
Blue
Founder & Designer

 

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Luna e Stelle is committed to transparent sustainability practices. To learn more about our shipping initiatives or the specific carbon removal technologies we support, please visit our Climate Commitment page or reach out to our team directly.