Dietl and Rock-it do their bit for the environment
Dietl International and parent company Rock-it Cargo have chosen to offset the environmental impact of their shipment of air cargo to this month’s Art Basel exhibition in Miami, Florida.
Dietl International, which claims to be the largest logistics provider in the US devoted entirely to the special needs and requirements of shipping artwork, moved a total of 167 tonnes of artwork by air to the show.
Including a Boeing 747 Cargolux freighter charter between Luxembourg and Miami, which carried artwork from galleries in Germany, Switzerland, France and the UK, the shipments generated a total of 644 tonnes of carbon dioxide, for which Dietl has purchased carbon offsets in support of the JARI AMAPA REDD project in Brazil.
This programme aims to protect a large area of forest in the Valley of Jari, home to over 2,000 animal species and provide economic opportunities for more than 2,000 families living there.
Dietl International sponsored the entire incoming air freight offset and has challenged its clients and other galleries to participate with contributions of their own as the artwork is shipped back from the show.
“In the art world, this has become a hot topic,” observed Fritz Deitl, president of the New York-headquartered logistics company.
“However, for it to work, we need to be able to offer cost-effective green solutions.
“Galleries have such small profit margins that it has to make sense for them, or they won’t buy-in.”
The president of Rock-it Cargo, Paul Martins, added: “When companies partner with Dietl or any of our other Rock-it companies, they now have the option of investing in third-party certified carbon reduction projects that combat climate change.
“In addition to reducing emissions, these projects help protect forests and the biodiversity within and create opportunities for communities to better their livelihoods and health.”
Carbon credits, often called carbon offsets, are available for businesses looking to offset their emissions by helping to direct capital toward projects that reduce carbon dioxide by capturing/storing existing carbon dioxide or preventing new emissions from being created.
One carbon credit is equal to one metric tonne of carbon.
Complex shipping
As well as the airfreight movements, Dietl International also co-ordinated the movement and US import of a number of ocean containers, as well as organised climate-controlled, high-cube art trailers for US domestic shippers.
It was, it noted, responsible for transporting close to half of the artwork viewed at the event.
“There is no single formula for success in a move so elaborate,” said Jason Losh, director of business development at Dietl International.
“The key to succeeding is handling every single item as an individual shipment; a single chance to engage an extreme measure of specialisation to ensure the pristine arrival of priceless works of art.”
