Evaluating the sustainability of lightweight drones for delivery: towards a suitable methodology for assessment
Sinéad Mitchell, Juliana Steinbach, Tomás Flanagan, Pouyan Ghabezi, Noel M. Harrison, Simon O’Reilly, Stephen Killian, William Finnegan
Abstract
Drone technology is widely available and is rapidly becoming a crucial instrument in the functions of businesses and government agencies worldwide. The demand for delivery services is accelerating particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. Both companies and customers want these services to be efficient, timely, safe, and sustainable, but these are major challenges. Last-mile delivery by lightweight short-range drones has the potential to address these challenges. However, there is a lack of consistency and transparency in assessing and reporting the sustainability of last-mile delivery services and drones. This paper critically reviews published papers on Life Cycle Assessments of drones to date. The study reveals a lack of comprehensive studies, and a need to examine composite and battery manufacturing developments and provides key considerations for future study development.