Trends and Gaps in Environmental Impact of Last Mile Delivery using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Bibliometric Analysis

Digitalization and sustainability currently represent two relevant topics in logistics, especially in last mile logistic (LML). From one side, the implementation of green last mile delivery solutions is becoming a popular topic due to the growing emphasis on sustainable and eco-friendly practices in the retail industry as well as logistics. On the other side, digitalization and smart technologies – like Unmanned aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for automatic delivery- represent a new research frontier also for their potential to minimize environmental impact and boost operational effectiveness of LML. Little attention has been given so far to the evaluation of the environmental impacts of these digital technologies in LML, as the focus is currently mostly on their performance. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis aiming at evaluating both economic and environmental sustainability of UAVs in LML, thus focusing on technical obstacles and positive contributions of these technologies in terms of e.g. consumer accessibility, cost reduction, and environmental sustainability. The analysis has been carried out on papers published in scientific databases between 2017 and 2024. The most relevant technical challenges associated with last mile UAV delivery have been identified considering the technological and environmental points of views. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the current research gaps and emphasizes the need for more comprehensive analysis and frameworks to address critical aspects of UAV delivery in LML, such as consumer accessibility, weather conditions, flight duration, and battery capacity.