A recent study by Gaia found out that drones can have multiple benefits to the environment, consumers, and businesses alike.
Drones are the future of delivery business. Even according to conservative estimates, drones could account for 6% of business-to-consumer deliveries and consumer pick-ups in Helsinki by 2030. The greatest potential lies in short deliveries up to 10 km and the so-called last mile deliveries, or the last leg of a journey to customer’s door.
A key benefit of drone deliveries is their much smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional delivery methods. With drones, there could be a decrease of 2,000 t CO2e greenhouse gas emissions in the Finnish capital in 2030, a number that roughly equals to the annual carbon sink of 250 hectares of forest. As traffic and the number of deliveries is increasing, drones could provide a much needed solution to greener deliveries.
In addition to their environmental benefits, drones are likely to save consumers’ time and money. Compared to traditional delivery modes, drones are estimated to be up to 75% faster. Similarly, businesses will enjoy the faster deliveries with lower delivery costs and reach new customers.
With the pandemic’s impact on the number of consumer deliveries, there is a pressure to provide more reliable and environmentally conscious delivery services. Drones seem to be one solution.
The study was commissioned by Wing, a global drone delivery company that has conducted over 100 000 deliveries to customers in Australia, the USA and in Helsinki, Finland. Check out Gaia’s study on Wing’s website.
Picture: Wing
