Dietl International, one of the largest fine arts logistics houses and a Rock-it Cargo company, has taken a leading position in the art logistics community by offsetting the environmental impact of transporting air cargo to this month’s Art Basel exhibition in Miami, Florida.

The artworks get loaded on to the Cargolux Boeing freighter used to fly the valuable shipment
The artworks get loaded on to the Cargolux Boeing freighter used to fly the valuable shipment

Dietl International shipped a total of 167 metric tonnes (368,172 pounds) of artworks by air to the show, including a Cargolux charter between Luxembourg and Miami, which carried artwork from galleries in Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom.
The move generated 644 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, for which Dietl has purchased carbon offsets in support of the JARI AMAPA REDD project in Brazil, which aims to protect a large area of forest in the Valley of Jari, home to over 2000 animal species and provide economic opportunities for over 2000 families living there.
Dietl International has 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,” said Fritz Deitl, President of New York-headquartered Dietl International.
“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.”
“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,” said Rock-it Cargo President Paul J. Martins.
“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”.
Dietl International also coordinated the movement and importation of a number of ocean containers and organized climate-controlled, high-cube art trailers for US domestic shippers and was 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,” shares 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 specialization to ensure the pristine arrival of priceless works of art.”
Art Basel takes place annually in Miami Beach, Florida; Basel, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.
This year’s four day Miami event included contemporary media featuring art from over 250 participating galleries in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.
Dietl International withheld announcing its carbon offset purchase until the details had been finalized with the company’s partner, Sustainable Travel International.
Carbon credits, often called carbon offsets, are available for businesses to offset their emissions by helping to direct capital toward projects that reduce carbon dioxide by capturing/storing existing CO2 or preventing new emissions from happening.
Projects may also provide benefits that go beyond carbon reduction, such as protecting forests and the biodiversity within, or creating opportunities for communities to better their livelihoods and health.
One carbon credit is equal to one metric tonne of carbon.