The Carbon Impact of Sea Freight at Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong 2025 In December 2025, the second edition of Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong transformed the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) into a hub for design and lifestyle. As the official shipper, we took on the challenge of making international transport much greener. By pivoting from traditional air freight to, unconventional, sea freight for shipments arriving from Paris, we demonstrated that the future of logistics is as much about minimising the fair carbon footprint as it is about efficiency.
The Impact in Numbers: Air vs. Sea Freight The transition to sea freight represents a significant story telling for Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong's carbon narrative. The environmental cost of transport is the most substantial factor in a fair’s total carbon footprint. Using Eythos' own tools, both Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong and Eythos could track the carbon footprint of every piece of furniture from the initial pickup all the way through to its return. While air freight offers speed, its climate impact is approximately 60 times greater than that of moving the same volume by sea. For Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong, this choice resulted in a reduction of carbon emissions by nearly 98% per shipment , proving that slow logistics is the most effective tool for meeting global sustainability goals.
The data below shows the huge difference in environmental impact on 35 tons of furniture and booth materials handled by Eythos. This covers the total volume for four pavilions, over 600 cbm, including all return shipments.
Metric
Air Freight
Sea Freight
Saving
Carbon Emissions (tCO_2e)
~415.0
~7.5
-98.20%
Passenger Car Equivalence (km)
2,440,000
44,000
2,396,000
Circularity on the Ground: Crate Management and Reuse Our commitment to sustainability extended beyond sea-freight logistics and pavilion installations. As one of the official installers, Eythos implemented a 'circular Crate Management (CCM)' system designed to eliminate the waste typically associated with single use materials. Rather than treating wooden crates as single-use packaging, we managed their storage, and reused them for return shipments or delivering furniture to new clients available on sale after the fair.
By storing the original wooden crates for the duration of the event, we ensured that every piece of custom-built protection was available for the return shipment. This approach significantly reduces the demand for new raw materials and minimizes carbon footprint related to waste management, keeping high-quality materials out of landfills.
Moving large volumes by sea requires more advanced planning, by managing these timelines closely, Eythos and Maison et Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong proved that a lower carbon footprint doesn’t have to come at the expense of the schedule. This serves as a blueprint for Eythos, demonstrating the impact of aligning logistics with our Net-Zero target within the coming years.
