Calculation device, calculation method, and calculation program

Abstract

To calculate a GHG emission amount which is more adapted to actual conditions, while reducing labor for data collection.SOLUTION: A calculation device comprises an acquisition section and a calculation section. The acquisition section acquires: fuel usage, infrastructure usage, and processing costs obtained by subtracting profits and material costs from the sales for a calculation object period of the whole business place for manufacturing products that are calculation objects of GHG (Greenhouse gas) emitted when manufacturing the products; and a used amount and processing costs per material when manufacturing the products in the calculation object period. The calculation section calculates a GHG emission amount of the products in the calculation object period, on the basis of: a value obtained by proportionally dividing a GHG emission amount related to the fuel usage and infrastructure usage of the whole business place, out of the information acquired by the acquisition section, by a ratio of the processing costs of the whole business place and the processing costs of the products; and a GHG emission amount related to a used amount per material when manufacturing the products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a calculation device, a calculation method, and a calculation program for calculating greenhouse gas emissions. [Background technology]

[0002] Due to growing concern about the environment, many techniques have been proposed to calculate the amount of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, such as carbon dioxide, associated with the products manufactured by businesses. The conventional mainstream methods for calculating GHG emissions include the accumulation method, which calculates by accumulating the emissions for each step related to the manufacture of each product, and the apportionment method, which calculates by apportioning the total emissions by some variable.

[0003] For example, a technique is known in which the GHG emissions in accordance with the operating state of each utility facility are grasped, the GHG emissions for each facility are calculated from the records of the operating state, and then the GHG emissions are apportioned based on the utility usage and usage time recorded during the manufacture of each product (e.g., Patent Document 1). Alternatively, a technique is known in which the total CO2 emissions of a factory are apportioned based on the ratio of factory shipment value / total product shipment value, thereby simulating the CO2 emissions of a product even without detailed manufacturing data (e.g., Patent Document 2). In addition, a method has been proposed in which the emissions of common items such as electricity used throughout a factory are apportioned using a coefficient based on the sales amount or number of units sold of the product, thereby simplifying the calculation of emissions (e.g., Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-191832 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-204217 A [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7178064 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is possible to calculate GHG emissions at business sites using conventional technology. However, there are concerns that the calculation is difficult in practice using conventional methods.

[0006] For example, the method of calculating the GHG emissions for each piece of equipment when it is in operation requires the collection of data for each operating status of the equipment, and the larger the scale of the equipment, the greater the amount of work required. In addition, the method of apportioning the total amount of CO2 emissions based on the ratio of the factory shipment value to the total product shipment value simplifies the calculation, but when the economic value of the product is not proportional to the CO2 emissions (such as a product that is extremely valuable but emits only a small amount of CO2 during manufacturing), a discrepancy occurs between the actual value and the calculated value. In addition, when the apportionment ratio is calculated based on the number of products sold, the apportionment ratio per product is leveled out, so for example, for products that have many manufacturing processes and consume a lot of electricity, the apportionment of common items (values ​​related to infrastructure such as electricity) is calculated to be smaller than the actual value, and so a discrepancy also occurs between the actual value and the calculated value.

[0007] In other words, conventional methods either allow for the calculation of precise data but are extremely time-consuming, or are simple but prone to discrepancies between the actual situation and the calculated values.

[0008] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a calculation device, a calculation method, and a calculation program that can calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a calculation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized in that it includes an acquisition unit that acquires fuel usage, infrastructure usage, and processing costs, which are the costs obtained by subtracting profits and material costs from sales, during a calculation period for an entire business establishment that manufactures a product for which GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during production are to be calculated, as well as the usage amount and processing cost of each material in the production of the product during the calculation period, and a calculation unit that calculates the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment based on the ratio of the processing costs of the entire business establishment to the processing costs of the product, from the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the GHG emissions related to the usage amount of each material in the production of the product. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a calculation system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an overview of a calculation process according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a calculation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a common information storage unit according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a common information storage unit according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic unit storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a user interface provided by a calculation device. [Figure 9]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a user interface provided by the calculation device. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a user interface provided by the calculation device. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a calculation process according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information storage unit according to a modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the calculation device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0013] (1. EMBODIMENT) (1-1. Overview of Calculation System According to the Embodiment) The calculation process according to the present disclosure is performed by a calculation system 1 shown in Fig. 1. A configuration of the calculation system 1 according to the embodiment and an overview of the calculation process by the calculation system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the calculation system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the calculation system 1 includes a calculation device 100, a business establishment system 10, and a basic unit database 200.

[0015] The calculation device 100 is an information processing device that calculates GHG emissions when a business establishment or the like manufactures a product. For example, the calculation device 100 receives a request from a company or the like that operates a business establishment or the like, calculates the GHG emissions related to the company's manufacturing, and provides the calculation result to the company or the like.

[0016] The business establishment system 10 is a mechanism for managing business establishments that manufacture products for which GHG emissions are to be calculated. The business establishment system 10 manages data such as the amount of electricity consumed in a given period at the business establishment, the number of products manufactured, and the cost and labor required for the manufacturing process of each product. The business establishment system 10 also provides the calculation device 100 with data required by the calculation device 100.

[0017] The intensity database 200 is a database in which the GHG emissions per predetermined unit of electricity, etc. provided by a business providing infrastructure such as electricity (hereinafter referred to as "provider") are recorded in the activities of the provider. The intensity database 200 is, for example, a database that is made public and provided by a management authority of the country. Specifically, it is a database in which "emission coefficients by electricity supplier" and the like provided by the environmental management authority of the country are recorded. General users including the calculation device 100 can freely use the data recorded in the intensity database 200 via a network or the like. Note that, although electricity is shown as an example in this disclosure, the emission intensity is not limited to this example, and multiple intensity databases 200 may exist depending on the type of infrastructure, material, etc. provided.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the calculation device 100 receives a request from a company or the like that operates a business establishment system 10, and calculates the GHG emissions for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) related to products manufactured in a business establishment managed by the business establishment system 10.

[0019] As mentioned above, GHG emissions have traditionally been calculated using the accumulation method, the apportionment method, or a combination of these. However, with any of these methods, it was either too time-consuming to collect the data required for the calculation, or it was difficult to easily calculate accurate values ​​that reflected the actual situation. In other words, there was a challenge in calculating GHG emissions, namely, how to calculate GHG emissions that more closely match the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection.

[0020] Therefore, the calculation device 100 according to the embodiment solves the above problem by the following configuration. Specifically, when calculating the GHG emissions of a certain product, the calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emissions of the product based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to infrastructure, etc. consumed by the entire business establishment to the product and an inherent value of the product. The calculation device 100 is characterized in that it uses so-called processing costs, which are sales minus profits and material costs, as a variable used to calculate the apportionment ratio. Specifically, the calculation device 100 uses the ratio of the processing costs of the entire business establishment as the denominator and the processing costs of the product to be calculated as the numerator as the apportionment ratio.

[0021] The processing cost calculated as above does not include profits, and therefore has a high correlation with the actual electricity used, the amount of fuel used for operating the equipment used in the manufacture of the product, the number of work steps, etc. Therefore, the calculation device 100 can calculate a value close to the actual GHG emission amount with high accuracy by using the processing cost as the apportionment ratio.

[0022] The product-specific value refers to a value specific to each product that is calculated, for example, from the amount of material used in actual production. Since such values ​​are data that are inevitably acquired by the business site system 10 during the manufacturing process, the burden of collecting them is expected to be relatively small.

[0023] In this way, by using the processing cost to calculate the GHG emissions, the calculation device 100 can easily construct base data for the calculation, and can calculate GHG emissions that are close to the actual situation.

[0024] In the example shown in Fig. 1, information used in the process of calculating the GHG emission amount of product A by the calculation device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the calculation process according to the embodiment.

[0025] First, the calculation device 100 acquires various data required for calculation from the business establishment system 10 and the unit consumption database 200. For example, the calculation device 100 acquires the amount of electricity used at the business establishment, the amount of fuel used, and processing costs from a person in charge of the company or the like that manages the business establishment system 10 via a specified user interface. The calculation device 100 also acquires various data such as data (unit consumption) showing the relationship between the electricity use per unit and the amount of GHG emissions from the unit consumption database 200. These pieces of information are data related to the entire business establishment, and are hereinafter referred to as "common information." The common information mainly corresponds to emissions that fall under Scope 1 and Scope 2 in the classification related to the emission calculation.

[0026] In addition, the calculation device 100 acquires various data related to the production of product A from the business establishment system 10. For example, the calculation device 100 acquires data such as the production volume of product A in a predetermined period, the material usage fee in the production of product A, and the processing cost of product A. This information is data specific to product A and is hereinafter referred to as "product information."

[0027] The calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emissions of product A based on the acquired common information and product information. As shown in Fig. 1, the GHG emissions of product A are indicated by a value obtained by allocating the common information at an allocation ratio specific to product A ("common information allocated value") and a product-specific value. The allocation ratio is a value obtained by using the processing cost of the entire business establishment as the denominator and the processing cost of product A as the numerator.

[0028] In this way, the calculation device 100 calculates GHG emissions using the processing cost, which is a variable that does not include profit, and can reduce discrepancies with reality, such as the GHG emissions of products that have high value compared to the manufacturing process being calculated to be higher than the actual amount. In addition, the calculation device 100 uses the material usage fee in the actual manufacturing as a product-specific value, and does not use data that is time-consuming to collect (such as GHG emissions for each manufacturing facility of the product), and can easily calculate GHG emissions. In other words, the calculation device 100 can calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection.

[0029] (1-2. Configuration of the Calculation Device According to the Embodiment) Next, a configuration of the calculation device 100 that executes the calculation process according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the calculation device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0030] 3, the calculation device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. The calculation device 100 may also include an input unit (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that accepts various operations from an administrator who manages the calculation device 100, and a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display, etc.) that displays various information.

[0031] The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) or a network interface controller. The communication unit 110 is connected to a network N (for example, the Internet) by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the business system 10, the basic unit database 200, and the like via the network N. For example, the communication unit 110 may transmit and receive information using any communication standard or communication technology, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth, a subscriber identity module (SIM), or low power wide area (LPWA).

[0032] The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0033] The storage unit 120 includes a common information storage unit 121 , a product information storage unit 122 , and a basic unit storage unit 123 .

[0034] Hereinafter, the information stored in the storage unit 120 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 7. Note that in the examples shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 7, the information stored in the storage unit 120 may be conceptually shown as "D01", but in reality, each piece of information described later is stored in the storage unit 120.

[0035] The common information storage unit 121 stores information common to all business establishments that manufacture the product that is the subject of calculation, out of the information used in the calculation process according to the embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a diagram (1) showing an example of the common information storage unit 121 according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 shows information stored in data table 121A of the common information storage unit 121. Data table 121A stores information related to infrastructure, fuel, etc., among the consumer goods consumed by a business establishment in its production. In the example shown in Fig. 4, data table 121A has items such as "common information ID," "major category," "business establishment ID," "year and month," "type," "usage amount," and "emissions intensity."

[0037] The "common information ID" indicates identification information for identifying the common information. The "major classification" indicates a classification of data corresponding to the common information. The major classification may be a classification of Scope 1 or 2, which is a classification for grasping supply chain emissions for each process. The "establishment ID" indicates identification information for identifying the establishment. In the embodiment, since one establishment is the calculation target, the establishment ID is common. The "year and month" indicates a unit of a predetermined period when calculating the emission amount at the establishment. In the embodiment, the unit for calculating the emission amount is "one month". The "type" indicates a type of the common information. The "usage amount" indicates the amount of material used in a predetermined period in the entire establishment. The "emission intensity" indicates the GHG emission amount in a predetermined unit of the common information. The emission intensity is obtained, for example, from data stored in the intensity storage unit 123, that is, data obtained from the intensity database 200. For example, the emission intensity is automatically selected from the intensity database 200 in association with the type of common information input to the data table 121A and input to the data table 121A.

[0038] Fig. 5 is a diagram (2) showing an example of the common information storage unit 121 according to the embodiment. Fig. 5 shows information stored in data table 121B of the common information storage unit 121. Data table 121B stores data such as costs related to all products manufactured by the establishment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, data table 121B has items such as "common information ID", "major category", "establishment ID", "year and month", and "processing cost".

[0039] The items "Common Information ID", "Major Category", "Establishment ID", and "Year and Month" are the same as those shown in Figure 4. "Processing Cost" indicates the specific processing costs incurred in the manufacture of all products at the establishment.

[0040] The data related to the common information shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 is generally recorded during the manufacturing process at a business establishment (manufacturing site), so the effort required to collect it is assumed to be low. As mentioned above, in this disclosure, "processing cost" is defined as the amount obtained by subtracting profit and material costs from sales. In other words, the processing cost includes not only the labor costs related to manufacturing, but also the depreciation costs of equipment and other various expenses, but these various expenses are generally low in amount relative to the labor costs, and are assumed to account for a low proportion of the total processing cost. For this reason, in the calculation process related to this disclosure, these various expenses are not expected to have a significant impact on the calculation results. However, if the proportion of equipment depreciation costs in the processing cost is larger than expected, the depreciation costs may be further excluded from the processing cost.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of the product information storage unit 122. The product information storage unit 122 stores information on each product manufactured at the business establishment.

[0042] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the product information storage unit 122 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the product information storage unit 122 has items such as "product name", "business ID", "manufacturing date", "manufacturing quantity", "processing cost", "material name", "material usage amount", and "emissions intensity".

[0043] "Product name" indicates the name of the product manufactured at the business establishment. "Establishment ID" is identification information that identifies the business establishment where the product was manufactured. "Manufacturing date" indicates the year and month when the product was manufactured. "Manufacturing quantity" indicates the number of each product manufactured per specified unit. "Processing cost" indicates the processing cost for each product. "Material name" indicates the material of the product. "Material usage amount" indicates the amount of each material used in manufacturing the product. "Emissions intensity" is data that indicates the GHG emissions corresponding to each material. The emissions intensity is provided, for example, from the intensity database 200 or from businesses that provide each material.

[0044] Next, the basic unit storage unit 123 will be described. The basic unit storage unit 123 stores GHG emissions for each infrastructure or material used, and stores information acquired by the calculation device 100 from the basic unit database 200, for example. An example of the basic unit database 200 may be a database provided by a public organization of the country (one example is the inventory database IDEA, etc.).

[0045] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the unit consumption rate storage unit 123 according to the embodiment. In the example illustrated in Fig. 7, the unit consumption rate storage unit 123 has items such as "provider ID", "type", "basic emission coefficient", and "adjusted emission coefficient".

[0046] "Provider ID" indicates identification information for identifying the business that provides fuel, electricity, etc. "Type" indicates the type of material provided by the provider. "Basic emission factor", for example, in the case of electricity, indicates the value obtained by dividing the GHG (CO2 in this example) emissions emitted during the generation of the electricity provided by the amount of electricity provided (sold). "Adjusted emission factor" indicates the emission factor after making a prescribed adjustment to the basic emission amount based on the regulations of the country. Businesses calculate GHG emissions related to their activities using the basic emission factor or adjusted emission factor based on the regulations of the country, but using the adjusted emission factor makes it possible to derive an calculated value that is more in line with the actual situation.

[0047] Returning to Fig. 3, the description will be continued. The control unit 130 is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like executing a program stored inside the calculation device 100 using a RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 130 is also a controller, and is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 130 includes an acquisition unit 131, a provision unit 132, a reception unit 133, and a calculation unit 134.

[0049] The acquisition unit 131 acquires various data used in the calculation process according to the embodiment. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires a basic unit for calculating GHG emissions from the basic unit database 200, and stores it in the basic unit storage unit 123. The acquisition unit 131 also acquires information accepted by the acceptance unit 133 described below (for example, information input by a company's personnel via a user interface). Specifically, the acquisition unit 131 acquires the fuel usage, infrastructure usage, and processing cost during the calculation target period of the entire business establishment that manufactures the product for which GHG emissions are to be calculated. The acquisition unit 131 also acquires the usage amount and processing cost of each material when manufacturing the product during the calculation target period.

[0050] The providing unit 132 provides various information to companies and the like that use the calculation device 100. For example, the providing unit 132 provides a user interface for companies and the like to input data related to GHG emissions. In addition, the providing unit 132 provides the GHG emissions calculated by the subsequent calculation unit 134 to companies and the like via the user interface.

[0051] The reception unit 133 receives various data related to the manufacture of products via a user interface, etc. For example, the reception unit 133 receives input of various data related to common information and product information related to the manufacture of products held by the business system 10 from a company person in charge, etc. via a user interface.

[0052] Based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 131, the calculation unit 134 calculates the GHG emission amount in the business establishment and the GHG emission amount of the product that is the subject of the calculation.

[0053] Specifically, the calculation unit 134 calculates the GHG emissions related to the fuel consumption and infrastructure consumption of the entire business establishment, and then calculates the GHG emissions in the common information of the product by apportioning the amount based on the ratio of the processing cost of the entire business establishment to the processing cost of the product. Note that, when making the calculation, the calculation unit 134 appropriately accesses the unit consumption database 200 or the like to obtain the emission unit consumption, and calculates the GHG emissions by multiplying the obtained information by the fuel consumption. The calculation unit 134 then adds up the GHG emissions in the common information calculated by apportionment and the GHG emissions related to the consumption of each material in the manufacture of the product to calculate the GHG emissions of the product in the calculation period.

[0054] The calculation process is executed, for example, via a user interface provided to the business system 10. The data reception and calculation process by the reception unit 133 and the calculation unit 134 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 10. Fig. 8 is a diagram (1) for explaining the user interface provided by the calculation device 100.

[0055] A user interface 50 shown in FIG. 8 is, for example, a user interface provided to a company requesting calculation of GHG emissions, and is displayed, for example, on the screen of an information processing terminal used by a person in charge at the company.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8, the user interface 50 is a screen for inputting common information, and has a business establishment information input field 51, a fuel consumption related input field 52, an electricity related input field 53, and a processing cost input field 54. A company's staff inputs common information related to the business establishment in the user interface 50. In the user interface 50, the type of fuel, the electric utility, the menus provided by the electric utility, etc. are linked in advance to items in the GHG emission intensity database 200, and the staff can input information by selecting them. The information input in the user interface 50 is stored in the common information storage unit 121.

[0057] Specifically, the person in charge inputs the name of the establishment, the period for which calculation is desired, etc. in the establishment information input field 51. The person in charge also inputs the amount of fuel used in the target period in the fuel consumption related input field 52. The person in charge also inputs the amount of infrastructure use, such as electricity, used in the target period in the electricity related input field 53. The person in charge also inputs the processing cost for the entire establishment in the target period in the processing cost input field 54. When the calculation device 100 accepts the various input data, it transitions to the screen shown in FIG. 9.

[0058] Next, a description will be given of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram (2) for explaining a user interface provided by the calculation device 100.

[0059] The user interface 60 shown in Fig. 9 is a screen for inputting information on individual products for which GHG emissions are to be calculated. As shown in Fig. 9, the user interface 60 has a product information input field 61, a manufacturing performance input field 62, and a material information input field 63. A company's staff inputs individual product information in the user interface 60. After inputting the material name in the user interface 60, the staff selects an appropriate item name from among the emission intensity unit items. The information input in the user interface 60 is stored in the product information storage unit 122.

[0060] Specifically, the person in charge inputs information for identifying the product for which GHG emissions are to be calculated in a product information input field 61. The person in charge also inputs the production quantity and processing cost of the product in the target period in a production performance input field 62. The person in charge also inputs the name and amount of material used in the production of the product in a material information input field 63. The person in charge also selects the emission intensity item that matches the selected material.

[0061] Next, a description will be given of Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram (3) for explaining a user interface provided by the calculation device 100.

[0062] The user interface 70 shown in Fig. 10 is a screen for displaying the calculation results of GHG emissions. As shown in Fig. 10, the user interface 70 has a product name input field 71 and a calculation result display field 72.

[0063] The company person in charge inputs information for identifying the product for which GHG emissions are to be calculated in the product name input field 71, and presses a button for executing the calculation process.

[0064] In response to the request, the calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emissions related to the product and displays the calculation result in the calculation result display field 72. Specifically, the calculation device 100 acquires various data related to the product to be calculated from the common information storage unit 121 and the product information storage unit 122. Specifically, when "product A" is specified as the calculation target, the calculation device 100 acquires the manufacturing facility, manufacturing date, processing cost, etc. related to product A stored in the product information storage unit 122. In addition, the calculation device 100 acquires the fuel and infrastructure usage amount, emission intensity, processing cost of the entire facility, etc. at the facility where product A was manufactured from the common information storage unit 121.

[0065] Then, the calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emission amount to be allocated to the product A, which is caused by the common information, based on the following formula (1).

[0066]

number

[0067] Furthermore, the calculation device 100 calculates the amount of GHG emissions attributable to the materials used in the production of the product A based on the following formula (2).

[0068]

number

[0069] Then, the calculation device 100 adds up the values ​​obtained by formula (1) and formula (2) to calculate "GHG emission amount of the entire product A". In addition, the calculation device 100 calculates "GHG emission amount per unit of product A" by dividing the GHG emission amount of the entire product A by the production quantity. Then, the calculation device 100 displays the calculation result in the calculation result display field 72.

[0070] (1-3. Procedure of Calculation Process According to the Embodiment) The procedure of the calculation process according to the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the calculation process according to the embodiment.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 11, the calculation device 100 accesses the basic unit database 200 and acquires basic unit information and the like in advance (step S101).

[0072] After that, the calculation device 100 determines whether or not a request to start calculation has been received from a company or the like via a user interface (step S102). If a request to start calculation has not been received (step S102; No), the calculation device 100 waits until a request is received.

[0073] On the other hand, when a request to start calculation is received (step S102; Yes), the calculation device 100 receives input of common information from a company person in charge or the like via a user interface (step S103). Note that since it is sufficient that a set of common information is input for each calculation target period, if the common information has already been input at the time of the calculation process, step S103 may be skipped. After that, the calculation device 100 receives input of product information of the product to be calculated (step S104).

[0074] Then, the calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emission amount related to the product based on the received information (step S105). The calculation device 100 provides the GHG emission amount, which is the calculation result, to the company or the like that has transmitted the calculation request via the user interface (step S106).

[0075] (2. Modifications of the embodiment) (2-1. Calculation based on labor hours) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the calculation device 100 calculates the apportionment ratio based on the processing cost. Here, the calculation device 100 may calculate the apportionment ratio using a variable different from the processing cost. For example, the calculation device 100 may use the man-hours involved in the manufacture of the product (for example, a value obtained by multiplying the number of people required for manufacture by the time required for manufacture).

[0076] In this case, the calculation device 100 acquires the man-hours related to the product instead of the processing cost. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a product information storage unit 122A according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 12, the calculation device 100 receives an input of the manufacturing man-hours as individual product information of the product A.

[0077] Then, the calculation device 100 calculates the GHG emissions of product A by using the man-hours of the entire business establishment to be calculated as the denominator and the man-hours of product A as the numerator as the apportionment ratio.

[0078] Even with such processing, it is possible to calculate the apportionment of GHG emissions by excluding variables such as product sales and profits, which are likely to be factors that cause deviation from the actual situation, so that the calculation device 100 can calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation, as in the embodiment.

[0079] In addition, a company or the like using the calculation device 100 may be able to select, for example, in a user interface, whether to perform calculation using man-hours or processing costs. This allows the company or the like to select data that is easier to collect, either processing costs or man-hours, and perform calculation, thereby further reducing the burden of data collection.

[0080] (2-2. Modifications of the device configuration) In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the calculation system 1 includes the calculation device 100, the business establishment system 10, and the basic unit database 200. However, the calculation system 1 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the calculation system 1 may be one in which the calculation device 100 also functions as the business establishment system 10. In addition, the calculation device 100 and the business establishment system 10 are not necessarily individual information processing devices, and may be configured as virtual servers or programs. In other words, the calculation system 1 is not necessarily configured by multiple devices, and may be realized by one device.

[0081] Furthermore, the information stored in the storage unit 120 described above does not necessarily have to be saved in the storage unit 120 inside the calculation device 100. For example, each piece of information may be stored in a storage area of ​​a predetermined external storage device (such as cloud storage).

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the user of the calculation device 100 is assumed to be a company. However, the user is not limited to a company, and may be any type of user, such as an individual, an organization, or an association.

[0083] (2-3. Changes in apportionment ratio) In the above embodiment, the processing cost as a variable used to calculate the apportionment ratio is calculated by subtracting profit and material cost from sales. This is based on the empirical rule that the proportion of equipment depreciation costs is relatively small as a proportion of the processing cost compared to material costs, labor costs, etc. However, the value calculated as the processing cost may be appropriately set according to the actual situation of the business establishment. In other words, even if the calculation device 100 uses a variable that is not based on profit, even if it is not as defined above, it is possible to perform a highly accurate calculation close to the actual GHG emission amount when it is used as the apportionment ratio because it has a high correlation with the actually used electricity, equipment, labor hours, etc.

[0084] (3. Other embodiments) The processing according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented in various different forms other than the above embodiment.

[0085] For example, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0086] In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0087] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined as long as the processing contents are not contradictory.

[0088] Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0089] (4. Effects of the Calculation Device According to the Present Disclosure) As described above, the calculation device (calculation device 100 in the embodiment) according to the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit (acquisition unit 131 in the embodiment) and a calculation unit (calculation unit 134 in the embodiment). The acquisition unit acquires fuel usage, infrastructure usage, and processing costs, which are costs obtained by subtracting profits and material costs from sales, during the calculation target period for the entire business establishment that manufactures the product for which GHG emissions during manufacturing are to be calculated, and the usage and processing costs of each material during the manufacturing of the product during the calculation target period. The calculation unit calculates the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation target period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment based on the ratio of the processing costs of the entire business establishment to the processing costs of the product, out of the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the GHG emissions related to the usage of each material during the manufacturing of the product.

[0090] In this way, the calculation device calculates GHG emissions using processing costs, which are variables that do not include profits, thereby reducing discrepancies with reality, such as the GHG emissions of products that have high value compared to the manufacturing process being calculated to be higher than the actual amount. In addition, the calculation device uses the material usage fees and the like in the actual manufacturing process as product-specific values, and does not use data that is time-consuming to collect, making it possible to calculate GHG emissions easily. In other words, the calculation device can calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection.

[0091] The calculation device may also use man-hours, which are the number of people and time spent on manufacturing, instead of the processing costs to determine the proportionate allocation ratio of the GHG emissions related to the common information. Even when such variables are used, the calculation device can calculate GHG emissions that are more suited to the actual situation while reducing the effort required for data collection, as in the case where the processing costs are used.

[0092] (5. Hardware Configuration) The information devices such as the calculation device 100 according to the embodiment described above are realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in FIG. 13, for example. The calculation device 100 according to the embodiment will be described below as an example. FIG. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer 1000 that realizes the functions of the calculation device 100. The computer 1000 has a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1300, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1400, a communication interface 1500, and an input / output interface 1600. The various components of the computer 1000 are connected by a bus 1050.

[0093] The CPU 1100 operates and controls each unit based on a program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400. For example, the CPU 1100 loads the program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400 into the RAM 1200 and executes processing corresponding to the various programs.

[0094] The ROM 1300 stores boot programs such as a basic input output system (BIOS) executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000.

[0095] HDD 1400 is a computer-readable recording medium that non-temporarily records programs executed by CPU 1100 and data used by such programs. Specifically, HDD 1400 is a recording medium that records a program that executes a calculation process according to the present disclosure, which is an example of program data 1450.

[0096] The communication interface 1500 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to an external network 1550 (e.g., the Internet). For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from other devices and transmits data generated by the CPU 1100 to other devices via the communication interface 1500.

[0097] The input / output interface 1600 is an interface for connecting the input / output device 1650 and the computer 1000. For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also transmits data to an output device such as a display, a speaker, or a printer via the input / output interface 1600. The input / output interface 1600 may also function as a media interface for reading a program or the like recorded on a predetermined recording medium. The medium may be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0098] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the calculation device 100 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes a calculation program loaded onto the RAM 1200 to realize functions of the control unit 130, etc. Also, the HDD 1400 stores a program for executing the calculation process according to the present disclosure and data in the storage unit 120. Note that the CPU 1100 reads and executes the program data 1450 from the HDD 1400, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from other devices via an external network 1550.

[0099] The above describes the embodiments of the present application in detail based on the drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in other forms that include the aspects described in the Disclosure of the Invention section, as well as in other forms that include various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1. Calculation system 10 Business Systems 100 Calculation Device 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Common information storage unit 122 Product information storage section 123 Basic unit memory section 130 Control section 131 Acquisition Department 132 Provision Department 133 Reception 134 Calculation section 200 Basic unit database

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires fuel consumption, infrastructure consumption, and processing costs, which are the costs obtained by subtracting profits and material costs from sales, during a calculation period for the entire business that manufactures products that are the subject of calculation of GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during production, as well as the usage amount and processing cost of each material in the production of the products during the calculation period; a calculation unit that calculates the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and the infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment based on a ratio between the processing cost of the entire business establishment and the processing cost of the product, out of the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the GHG emissions related to the usage of each material in the manufacture of the product; A calculation device comprising:

2. an acquisition unit that acquires fuel consumption, infrastructure consumption, and labor hours during a calculation period for the entire business that manufactures a product that is subject to calculation of GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during production, and the usage amount and labor hours of each material during the calculation period for the production of the product; a calculation unit that calculates the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and the infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment based on a ratio of the man-hours of the entire business establishment to the man-hours of the product among the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the GHG emissions related to the usage of each material in the manufacture of the product; A calculation device comprising:

3. The computer The fuel consumption, infrastructure consumption, and processing cost, which is the cost obtained by subtracting profit and material costs from sales, during the calculation period for the entire business that manufactures the product that is the subject of calculation of GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during production, as well as the usage and processing cost of each material in the production of the product during the calculation period are obtained. Calculating the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment out of the acquired information based on a ratio between the processing cost of the entire business establishment and the processing cost of the product, and the GHG emissions related to the usage of each material in the manufacture of the product; A calculation method comprising the steps of:

4. Computer, an acquisition unit that acquires fuel consumption, infrastructure consumption, and processing costs, which are the costs obtained by subtracting profits and material costs from sales, during a calculation period for the entire business that manufactures products that are the subject of calculation of GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during production, as well as the usage amount and processing cost of each material in the production of the products during the calculation period; a calculation unit that calculates the GHG emissions of the product during the calculation period based on a value obtained by apportioning the GHG emissions related to the fuel usage and the infrastructure usage of the entire business establishment based on a ratio between the processing cost of the entire business establishment and the processing cost of the product, out of the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the GHG emissions related to the usage of each material in the manufacture of the product; A calculation program that causes the device to function as a calculation device comprising:

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