One in particular is now gaining traction. The Northern Sea Route (NSR), an Arctic corridor, is emerging as a shorter and therefore cheaper alternative for shipping goods from Asia to Europe. It cuts the journey between the two regions by up to half.

But there is a catch: it runs along Russia's coastline. Using it might mean relying on Russia and financially supporting the invasion of Ukraine, since Moscow requires levy fees for NSR transit.

Apart from the geopolitical considerations, there is the environmental cost too: the main reason why the NSR is now a viable alternative to global warming, as highlighted by several scientific reports.

In late May, Reuters reported that this year, ships could use the route around a month earlier than in 2025, which means that the Arctic ice melted unusually early.

“The [Arctic] route can be an economic alternative, especially in the light of the long trip around Africa that may be necessary if the Suez Canal also becomes under threat,” Barry Prentice, director of the University of Manitoba Transport Institute in Canada, told TEC.

However, he understands why many democratic countries may have reservations about using this passage. After all, using it would mean paying Russia substantial fees for passage, and therefore financing the country's war in Ukraine.

A recent study found that the sanctions imposed on Russia are among many shipping companies' main concerns about the NSR. Still, not everyone is deterred. South Korea plans to launch a regular Arctic shipping route to Europe by 2030.

Naima Saeed, professor in supply chain management at the University of Agder in Norway, told TEC that insuring ships in the Arctic has always been “difficult due to remoteness, inadequate infrastructure, long distances, and limited communication”, but the EU's latest sanction package further complicated insurance procurement.

These sanctions prohibit assistance to icebreakers and natural gas tankers operating in Russia and ban transactions at key Russian ports in the Arctic.

While the Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, sees NSR's economic benefits, it remains cautious because of environmental concerns.

“The Arctic is a vulnerable ecosystem, and additional shipping there causes soot particles to accumulate on the ice, causing it to melt faster,” port's spokesperson Sigrid Hesselink told TEC. She also highlighted the scarcity of emergency services in the region.

Nonetheless, consumers have more influence on these developments than they may think. China was the EU’s largest supplier of goods, accounting for €145.3 billion, or almost a quarter of all imports in early 2026, according to Eurostat.

Supply chain crisis can reveal the hidden costs of the products we buy, Jorge Morais Carvalho, director of NOVA Consumer Lab in Portugal, told TEC. “They can lead some consumers to question the origin of products, their real need, and the dependence on long and vulnerable logistics chains,” he explained.