Information processing program, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

To support efficient reduction of a total emission of CO2 in a life cycle of a target item.SOLUTION: An information processing device acquires primary data provided from a business operator related to a target item, the primary data being related to an activity of at least one process included in a life cycle of the target item, calculates a total emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data, specifies a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle, and presents, to the business operator, reduction support information related to support for reduction of the total emission, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to an activity of the specific process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing program, an information processing system, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in reducing the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (hereinafter referred to as "total CO2 emissions") throughout the supply chain of items such as products and services, which is also called the carbon footprint (CFP: Carbon Footprint of Products) in life cycle assessment (LCA: Life Cycle Assessment).

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus that acquires identification information of a target item (hereinafter referred to as "target item"), and based on either the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to the CFP of the target item corresponding to the acquired identification information or the amount of GHG emissions according to the life cycle inventory, derives the total GHG emissions of the target item.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, for example, even if the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of a target item are calculated by an apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, the operator related to the target item does not necessarily have a strategy on how to reduce the calculated total emissions, and there is a risk that the total CO2 emissions cannot be efficiently reduced.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing program, an information processing system, and an information processing method that can assist in efficiently reducing the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of a target item.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] An information processing program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes an information processing apparatus to function as an acquisition unit that acquires primary data provided by a business operator related to a target item, the primary data being related to the activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item; a calculation unit that calculates the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data; a selection unit that selects a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle; and a presentation unit that presents, to the business operator, reduction support information related to reducing the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to the activities of the specific process.

[0008] An information processing system according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires primary data provided by a business operator related to a target item, the primary data being related to the activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item; a calculation unit that calculates the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data; a selection unit that selects a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle; and a presentation unit that presents, to the business operator, reduction support information related to reducing the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to the activities of the specific process.

[0009] An information processing method according to another aspect of the present disclosure is such that an information processing apparatus acquires primary data provided by a business operator regarding a target item, the primary data being related to activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item, calculates the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data, identifies a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle, and presents, to the business operator, reduction support information regarding reduction support of the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to the activities of the specific process.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to support efficient reduction of the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of a target item.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Also, in the description of the following drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0013] (Overview) The information processing system according to this embodiment is an information processing system (hereinafter referred to as the "CFP reduction support system") that supports efficient reduction of CFP in LCA. Here, LCA is an evaluation of the environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle of a target item. CFP is the amount of GHG emissions (hereinafter referred to as "GHG emissions") emitted throughout the entire life cycle of a target item, converted into the amount of CO2 emissions (hereinafter referred to as "CO2 emissions"). That is, CFP can be rephrased as "the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item".

[0014] The total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item are calculated, for example, in the following steps (1) to (3). (1) Decompose the life cycle of the target item into one or more processes. (2) Calculate the CO2 emissions of each process. (3) Calculate the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the CO2 emissions of each process.

[0015] Also, the target item includes, for example, products such as intermediate products and final products, services, agricultural and livestock products, etc., but is not limited to these, and can be any item that emits CO2 in its life cycle.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the life cycle of a target item according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the life cycle of the target item is decomposed into one or more processes in one or more stages. Here, the process is the minimum unit for calculating the CO2 emissions. Further, each process has types such as mono (e.g., raw materials, etc.) and processes (e.g., production process, transportation process, etc.).

[0017] For example, in FIG. 1, the life cycle of the target item is decomposed into five stages: "raw material procurement", "production", "distribution", "use", and "disposal and recycling". Further, the stage "raw material procurement" is decomposed into six processes: raw material X, raw material Y, packaging material, and the transportation of each of them. Also, the stage "production" is decomposed into five processes: manufacturing, packaging of the product, waste generated by manufacturing, transportation of the waste, and waste treatment. Similarly, the stages "distribution", "use", and "disposal and recycling" are each decomposed into one or more processes. In FIG. 1, raw material X, raw material Y, packaging material, and waste are mono processes, and transportation, manufacturing, packaging, waste treatment, sales, and use are process processes.

[0018] As described above, in step (1), the life cycle of the target item is decomposed into a plurality of processes. Note that the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item may be calculated with at least one process as the target range. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, setting the processes included in the stages from "raw material procurement" to "disposal and recycling" as the target range is called "Cradle to Grave CFP". Also, setting the processes included in the stages from "raw material procurement" to "disposal and recycling" as the target range is called "Cradle to Gate". Note that the target range is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that some stages and / or some processes in the life cycle may be excluded.

[0019] In step (2), the CO2 emissions of each process decomposed in step (1) are calculated. The CO2 emissions of each process are calculated based on data related to the activities of each process (hereinafter referred to as "activity data") and emission factors. For example, the CO2 emissions of each process may be obtained by converting the GHG emissions of each process, which are calculated by multiplying the activity data of each process by the emission factor for each type of GHG, into CO2 emissions. Alternatively, the CO2 emissions of each process may be calculated by multiplying the activity data of each process by an emission factor that has been pre-converted from a predetermined type of GHG to CO2 equivalent. Note that GHG includes not only CO2, but also, for example, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases.

[0020] The activity data of each process is called "primary data" when it is provided by the operator related to the target item, and is also called "secondary data" when it is not provided by the operator and is based on estimated information. The activity data of each process includes, for example, at least one of the activity volume, activity location, activity processing time, activity method, and type of each process, but is not limited thereto, and may include any data related to the activity of each process. Note that the activity volume of each process is, for example, the weight or usage amount of the item in the case of a single process, and the input amount of energy input into the process in the case of a process of a process.

[0021] In step (3), based on the CO2 emissions of each process calculated in step (2), the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item are calculated.

[0022] In the CFP reduction support system according to this embodiment, one or more information processing apparatuses acquire primary data provided by a business operator regarding a target item, which is primary data regarding activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item, and calculate the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data. Further, the information processing apparatus selects a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle, generates information regarding support for reducing the total CO2 emissions (hereinafter referred to as "reduction support information") based on the activity data regarding the activities of the specific process, and presents the generated reduction support information to the business operator.

[0023] According to the CFP reduction support system according to this embodiment, since reduction support information based on the activity data of a specific process selected based on a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle of the target item is presented to the business operator, the business operator can efficiently reduce the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the reduction support information.

[0024] (Configuration) Next, the configuration of the CFP reduction support system according to this embodiment will be described.

[0025] <Schematic Configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a CFP reduction support system 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the CFP reduction support system 10 is connected via a network 50 to a business operator system 20, an authentication system 30, and a database (DB) system 40. Note that FIG. 2 is merely an example and is not limited to what is shown. For example, a configuration (not shown) may be connected to the network 50, or of course, some configurations may be omitted.

[0026] The CFP reduction support system 10 is an information processing system that supports the reduction of the CFP of a target item and includes one or more information processing apparatuses.

[0027] The business operator system 20 is an information processing system of a business operator regarding target items and includes one or more information processing devices. The business operator is, for example, a retail business operator, and manufactures, sells, or provides the target items, etc. Further, the business operator system 20 may disclose information regarding the reduction of the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target items (hereinafter referred to as "campaign information") to consumers and stakeholders (not shown). The campaign information may show, for example, the content of the business operator's efforts for the reduction of the total CO2 emissions. Further, the business operator system 20 may collect information regarding the behavior change of consumers, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "behavior change information") based on the campaign information. The business operator system 20 feeds back the collected behavior change information to the CFP reduction support system 10, and the CFP reduction support system 10 may use the behavior change information as performance data.

[0028] The certification system 30 is an information processing system of a certification organization that certifies CFP and may include one or more information processing devices. Examples of the certification organization include the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO).

[0029] The DB system 40 includes one or more databases that provide various data to the CFP reduction support system 10. The database stores secondary data of each process of each item. The database is, for example, an inventory database for LCA provided by a predetermined business operator, and is, for example, IDEA (Inventory Database for Environmental Analysis). Further, the network 50 is a wireless and / or wired network.

[0030] <Hardware Configuration> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Each information processing apparatus constituting the CFP reduction support system 10 includes a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) corresponding to an arithmetic unit, a storage device 12, a transmission / reception device 13, and an input / output device 14. These components are connected to be capable of mutually transmitting and receiving data via a bus.

[0031] The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU and controls each device within the CFP reduction support system 10. The processor 11 may execute various processes described in the present embodiment by reading a program from the storage device 12 and executing it. Each device within the CFP reduction support system 10 may include one or more processors 11. Also, each of these devices may be called a computer.

[0032] The storage device 12 is composed of, for example, a storage such as a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage device 12 may store various information necessary for the execution of processing by the processor 11 (for example, an information processing program executed by the processor 11, etc.).

[0033] The transmission / reception device 13 is a device that communicates via the network 50 and may include, for example, a network card, a communication module, a chip, an antenna, etc. The transmission / reception device 13 may constitute a transmission unit that transmits various information via the network 50 and / or a reception unit that receives various information via the network 50.

[0034] The input / output device 14 includes, for example, at least one of a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, a microphone, a display, and a speaker. The input / output device 14 may constitute at least one of an input unit that receives input of various information, an output unit that outputs various information, and a display unit that displays various information.

[0035] The hardware configuration described above is merely an example. Each information processing device in the CFP reduction support system 10 may omit some of the hardware described in FIG. 3, or may include hardware not described in FIG. 3. Also, the hardware shown in FIG. 3 may be constituted by one or more chips.

[0036] <Functional configuration> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the CFP reduction support system 10 according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 4 is merely illustrative, and the CFP reduction support system 10 may have a configuration (not shown) or may not have some of the configurations, of course.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, the CFP reduction support system 10 includes an acquisition unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a storage unit 103, a presentation unit 104, a selection unit 105, a request unit 106, a determination unit 107, and an authentication unit 108. Note that these functional configurations are realized by at least a part of an information processing program, a storage device 12, a transmission / reception device 13, and an input / output device 14 executed by the processor 11 shown in FIG. 3.

[0038] The acquisition unit 101 acquires information regarding the target item (hereinafter referred to as "target item information") from the business operator system 20. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the target item information from the business operator system 20 received by a reception unit (not shown). The target item information may indicate, for example, at least one of the item and classification for which the CFP is calculated. For example, when the target item is a "blouse for adult women", the target item information may indicate "daily necessities and cultural goods" as the major classification, "clothes" as the medium classification, and "blouse for adult women" as the minor classification.

[0039] In addition, the acquisition unit 101 acquires primary data provided by a business operator, which is primary data regarding activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire primary data from the business operator system 20 received by a reception unit (not shown). The primary data can also be said to be the activity data provided by the business operator among the activity data of each process in the life cycle of the target item. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the primary data provided from the business operator system 20 based on the activity data list.

[0040] Here, the activity data list is a list showing activity data regarding activities of each process in the life cycle of the target item. The activity data list may specify activity data essential for calculating the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item (hereinafter referred to as "essential data") and activity data recommended for calculating the total CO2 emissions (hereinafter referred to as "recommended data"). The activity data list may be generated based on the target item information acquired by the acquisition unit 101.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the activity data list according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, an activity data list for the target item "adult blouse" is shown. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the life cycle of the target item "adult blouse" includes four stages: "procurement", "manufacturing", "operation", and "disposal", and each of the four stages includes one or more processes.

[0042] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the activity data of the process "main fiber raw material" includes at least one of the type of raw material, the ratio of each raw material included in the final product, and the ratio of recycled material. In addition, the activity data of the process "spinning" includes at least one of the technology used, the continent or country name where the process was performed, etc., and the activity data of the process "stitching" includes at least one of the amount of thread used and the country name where the process was performed. Note that FIG. 5 is merely an example, and as described above, the activity data of each process may include any data regarding the activities of each process.

[0043] In the activity data list shown in FIG. 5, the activity data of the process "main fiber raw material" is designated as essential data, and the activity data of other processes is designated as recommended data. The business operator system 20 provides the activity data of the process "main fiber raw material", which is at least essential data, to the CFP reduction support system 10 based on the activity data list, and the acquisition unit 101 acquires the activity data as primary data.

[0044] The acquisition unit 101 may acquire secondary data not provided by the business operator, which is related to the activities of each process for which the above primary data has not been acquired among the multiple processes in the life cycle of the target product. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire, as secondary data, the activity data of the processes for which the above primary data has not been acquired among the activity data of each process shown in the activity data list from the DB system 40 via a receiving unit (not shown). Note that the acquisition unit 101 may acquire secondary data stored in the storage unit 103 in advance.

[0045] The acquisition unit 101 acquires information for requesting reduction support information for the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item (hereinafter referred to as "reduction support request information"). Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the reduction support request information from the business operator system 20 via a receiving unit (not shown).

[0046] The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the primary data of a specific process provided by the business operator system 20 in response to information for requesting the provision of the primary data of a specific process selected by the selection unit 105 (hereinafter referred to as "primary data request information"). Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the primary data of the specific process from the business operator system 20 via a receiving unit (not shown).

[0047] Based on the primary data acquired by the acquisition unit 101, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item. Further, the calculation unit 102 may calculate the total CO2 emissions based on the primary data of some of the plurality of processes in the life cycle of the target product and the secondary data of the other processes of the plurality of processes.

[0048] Specifically, the calculation unit 102 may calculate the CO2 emissions of each process for which the primary data was acquired based on the primary data, and calculate the CO2 emissions of each process for which the primary data was not acquired based on the secondary data. For example, as described above, the calculation unit 102 may calculate the CO2 emissions of each process based on the result of multiplying the primary data or the secondary data by the emission factor. The calculation unit 102 may calculate the total CO2 emissions based on the calculated CO2 emissions of each process. For example, the calculation unit 102 may calculate the sum of the calculated CO2 emissions of each process as the total CO2 emissions.

[0049] Further, the calculation unit 102 may recalculate the total CO2 emissions based on the primary data of a specific process provided from the business operator system 20 in response to a request by the request unit 106 described later.

[0050] The storage unit 103 stores information regarding the total CO2 emissions calculated by the calculation unit 102 (hereinafter referred to as "emission amount information"). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the emission amount information according to the present embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the storage unit 103 may store, as the emission amount information, at least one of the target item, stage, process, activity data of the process, type of the activity data, CO2 emissions calculated based on the activity data, and the ratio of the CO2 emissions of each process to the total CO2 emissions, in association with each other. Note that FIG. 6 is merely an example, and the emission amount information is not limited to that shown in the figure and may include information not shown.

[0051] When the total CO₂ emissions in the life cycle of the target item are recalculated by the calculation unit 102, the storage unit 103 may update the emission information based on the result of the recalculation. For example, among the emission information shown in FIG. 6, the activity data, type, CO₂ emissions, ratio, etc. of a specific process may be updated.

[0052] The presentation unit 104 presents information (hereinafter referred to as "CFP information") regarding at least one of the CO₂ emissions of each process and the total CO₂ emissions calculated by the calculation unit 102 to the business operator. Specifically, the presentation unit 104 may generate CFP information based on the emission information stored in the storage unit 103 and present the generated CFP information to the business operator. For example, the presentation unit 104 may transmit the CFP information to the business operator system 20 via a transmission unit (not shown).

[0053] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of CFP information according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, an example of CFP information for the target item "adult blouse" is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, the CFP information may include information indicating at least one of each stage of the target item, each process of each stage, the CO₂ emissions of each process, the ratio of the CO₂ emissions of each process to the total CO₂ emissions, and the total CO₂ emissions. The CFP information is generated based on the emission information stored in the storage unit 103.

[0054] Since the CFP information shown in FIG. 7 includes the CO₂ emissions of each process, the total CO₂ emissions, and the ratio of the CO₂ emissions of each process to the total CO₂ emissions in the life cycle of the target item "adult blouse", the business operator can easily recognize the CO₂ emissions and their ratios for each process. The CFP information may be displayed, for example, on the dashboard of the business operator.

[0055] Further, the presentation unit 104 may present to the business operator reduction support information regarding the reduction support of the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item, where the reduction support information is generated based on the activity data regarding the activities of a specific process selected by the selection unit 105. For example, the presentation unit 104 may transmit the reduction support information to the business operator system 20 via a transmission unit (not shown).

[0056] Specifically, the presentation unit 104 may generate the reduction support information based on past performance data. For example, the past performance data may indicate reduction support measures applied to the same or similar processes of the same or similar target items in the past. The past performance data may be stored in the storage unit 103 or may be obtained from the DB system 40.

[0057] Further, the presentation unit 104 may generate the reduction support information based on a model that has been machine-learned using, as learning data, target item information and information regarding the process (hereinafter referred to as "process information"), and reduction support information applied to the target item indicated by the target item information and the process indicated by the process information.

[0058] Further, the presentation unit 104 may present to the business operator an activity data list (for example, FIG. 5) generated based on the target item information acquired by the acquisition unit 101. For example, the presentation unit 104 may transmit the activity data list to the business operator system 20 via a transmission unit (not shown).

[0059] The selection unit 105 selects a specific process that meets a predetermined criterion from among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle of the target item. The specific process may include one or more processes. Specifically, the selection unit 105 may select a specific process that meets the predetermined criterion based on the emission amount information (e.g., FIG. 6) stored in the storage unit 103. The predetermined criterion is based on at least one of the ratio of the CO2 emission amount of each process to the total CO2 emission amount in the life cycle of the target item, the CO2 emission amount of each process, the stage, the process, the activity data, and the type of the activity data. For example, the predetermined criterion may be that the ratio of each process or the CO2 emission amount of each process is equal to or exceeds a predetermined threshold. Further, the predetermined criterion may be that the activity data of each process includes specific information (e.g., a specific country or region name). Further, the predetermined criterion may be that the type of the activity data of each process is secondary data.

[0060] Further, the selection unit 105 may select a specific process that meets the predetermined criterion based on past performance data. The past performance data may be past emission amount information of the same target item stored in the storage unit 103, or may be LCA data of other companies provided from the DB system 40 or the like. The predetermined criterion may be that the ratio of the CO2 emission amount of each process to the total CO2 emission amount in the life cycle of the target item or the CO2 emission amount of each process is not a value within a predetermined range based on the ratio or the CO2 emission amount of each process indicated by the performance data.

[0061] When the activity data regarding the activity of the specific process selected by the selection unit 105 is secondary data, the request unit 106 requests the business operator to provide the primary data of the specific process. For example, the request unit 106 may transmit primary data request information for requesting the provision of the primary data of the specific process to the business operator system 20 via a transmission unit (not shown).

[0062] The determination unit 107 determines whether there is a process among a plurality of processes in the life cycle of the target product for which the above primary data has not been acquired. Specifically, the determination unit 107 may determine whether there is a process for which the primary data has not been acquired among the activity data of the plurality of processes indicated by the activity data list.

[0063] Further, the determination unit 107 determines whether the activity data of the specific process selected by the selection unit 105 is secondary data. Specifically, the determination unit 107 may refer to the emission amount information (for example, FIG. 6) stored in the storage unit 103 and determine whether the type of the activity data of the specific process is secondary data.

[0064] The authentication unit 108 executes an authentication process for the emission amount information regarding at least one of the CO2 emission amounts and the total CO2 emission amount of each process calculated by the calculation unit 102. Specifically, the authentication unit 108 may execute the authentication process through communication processing with the authentication system 30. Note that the authentication of the emission amount information may be obtained by an authentication agency without using the authentication system 30.

[0065] (Operation) Next, the operation of the CFP reduction support system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that FIGS. 8 and 9 are merely illustrative, and the order of some steps may be changed, some steps may not be performed, or steps not shown may be added.

[0066] <Calculation operation> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a calculation operation of the total CO2 emission amount of a target item in the CFP reduction support system 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the life cycle of the target item is decomposed in advance into one or more processes of one or more stages.

[0067] In step S101, the acquisition unit 101 acquires target item information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the target item information from the business operator system 20.

[0068] In step S102, the presentation unit 104 presents to the operator an activity data list (for example, FIG. 5) generated based on the target item information acquired in step S101.

[0069] In step S103, the acquisition unit 101 acquires primary data provided by the operator and related to the activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the primary data provided from the operator system 20 based on the activity data list.

[0070] In step S104, the determination unit 107 determines whether there is a process in the plurality of processes of the life cycle of the target product for which the above primary data has not been acquired. It is determined whether there is a process for which the primary data has not been acquired among the activity data of the plurality of processes indicated by the activity data list.

[0071] If the determination unit 107 determines that there is a process for which the primary data has not been acquired (step S104; YES), in step S105, the acquisition unit 101 acquires secondary data not provided by the operator and related to the activities of each process in the plurality of processes of the life cycle of the target product for which the above primary data has not been acquired. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire, as secondary data, the activity data of the processes for which the primary data has not been acquired from among the activity data of each process indicated by the above activity data list, from the DB system 40. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the secondary data pre-stored in the storage unit 103.

[0072] In step S106, the calculation unit 102 calculates the CO2 emissions of each process based on the primary data of each process acquired in step S103 (and the secondary data of each process acquired in step S105).

[0073] In step S107, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the CO2 emissions of each process calculated in step S106. The calculation unit 102 causes the storage unit 103 to store emission information (e.g., FIG. 6) regarding at least one of the CO2 emissions of each process and the total CO2 emissions.

[0074] In step S108, the authentication unit 108 performs authentication of emission information regarding at least one of the CO2 emissions of each process and the total CO2 emissions calculated in steps S106 and S107, respectively.

[0075] In step S109, the presentation unit 104 presents CFP information (e.g., FIG. 7) regarding at least one of the CO2 emissions of each process and the total CO2 emissions calculated in steps S106 and S107, respectively, to the business operator. Specifically, the presentation unit 104 may generate the CFP information based on the emission information (e.g., FIG. 6) stored in the storage unit 103 and present the generated CFP information to the business operator system 20.

[0076] According to the above calculation operation, since the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item are calculated based on at least one piece of primary data in the life cycle and secondary data of each process for which primary data has not been acquired, it is possible to supplement the activity data of processes for which it is difficult to acquire primary data with secondary data, and the total CO2 emissions can be appropriately calculated.

[0077] In addition, since CFP information regarding at least one of the CO2 emissions of each process included in the life cycle of the target item and the total CO2 emissions is presented to the business operator, the business operator can easily recognize the progress of promoting the reduction of the total CO2 emissions, such as which process becomes a bottleneck for the target item, based on the CFP information (e.g., FIG. 7).

[0078] <Reduction Support Operation> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation for assisting in reducing the total CO2 emissions of a target item in the CFP reduction support system 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0079] In step S201, the acquisition unit 101 acquires information on a request for assisting in reducing the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the reduction support request information from the business operator system 20.

[0080] In step S202, the selection unit 105 selects a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle of the target item. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the ratio of the CO2 emissions of the process "wool / nylon" to the total CO2 emissions is the largest, the selection unit 105 may select the process "wool / nylon" as a specific process that has an impact on reducing the total CO2 emissions. Note that the specific process may be selected based on the above-mentioned predetermined criterion and is of course not limited to the process with the largest ratio.

[0081] In step S203, the determination unit 107 determines whether the activity data of the specific process selected by the selection unit 105 is secondary data. Specifically, the determination unit 107 may refer to the storage unit 103 to determine whether the type of the activity data of the specific process is secondary data.

[0082] When the activity data of the specific process selected by the selection unit 105 is secondary data (step S203; YES), in step S204, the request unit 106 requests the business operator to provide the primary data of the specific process selected in step S202. For example, the request unit 106 may transmit the primary data request information of the specific process to the business operator system 20.

[0083] In step S205, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the primary data of a specific process provided by the operator based on the primary data request information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the primary data of the specific process from the operator system 20.

[0084] In step S206, the calculation unit 102 recalculates the CO2 emissions of the specific process based on the primary data of the specific process acquired in step S205.

[0085] In step S207, the calculation unit 102 recalculates the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the CO2 emissions of the specific process recalculated in step S206. The calculation unit 102 may update the emission information (for example, FIG. 6) stored in the storage unit 103 based on the recalculation result.

[0086] In step S208, the presentation unit 104 presents the reduction support information generated based on the activity data of the specific process selected in step S202 to the operator. For example, in FIG. 7, if the process "wool·nylon" is selected as the specific process, and the activity data of the process "wool·nylon" indicates that the origin of the wool·nylon is India. Since the CO2 emissions of Vietnamese wool·nylon are less than those of Indian wool·nylon, the presentation unit 104 may generate reduction support information proposing to change the process "wool·nylon" from India to Vietnam.

[0087] According to the above reduction support operations, since the reduction support information based on the activity data of the specific process selected based on a predetermined criterion among the plurality of processes included in the life cycle of the target item is presented to the operator, the operator can efficiently reduce the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the reduction support information.

[0088] (Other embodiments) Note that the method for calculating the total CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the target product is not limited to the above. For example, in the above, the total CO2 emissions are calculated based on the CO2 emissions of each process in the life cycle. However, the sum of the GHG emissions of each process may be used as the total GHG emissions in the life cycle, and the total GHG emissions may be converted into the total CO2 emissions.

[0089] In addition, the operator related to the target item only needs to be an operator related to at least a part of the life cycle of the target item, and is not limited to the operator that uses the target item as the final product. Also, the operator may be regarded as a user of the CFP reduction support system 10.

[0090] The embodiments described above are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not for limiting and interpreting the present invention. Each element included in the embodiments and its arrangement, material, conditions, shape, size, etc. are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. Also, it is possible to partially replace or combine the configurations shown in different embodiments.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0091] 10…CO2 reduction support system, 20…operator system, 30…certification system, 40…DB system, 50…network, 11…processor, 12…storage device, 13…transmission / reception device, 14…input / output device, 101…acquisition unit, 102…calculation unit, 103…storage unit, 104…presentation unit, 105…selection unit, 106…request unit, 107…judgment unit, 108…certification unit

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires primary data provided by a business operator regarding a target item, the primary data being related to activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item; a calculation unit that calculates the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data; a selection unit that selects a specific process that satisfies a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle; a presentation unit that presents, to the business operator, reduction support information regarding reduction support of the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to activities of the specific process; and an information processing program for causing the apparatus to function.

2. The acquisition unit acquires secondary data that has not been provided by the business operator and that is related to activities of each process for which the primary data has not been acquired among the plurality of processes, and the calculation unit calculates the total emissions based on the primary data and the secondary data. The information processing program according to claim 1.

3. The calculation unit calculates the CO2 emissions of each process for which the primary data has been acquired based on the primary data, calculates the CO2 emissions of each process for which the primary data has not been acquired based on the secondary data, and calculates the total emissions based on the CO2 emissions of each process. The information processing program according to claim 2.

4. The presentation unit presents, to the business operator, information regarding at least one of the emissions of each process and the total emissions. The information processing program according to claim 3.

5. When the activity data related to activities of the specific process is the secondary data, the apparatus further includes a request unit that requests the business operator to provide the primary data of the specific process, the acquisition unit acquires the primary data of the specific process provided by the business operator in response to a request from the request unit, and the calculation unit recalculates the total emissions based on the primary data of the specific process. The information processing program according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. The presentation unit presents a list of activity data related to activities of each of the plurality of processes to the business operator, and the acquisition unit acquires the primary data provided by the business operator based on the list. The information processing program according to claim 1.

7. An acquisition unit that acquires primary data provided by a business operator related to a target item, the primary data being related to the activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item; A calculation unit that calculates the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data; A selection unit that selects a specific process that meets a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle; A presentation unit that presents, to the business operator, reduction support information related to the reduction support of the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to the activities of the specific process; An information processing system comprising the above.

8. An information processing apparatus acquires primary data provided by a business operator related to a target item, the primary data being related to the activities of at least one process included in the life cycle of the target item, calculates the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the life cycle of the target item based on the primary data, identifies a specific process that meets a predetermined criterion among a plurality of processes included in the life cycle, and presents, to the business operator, reduction support information related to the reduction support of the total emissions, the reduction support information being generated based on activity data related to the activities of the specific process. An information processing method.

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