Environmental data management system and method

Abstract

To provide an environmental data management system and method capable of automatically optimizing aggregate GHG emissions based on consistent decision-making logic.SOLUTION: In the environmental data management process, the values of the target items in the organizational unit aggregation are compared with the values that represent the results of the product unit aggregation by category. The items targeted by the organizational unit aggregation, in which the values of the items targeted by the organizational unit aggregation and the values representing the cumulative results for each category of the product aggregation were compared, items with different predefined aggregate values among the items subject to the corresponding product unit aggregation are identified. Determination is made by comparing each item which of the items subject to the organization unit aggregation, which have different aggregated values, or the items subject to the product unit aggregation, more accurately represents the actual situation. The aggregated values determined as not accurately representing the actual situation are corrected to more accurate values.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer technology for managing various types of environment-related data including at least GHG emissions (hereinafter collectively referred to as "environment-related data"). [Background technology]

[0002] As global warming progresses, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (hereinafter referred to as "GHG emissions") such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), which are believed to be one of the causes of global warming, is an urgent social issue for all of us humans living on Earth.

[0003] In this context, various efforts are being promoted, primarily by the industrial sector, to quickly realize the so-called Green Transformation (hereinafter also referred to as "GX"), which involves switching from fossil fuel-derived energy to renewable energy, and various technologies to be used in this process have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-078574 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are two main methods for calculating GHG emissions: calculating by the entire organization of a GHG-emitting business (hereinafter referred to as "organizational level calculations"), and calculating by the product manufactured or sold by the organization (hereinafter referred to as "product level calculations"). Organizational level calculations are performed in accordance with the GHG Protocol and are calculated by Scope 1 (GHG emissions directly emitted by a business through fuel combustion or product manufacturing), Scope 2 (GHG emissions indirectly emitted by a business through the use of electricity, heat, and steam supplied by other companies), and Scope 3 (GHG emissions from other companies not included in Scope 1 or 2). Scope 3 is further divided into 15 categories, including Category 1 (GHG emissions from purchased products), Category 4 (GHG emissions during the transportation of purchased products), Category 9 (GHG emissions during the transportation of manufactured products), Category 11 (GHG emissions during the use of manufactured products), and Category 12 (GHG emissions during the disposal of manufactured products). Product-level aggregation is calculated by category, including GHG emissions from the procurement and transportation of raw materials and parts for products manufactured and sold by a business, GHG emissions from the production of raw materials and parts themselves, GHG emissions during the manufacturing process, GHG emissions from the transportation of products, GHG emissions during product specifications, and GHG emissions from disposal and recycling. These two aggregation methods have fundamental differences in their uses and characteristics: organization-level aggregation is primarily used by the organization's environmental management department to prepare CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) reports, while product-level aggregation is primarily used by the product's design and development department to perform LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) calculations. Due to these differences, organization-level aggregation and product-level aggregation use different aggregation methods. For this reason, when comparing the aggregated values for each comparable item in the organizational unit aggregate (hereinafter also referred to as "organizational unit aggregate value") with the aggregated values for each item in the product unit aggregate for all products manufactured by the organization that correspond to the comparable items in the organizational unit aggregate (hereinafter also referred to as "product unit aggregate value"), there are many cases where the aggregated values differ even if various conditions such as the target products and period are made the same as much as possible when aggregating the values.There are several reasons for this, but for example, the aggregated values for Scope 1 in the organizational aggregation (GHG emissions directly emitted by businesses through fuel combustion and product manufacturing) include GHG emissions from idling manufacturing equipment during product manufacturing, whereas the corresponding item in the product aggregation, GHG emissions from the manufacturing process, may not properly allocate and calculate GHG emissions from idling equipment for each product. Similarly, Scope 2 in the organizational aggregation (GHG emissions indirectly emitted by businesses through their use of electricity, heat, and steam supplied by other companies) includes electricity consumed by air conditioners in offices, but this is not included in the GHG emissions of each product in the product aggregation. Therefore, due to differences in the purpose of aggregation, it has been difficult to make uniform comparisons for all items.

[0006] In addition, many businesses have traditionally calculated each Scope value by multiplying activity data by the GHG emissions intensity unit used in organizational-level aggregation. Activity data includes the cost and volume of fuel used, and the cost and weight of purchased electricity and gas. Furthermore, GHG emissions intensity units are simply emissions per statistically determined standard intensity unit. Therefore, for more accurate GHG calculations, it is preferable to multiply weight by the activity data, rather than monetary value, and the emissions source unit. Furthermore, if GHG emissions information is available from suppliers or emissions can be measured using sensors, such primary data is considered to provide a more accurate GHG emissions figure than multiplying weight by the emissions source unit. For example, when calculating GHG emissions from electricity generated by other companies in Scope 2 aggregation by organizational level aggregation, multiplying the activity data (electricity volume) by the emissions source unit is statistically calculated based on various forms of electricity generation, such as thermal and hydroelectric power. However, if a power company generates electricity using solar power and reduces its GHG emissions, the emissions source unit will be significantly different. Therefore, it is more appropriate to use the primary data values for aggregation, as these values appropriately reflect the corporate efforts of individual companies to reduce GHG emissions.

[0007] Meanwhile, regulations such as the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in Europe are requiring some companies to calculate GHG emissions on a product-by-product basis. It is expected that more businesses will be required to calculate and reduce GHG emissions on a product-by-product basis in the future. Therefore, even when calculating GHG emissions on a product-by-product basis, it is possible to calculate GHG emissions by multiplying the amount or weight by the emission source unit. However, it is highly desirable to use data provided by suppliers or primary data obtained from sensors, as these values more accurately reflect a company's emission reduction efforts. This tendency is particularly strong when reducing GHG emissions on a product-by-product basis will affect product sales. Similarly, if a design engineer at an organization wants to reduce GHG emissions on a product-by-product basis, requesting information on the GHG emissions of purchased items from suppliers will encourage suppliers to reduce emissions and provide a more accurate understanding of emissions than calculations based on emission source units.

[0008] For the reasons mentioned above, the totals for the organization unit and the product unit may be performed by different people, and the raw data for calculating emissions may differ. Therefore, the sum of the product unit aggregate values for all products produced by the organization may not be the same as the total for the organization unit, even when comparing comparable items.

[0009] When the aggregated values by organization and by product differ, which value accurately represents the actual situation depends on the case. Furthermore, in such cases, there is currently no method for correcting the discrepancy and optimizing either aggregated value appropriately based on consistent decision logic so that both the aggregated values by organization and by product accurately represent the actual situation. This has been an obstacle to promoting GX, and the development of new technology has been awaited.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can automatically optimize the aggregated value of GHG emissions based on consistent decision logic. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The environment-related data management system according to the present invention is a system for managing environment-related data, and the environment-related data includes information on greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted in a supply chain consisting of at least supplier companies and buyer companies. The method includes at least GHG emissions that represent the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG), and among target items for organizational unit aggregation that aggregate GHG emissions for each organization of a supplier company, and target items for product unit aggregation that aggregate GHG emissions for each product manufactured by a buyer company, items that have a corresponding relationship with comparable items in the organizational unit aggregation, where the product unit has categories corresponding to each process from procurement of GHG-emitting parts to manufacturing, use, and disposal, and the categories are managed for each product, compares the value of the target item for organizational unit aggregation with a value that represents an integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation that is integrated by category, identifies items between the target item for organizational unit aggregation and the corresponding target item for product unit aggregation for which the value of the target item for organizational unit aggregation and the value that represents the integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation are compared, and determines which of the target values, the target item for organizational unit aggregation or the target item for product unit aggregation with different aggregate values, more accurately represents the actual situation, for each compared item, and corrects the aggregate value that is determined not to accurately represent the actual situation to a more accurate value.

[0012] Other problems and solutions disclosed in the present application will be made clear in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the aggregate value of GHG emissions can be automatically optimized based on consistent decision logic. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system including an environment-related data management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an environment-related data management system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a breakdown of product-based aggregation and organization-based aggregation. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correspondence between items in a product-based tally and an organization-based tally. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the position of each item of the product-based aggregate and the organization-based aggregate in the supply chain. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a product-unit tally record table and a product-unit tally metadata storage table. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a product unit total-upstream transportation data storage table. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a product-unit total-purchase item data storage table. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a product-unit total-manufacturing data storage table. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a product-unit total-usage data storage table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a product-unit aggregation-disposal / recycle data storage table. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an organization unit tally record table. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 1 recording table. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 2 record table. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 3 category record table. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 1 (purchases) record table. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organization unit summary-Scope 3 Category 4 (upstream transportation) record table. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) record table. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 12 (disposal of sold products) record table. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an environment-related data management process. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of comparing metadata of an organization-based aggregate and a product-based aggregate. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for comparing a product-based tally with an organization-based tally. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a GUI display screen of an environment-related data management system. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a GUI display screen of an environment-related data management system. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a correction content instruction table. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a correction process. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a threshold value update process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may refer to one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface devices are interface devices for at least one of the I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input interface device such as a keyboard and pointing device, or an output interface device such as a display device. One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0016] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0017] In the following description, an "auxiliary storage device" may refer to one or more auxiliary storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. The auxiliary storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., a persistent storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0018] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to either or both of a memory and an auxiliary storage device.

[0019] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also include or be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0020] Furthermore, in the following description, functions may be described using the expression "xxx unit." However, the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs (hereinafter simply referred to as "programs") executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, and therefore the function may be considered to be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a computer from which the program is distributed or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is merely an example; multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0021] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "yyy table," but the information may be a table of any data structure, or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. In other words, to indicate that the information does not depend on the data structure, a "yyy table" may be referred to as "yyy information." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0022] In the following description, a process may be described using a "program" as the subject, but the process described using a program as the subject may also be a process performed by a processor or a device having that processor. Two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0023] Furthermore, in the following description, the "environment-related data management system" may be a system made up of one or more physical computers (for example, an on-premise system), or may be a system (for example, a cloud computing system) implemented on a group of physical computing resources (for example, a cloud platform). When the environment-related data management system "displays" the display information, it may mean that the display information is displayed on a display device possessed by the computer, or that the computer transmits the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer).

[0024] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] In the following description, the same or similar components will be designated by common reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

[0026] Furthermore, when there are multiple elements having the same or similar functions, the multiple elements may be described by using the same reference numeral with different subscripts to distinguish between them. On the other hand, when there is no need to distinguish between the multiple elements, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0027] <Definitions of terms, etc.> The following description of this embodiment will be given taking as an example a case in which a supply chain (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "supply chain"), which is a chain of raw materials, parts, semi-finished products, and finished products (hereinafter collectively referred to as "parts, etc." or "products, etc.") that is connected from upstream to downstream in a commercial flow, is called a supply chain or value chain, and a set manufacturer (buyer company) that is one of the companies in the supply chain manages, as environment-related data, the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted (GHG emissions) throughout the entire supply chain, starting from the manufacturer itself and including supplier companies that purchase (supply) parts and other supplier companies that manufacture materials for those parts. In other words, the environment-related data that is managed by the environment-related data management system according to this embodiment includes at least GHG emissions.

[0028] In this case, "greenhouse gas" includes at least one of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorocarbons. Also, "fluorocarbons" refers to at least one of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), and HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons).

[0029] In the following description of this embodiment, the term "supplier" refers to a business entity such as a company that supplies manufactured parts and the like to buyers, including assembled product manufacturers.

[0030] On the other hand, a "buyer" refers to a business such as a company that purchases parts, etc. from a supplier, and a "set manufacturer" refers to a business such as a company that manufactures other products, etc. using parts, etc. purchased from a supplier. In other words, a buyer includes a set manufacturer. Also, a buyer including a set manufacturer is a business partner of a supplier. More specifically, a buyer including a set manufacturer is an ordering party when placing or receiving orders for parts, etc. manufactured by a supplier, and is a delivery destination for parts, etc. ordered by a supplier. In the following description of this embodiment, a set manufacturer may be abbreviated to simply "manufacturer."

[0031] In addition, in the following description of this embodiment, terms such as "upstream transportation" and "transportation (upstream)" mainly refer to the transportation of various purchased items such as raw materials, parts, semi-finished products, and auxiliary materials between the set manufacturer and a supplier located upstream of the set manufacturer in the supply chain.

[0032] Furthermore, in the following description of this embodiment, terms such as "downstream transportation" and "transportation (downstream)" primarily refer to the transportation of various products sold by the set manufacturer between the set manufacturer and a company such as a distributor that is downstream from the set manufacturer in the supply chain.

[0033] That is, in the following description of the present embodiment, a "product" refers to a finished product manufactured by the set manufacturer. Also, a "purchased item" refers to various items such as raw materials, parts, semi-finished products, and auxiliary materials purchased by the set manufacturer to manufacture the product. As an example, if the "product" is a smartphone, various parts purchased by the set manufacturer to manufacture the smartphone, such as an SoC (System on a Chip), an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) panel, and a lithium-ion battery, would be considered "purchased items."

[0034] In the following description of this embodiment, various electronic data interchange systems used in a supply chain are collectively referred to as "EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)." Of these, the EDI used by the assembly manufacturer that uses the environment-related data management system is referred to as "the EDI." Furthermore, among the EDIs used in a supply chain that includes the assembly manufacturer as a component, types of EDI other than the EDI are referred to as "other EDI." Furthermore, all EDIs used in the supply chain are referred to as "all EDIs."

[0035] In the following description of this embodiment, the "basic unit" of GHG emissions refers to the GHG emissions per yen for each item, such as a part, that is the subject of a transaction. The environment-related data management system according to this embodiment can also set the GHG emissions per unit, for example, per item, such as a part, that is the subject of a transaction, or a reference mass unit, such as one kilogram (kg), as the basic unit of GHG emissions. In this way, the reference unit used when specifying the basic unit of GHG emissions may be changed as appropriate.

[0036] In addition, in the following description of this embodiment, the so-called bill of materials (component parts bill) may be abbreviated to "BOM (Bill of Materials)", such as "product-specific environmental BOM", "environmental BOM", or "manufacturing BOM".

[0037] Similarly, in the following description of the present embodiment, notations relating to well-known technologies such as life cycle assessment (LCA), energy management system (EMS), manufacturing execution system (MES), enterprise resource planning (ERP), etc. may be omitted as appropriate.

[0038] <Configuration example of environment-related data management system 100> First, an example of the configuration of an environment-related data management system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0039] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entire system including an environment-related data management system 100. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the environment-related data management system 100.

[0040] (Example of the overall system configuration) The environment-related data management system 100 according to this embodiment is a computer system capable of managing various types of environment-related information including at least GHG emissions, and is realized by a computer device or a server device having the components described below.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1 , user terminals 20a, 20b, 20c, . . . 20n (hereinafter collectively referred to as "user terminals 20" when referring to them collectively or when no distinction is made) such as laptop PCs, tablets, and smartphones owned by each user of the environmental-related data management system 100 are connected to the environmental-related data management system 100 so as to be able to communicate data with each other via an appropriate communication network (hereinafter simply referred to as "network") 50 such as the Internet or a dedicated line. The environmental-related data management system 100 and the network 50 are connected via a wired connection using well-known communication devices (not shown), but may also be connected wirelessly. Furthermore, each user terminal 20 and the network 50 are connected wirelessly, but may also be connected via a wired connection. Each user of the environmental-related data management system 100 who owns a user terminal 20 is assigned a unique ID called a user ID in advance.

[0042] The environment-related data management system 100 is also connected to various computers and servers (not shown) that manage the in-house systems of each company, such as suppliers that make up the supply chain and finished product manufacturers (assembly manufacturers), which are the management targets of the environment-related data management system 100, via a network 50 so that they can communicate data with each other. The environment-related data management system 100 acquires data representing various information used for each process described below from these in-house systems. Each in-house system is connected to the network 50 via a wired connection via well-known communication equipment (not shown), but may also be connected wirelessly. Each in-house system is assigned a unique ID called a company ID in advance.

[0043] Furthermore, other systems, such as an order placement and receipt system (not shown), which is a well-known computer system used for placing and receiving orders for products and the like in a supply chain, and an inter-company information management system, which is a computer system capable of managing environmental information for the entire supply chain across the boundaries of each company constituting the supply chain, may be connected to the environment-related data management system 100 via a network 50 so as to be able to communicate data with each other. In this case, the other systems and the network 50 may be connected via a wired or wireless connection via well-known communication equipment (not shown). The environment-related data management system 100 may obtain various data to be used for each process described below from such other systems.

[0044] In the following description of this embodiment, other devices and terminals such as the user terminal 20 and various computer devices and / or server devices that manage other systems such as in-house systems, which are connected to the environmental data management system 100, may be referred to simply as "other devices" or "other terminals."

[0045] In addition, in the present embodiment, the environment-related data management system 100 has been described as being composed of one device as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. However, for example, the environment-related data management system 100 may be composed of multiple devices.

[0046] In addition, in the present embodiment, the environment-related data management system 100 and the various other devices, such as the user terminal 20 and other devices, have been described as being separate devices. However, the environment-related data management system 100 and the various other devices may be configured as the same device. In other words, in this case, the environment-related data management system 100 may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by these various devices.

[0047] (Example of hardware configuration of environment-related data management system 100) Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the environment-related data management system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0048] 2, this environment-related data management system 100 is realized by a computer having at least a storage device including a memory 102 and an auxiliary storage device 103, an interface device including at least a communication device 104, and a processor 101 connected to these. In this environment-related data management system 100, the interface device may also include an input device 105 and / or an output device 106.

[0049] The following description will be given assuming that the environmental-related data management system 100 is implemented as a single general-purpose computer device having one or more processors 101, one or more memories 102, one or more auxiliary storage devices 103, one or more communication devices 104, one or more input devices 105, one or more output devices 106, and wired or wireless communication lines connecting them.

[0050] The auxiliary storage device 103 is an auxiliary storage device made up of a non-volatile storage element such as a flash memory. Specific examples of the auxiliary storage device 103 include a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). The auxiliary storage device 103 stores at least an environment-related data management program (not shown). The environment-related data management program is a computer program for implementing the functions required for the environment-related data management system 100.

[0051] That is, by executing the environment-related data management program by the processor 101, functions performed by each functional unit of the environment-related data management system 100 are realized, such as a login management unit 131, an organization unit tally execution unit 132, a product unit tally execution unit 133, a metadata registration unit 134, an aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135, a message output unit 136, and a threshold value update unit 137, which will be described later. In other words, by executing the environment-related data management program by the processor 101, various processes are performed, including a process related to the management of environment-related data (hereinafter also referred to as "environment-related data management process") (which will be described later in relation to Fig. 20), a process related to the correction of aggregate values (hereinafter also referred to as "correction process") (which will be described later in relation to Fig. 26), and a process related to the update of threshold values (hereinafter also referred to as "threshold value update process") (which will be described later in relation to Fig. 27).

[0052] The environment-related data management program is provided to the environment-related data management system 100 from various removable media such as CD-ROMs and flash memories or via the network 50, and is stored in a non-volatile auxiliary storage device 103, which is a non-transitory storage medium. Therefore, it is preferable that the environment-related data management system 100 has an interface for reading data from the removable media.

[0053] The environmental-related data management program may also be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a computer from which the program is distributed or a computer-readable recording medium. The environmental-related data management program may also be composed of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located at higher levels than these, and libraries that provide common functions to these programs. Furthermore, two or more programs may be realized as a single environmental-related data management program, or one environmental-related data management program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0054] The memory 102 is a main storage device mainly made up of volatile storage elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 102 also includes a ROM made up of nonvolatile storage elements. The ROM stores unchanging programs (e.g., BIOS) and the like. The memory 102 temporarily stores data representing various information read from the auxiliary storage device 103 and various data acquired via the communication device 104 and / or input device 105.

[0055] The processor 101 is a processor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various co-processors. The processor 101 loads various computer programs, including an environment-related data management program, into the memory 102 and executes them, thereby performing overall control of the environment-related data management system 100 itself, and also controls a control unit (not shown) that performs various processes such as calculation processing and determination processing.

[0056] The interface device includes a communication device 104 that controls a communication section, which will be described later, an input device 105 that controls an input section, which will be described later, and an output device 106 that controls an output section, which will be described later.

[0057] The communication device 104 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices according to a predetermined protocol.

[0058] The input device 105 is any of various input interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., for receiving input operations from the administrator (user) of the environment-related data management system 100.

[0059] The output device 106 is any of various output interface devices, such as various display devices such as an LCD display or a touch screen, or a printer (not shown), for outputting the processing results to the administrator (user) of the environmental-related data management system 100 in a format that can be recognized.

[0060] The environment-related data management system 100 may be realized by an independent device or by an embedded device.

[0061] (Example of functional block of the environment-related data management system 100) Next, an example of blocks of various functions provided in the environment-related data management system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that each block described below does not represent a configuration in units of hardware, but represents a block in units of function.

[0062] The environment-related data management system 100 is mainly configured with the following functional blocks: a control unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned processor 101; a memory unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned memory devices (202, 203); a communication unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned communication device 104; and a user interface unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned input device 105 and / or output device 106.

[0063] The control unit executes various data processing operations based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit and the data acquired by the communication unit. The control unit also functions as an interface between the storage unit and the communication unit.

[0064] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit has the following functional blocks: a login management unit 131, an organization-based aggregation execution unit 132, a product-based aggregation execution unit 133, a metadata registration unit 134, an aggregation value comparison and correction unit 135, a message output unit 136, and a threshold update unit 137.

[0065] The login management unit 131 executes various processes related to the management of logins of each user to the environment-related data management system 100 .

[0066] The organization-by-organization tabulation execution unit 132 executes various processes related to the implementation of organization-by-organization tabulation.

[0067] The product-by-product tally execution unit 133 executes various processes related to the implementation of product-by-product tallying.

[0068] The metadata registration unit 134 executes various processes related to the registration of metadata.

[0069] The aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135 executes various processes including the correction process described above. Details of the correction process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0070] The message output unit 136 executes various processes related to message output.

[0071] The threshold update unit 137 executes the above-mentioned threshold update process, the details of which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0072] The control unit is configured using a processor 101, and can realize these functional blocks by executing the environment-related data management program described above. Note that the control unit may be configured using a logic circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) instead of the processor 101. The control unit may also be configured by combining the processor 101 with a logic circuit.

[0073] The storage unit is configured using a storage device, for example, consisting of memory 102 and auxiliary storage device 103, and stores programs that supply various processing commands to the control unit, and data representing various information used in the processing executed by the control unit.

[0074] The storage unit stores a product unit tally record table and an organization unit tally record table, as well as various tables associated with these two tables (described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 19).

[0075] The control unit can execute various processes, including the aforementioned environmental data management process (described in detail below in relation to Figure 20), correction process (described in detail below in relation to Figure 26), and threshold update process (described in detail below in relation to Figure 27), by reading and writing data representing the various information managed by these tables to the memory unit.

[0076] The communication unit is responsible for communication processing with the user terminal 20 and other devices via the network 50. The communication unit is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

[0077] The user interface section is configured to include functional blocks of an input section and an output section (neither of which is shown).

[0078] The input unit is responsible for input-related processing, such as accepting input operations from the user, among other processes related to the user interface. The input unit is configured using an input device 105, such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and detects various operations from the user.

[0079] The output unit is responsible for output-related processes such as displaying various screens and outputting audio on the output device 106, among other processes related to the user interface. The output unit displays, for example, a GUI screen for managing environment-related data on the output device 106. The output unit is configured to include various output devices 106, such as a liquid crystal display or a touch screen.

[0080] It should be noted that the inclusion of an input unit and / or an output unit is not essential, for example, when remotely logging in to the environment-related data management system 100 from another external device such as a user terminal 20, or when receiving input information from an external device or providing output information to an external device via the communication device 104. In this case, the environment-related data management system 100 may have a web server function and be able to receive access from an external device using a predetermined protocol.

[0081] In other words, each component of the environment-related data management system 100 is realized by hardware including a processor 101, storage devices such as memory 102 and auxiliary storage device 103, wired or wireless communication lines and interface devices (104, 105, 106) that connect them, and software that is stored in the storage devices (102, 103) and supplies processing instructions to the computing unit (processor 101).

[0082] The above description of the functions of the environment-related data management system 100 has been given assuming that each function of the environment-related data management system 100 is implemented integrally by a single computer. However, each of these functions may be implemented by multiple interconnected computers and / or server devices. Furthermore, the environment-related data management system 100 may be configured to include a general-purpose computer such as a laptop PC with a web browser installed thereon, or may be configured to include a web server and various mobile devices.

[0083] The environment-related data management system 100 is a computer system that is configured on a single physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers, and may run on a virtual computer built on multiple physical computer resources. For example, functional units such as the login management unit 131, organization-level tally execution unit 132, product-level tally execution unit 133, metadata registration unit 134, tally comparison / correction unit 135, message output unit 136, and threshold update unit 137 may each run on a separate physical or logical computer, or multiple units may be combined to run on a single physical or logical computer.

[0084] Furthermore, the above description of each function is merely an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0085] Furthermore, the environment-related data management system 100 may have other functions in addition to the above-mentioned functions. For example, the environment-related data management system 100 may be configured to include some of the various functions of the user terminal 20, as described above.

[0086] <Product-based and organizational-based aggregation> Next, the above-mentioned product-based aggregation and organization-based aggregation will be explained with reference to FIGS.

[0087] Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining the breakdown of product-based and organization-based aggregates. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the correspondence between each item in the product-based and organization-based aggregates. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the position of each item in the product-based and organization-based aggregates in the supply chain.

[0088] As shown in Figure 3, the aggregated values of GHG emissions managed by the environment-related data management system 100 include organization-level aggregated values calculated by organization-level aggregation and product-level aggregated values calculated by product-level aggregation.

[0089] As mentioned above, organizational unit aggregation is a method of aggregating data across the entire organization of a GHG-emitting business, and is primarily used by the organization's environmental management department to prepare CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) reports, etc.

[0090] In contrast, as mentioned above, product-based aggregation is a method of aggregating data by product unit manufactured and sold by the organization, and is a method of aggregation mainly used by the product design and development department when performing LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) calculations.

[0091] In this product-level aggregation, for each product handled in the supply chain, the amount of GHG emissions is calculated separately: the amount of GHG emitted during the manufacture of that product; and the amount of GHG emitted during the manufacture, distribution, and sale of the raw materials, parts, semi-finished products, and other items that make up that product (hereinafter also referred to as "components"). Of these, the amount of GHG emissions during the manufacture of the product is calculated from the standard manufacturing time of the product, or from the fuel and electricity actually used in the manufacturing process, using sensors installed on the manufacturing equipment. Furthermore, the amount of GHG emissions related to the components of the product is either provided by the supplier or calculated using a basic unit table.

[0092] The environment-related data management system 100 compares the organization-unit aggregate value with the product-unit aggregate value for comparable items, and if the organization-unit aggregate value is inaccurate, for example, it corrects it based on the corresponding product-unit aggregate value, thereby optimizing the organization-unit aggregate value.

[0093] Specifically, the items for which the aggregated values can be compared between the organization-based aggregate and the product-based aggregate are the following six items, as shown in FIG.

[0094] (1) Scope 1 and Scope 2 of the items subject to aggregation at the organizational level, and emissions from the manufacturing process (hereinafter also referred to as "manufacturing") of the items subject to aggregation at the product level. (2) Of the items subject to aggregation at the organizational level, Scope 3 Category 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "Cat. 1"), which is an item related to purchased products and services, and of the items subject to aggregation at the product level, emissions from purchased items (hereinafter also referred to as "purchased items"). (3) Among the items subject to aggregation by organization unit, Scope 3 Category 4 (hereinafter also referred to as "Cat. 4"), which is an item related to upstream transportation and delivery, and among the items subject to aggregation by product unit, emissions during transportation (upstream) (hereinafter also referred to as "upstream transportation"). (4) Among the items subject to aggregation by organization unit, Scope 3 Category 9 (hereinafter also referred to as "Cat. 9"), which is an item related to downstream transportation and delivery, and among the items subject to aggregation by product unit, emissions during transportation (downstream) (hereinafter also referred to as "downstream transportation"). (5) Among the items subject to aggregation at the organizational level, Scope 3 Category 11 (hereinafter also referred to as "Cat. 11"), which is an item related to the use of sold products, and among the items subject to aggregation at the product level, emissions during the use of the product (hereinafter also referred to as "use"). (6) Among the items subject to aggregation at the organizational level, Scope 3 Category 12 (hereinafter also referred to as "Cat. 12"), which is an item related to the disposal of sold products, and among the items subject to aggregation at the product level, emissions from disposal and recycling (hereinafter also referred to as "disposal and recycling").

[0095] Of the organizational aggregates, the aggregated values for Scope 1 are generally accurate because the company itself knows the amount of fuel it has input. Furthermore, the aggregated values for Scope 2 are considered accurate because information is provided directly from electric power companies, gas companies, etc. In contrast, the aggregated values for each Scope 3 category will be accurate if information is provided directly from each supplier for each of the five categories above, but will be inaccurate if calculated by apportioning amounts or weights. Furthermore, if accurate values cannot be obtained for all of the five categories above, the overall value will be inaccurate.

[0096] On the other hand, among the aggregated values by product, the aggregated values for purchased items differ from the Scope 3 Category 1 purchased items in the aggregated values by organization, in that they do not include GHG emissions from office use or secondary materials such as general-purpose glue. Also, the aggregated values for manufacturing do not include idling of manufacturing equipment in the electricity used during the production of the product in question.

[0097] As such, when comparing the aggregated values by organization unit and the aggregated values by product unit, it depends on the case as to which aggregated value more accurately represents the actual situation. However, since the aggregated values for Scope 3 are often inaccurate, the aggregated values by organization unit are often inaccurate overall.

[0098] Figure 5 shows the positioning of each item in the supply chain for product-level and organization-level aggregations. The company purchases various items from supplier companies, and the GHG emissions of all purchased items, such as product A1 manufactured by supplier company A and product B1 manufactured by supplier company B, are aggregated as Scope 3 Category 1 in the company's organization-level aggregation. Similarly, GHG emissions emitted during the transportation of all purchased items are aggregated as Scope 3 Category 4 in the organization-level aggregation. Meanwhile, in product-level aggregation, GHG emissions related to purchased items actually used in each product are aggregated as emissions for purchased items based on the BOM of products C1 and C2 produced by the company, and GHG emissions related to the transportation of purchased items are aggregated for each product as emissions related to upstream transportation.

[0099] If a company operates a boiler using gas or other fuel during product manufacturing, the GHG emissions from manufacturing process α using the boiler are allocated to each product using the allocation method set by the company and added up as the amount for manufacturing process α in the product-level aggregation.On the other hand, the GHG emissions from all manufacturing processes α, which are aggregated as the company's direct emissions under Scope 1 in the organization-level aggregation, are calculated based on the weight and value of the gas or other fuel input into the boiler.

[0100] Here, if the total emissions from the boiler are calculated using a basic unit calculation based on the weight of the fuel input, it is believed that a generally accurate calculation of GHG emissions can be achieved. However, in actual calculations, the purchase price of the fuel is often used as a more easily accessible figure than the weight of the fuel. However, if the basic unit calculation is based on the purchase price of the fuel, even if the actual fuel used is the same, the calculated GHG emissions will differ depending on the purchase price, resulting in an inaccurate value.

[0101] In product-by-product aggregation, there is no set method for allocating GHG emissions for each product in manufacturing process α, and companies can set their own method. Therefore, for example, it is possible to allocate a smaller amount of GHG emissions to products with low carbon emissions and a larger amount to products with low carbon emissions. It is also possible to allocate by weight of each product, or to use sensors to measure the actual time taken to manufacture each product and allocate by that manufacturing time.

[0102] GHG emissions from manufacturing process β, which uses electricity purchased from an external company, are allocated to each product using the allocation method set by the company and added up as the amount for manufacturing process β in the product-level aggregation. On the other hand, GHG emissions from all manufacturing processes β, which are aggregated as Scope 2 in the organizational level aggregation as the company's indirect emissions, are calculated based on the amount of electricity used, or the GHG emissions notified by the power company are used as is.

[0103] Similarly, GHG emissions from upstream transportation, downstream transportation, use, and disposal / recycling in the company's product-level aggregation are also aggregated in the organization-level aggregation as items comparable to the product-level aggregation, such as upstream transportation (Scope 3 Category 4), downstream transportation (Scope 3 Category 9), use (Scope 3 Category 11), and disposal / recycling (Scope 3 Category 12). There are several possible methods for calculating GHG emissions for each item in the organization-level aggregation, including multiplying by emission source units based on monetary amount or weight, using information provided by business partners, and adding up each item for all products calculated using product-level aggregation.

[0104] If necessary, the customer company (downstream company) that sold the product can request that the company disclose information on the GHG emissions of purchased items such as product C1 and product C2. In this case, the company will submit the GHG emissions of each product, aggregated by product, to the downstream company. The GHG emissions of the company's products will then be incorporated as part of the downstream company's Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased items).

[0105] Next, the tables storing various data relating to the above-mentioned product-based aggregation or organization-based aggregation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0106] (Table for product unit aggregation) First, an example of the configuration of each table relating to the product-unit tally will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a product-unit tally record table 600A and a product-unit tally metadata storage table 600B.

[0107] (Product Unit Aggregation Record Table 600A) The product-level tally record table 600A is a table for recording the results of product-level tallying. The product-level tally record table 600A has a record for each product. Each record contains a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, a product ID for uniquely identifying each product, the date and time of recording for that record, and the total amount of GHG emissions associated with that product. That is, the product-level tally record table 600A links and records the product ID, the date and time of recording, and the total amount of GHG emissions associated with that product for each record, thereby managing the aggregated value of the product-level tally, i.e., the total GHG emissions associated with that product, for each product. In the example shown in FIG. 6, "Record 1" in the product-level tally record table 600A records that the GHG emissions of a product identified by product ID "XXXX" are "1.234E+005g-CO2" at "September 1, 2023, 12:34:56."

[0108] (Product unit aggregate metadata storage table 600B) The product-level tally metadata storage table 600B is a table for storing metadata related to product-level tallying. The product-level tally metadata storage table 600B has a record for each record ID. The record represents the same record ID as the product-level tally record table 600A and fields related to upstream transportation, purchased items, manufacturing, downstream transportation, use, and disposal / recycling, which are the target items of the product-level tally identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-level tally metadata storage table 600B stores, for each record, a record ID associated with each field related to upstream transportation, purchased items, manufacturing, downstream transportation, use, and disposal / recycling, thereby managing metadata related to the breakdown of the product-level tally for each product. In the example shown in Figure 6, "Record 1" in the product-unit aggregate metadata storage table 600B stores as metadata the following items that are the subject of the product-unit aggregate: "Record 11" for upstream transportation, "Record 12" for purchased items, "Record 13" for manufacturing, "Record 14" for downstream transportation, "Record 15" for use, and "Record 16" for disposal and recycling.

[0109] Among the target items of product-unit aggregation corresponding to each field of the product-unit aggregation metadata storage table 600B, the data corresponding to "record 11" stored as metadata in the field for upstream transportation is stored in the product-unit aggregation-upstream transportation data storage table 700, an example of the configuration of which is shown in Figure 7. Similarly, among the target items of the product-level tally, data corresponding to "record 12" stored as metadata in the purchased item field is stored in product-level tally-purchased item data storage table 800 shown as an example in FIG. 8, data corresponding to "record 13" stored as metadata in the manufacturing field is stored in product-level tally-manufacturing data storage table 900 shown as an example in FIG. 9, data corresponding to "record 14" stored as metadata in the downstream transportation field is stored in a product-level tally-downstream transportation data storage table (not shown) similar to product-level tally-upstream transportation data storage table 700, data corresponding to "record 11" stored as metadata in the usage field is stored in product-level tally-usage data storage table 1000 shown as an example in FIG. 10, and data corresponding to "record 11" stored as metadata in the disposal / recycling field is stored in product-level tally-disposal / recycling data storage table 1100 shown as an example in FIG. 11.

[0110] (Product unit summary - Upstream transportation data storage table 700) The product-based totals-upstream transportation data storage table 700 is a table for storing upstream transportation data, which is data that represents the total values related to upstream transportation among the product-based totals, along with the breakdown of the total values, such as data type, registration date and time, and data details. The product-based totals-upstream transportation data storage table 700 has a record for each record ID. The record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record and the data content of the upstream transportation data recorded in the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-based totals-upstream transportation data storage table 700 manages upstream transportation data for each data item by recording the data content of the upstream transportation data corresponding to each record in association with the record ID. Figure 7 shows an example of the data configuration of upstream transportation data corresponding to "record 11" in the product-based totals metadata storage table 600B. Similarly, for downstream transportation data corresponding to "record 14" in the product unit aggregation metadata storage table 600B (data representing the product unit aggregation values related to downstream transportation along with their breakdown, data type, registration date and time, data details, etc.), a product unit aggregation-upstream transportation data storage table (not shown) is provided, which is a table for storing downstream transportation data.

[0111] (Product unit summary - Purchase data storage table 800) The product-level tally-purchase data storage table 800 is a table for storing purchase data, which is data that represents the aggregated values for purchases among the product-level tally values, along with the breakdown of the values, such as product name, data type, registration date and time, and data details. The product-level tally-purchase data storage table 800 has a record for each record ID. The record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record and the data content of the purchase data recorded in the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-level tally-purchase data storage table 800 manages purchase data by data by recording the data content of the purchase data corresponding to each record in association with the record ID. Figure 8 shows an example of the data configuration of purchase data corresponding to "record 12" in the product-level tally metadata storage table 600B.

[0112] (Product unit summary - manufacturing data storage table 900) The product-based tally-manufacturing data storage table 900 is a table for storing manufacturing data, which is data that represents the manufacturing-related aggregate values among the product-based aggregate values, along with their breakdown, such as classification, registration date and time, and data details. The product-based tally-manufacturing data storage table 900 has a record for each record ID. The record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record and the data content of the manufacturing data recorded in the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-based tally-manufacturing data storage table 900 manages manufacturing data by data by recording the data content of the manufacturing data corresponding to each record in association with the record ID. Figure 9 shows an example of the data configuration of manufacturing data corresponding to "record 13" in the product-based tally metadata storage table 600B.

[0113] (Product unit total - usage data storage table 1000) The product-based tally-usage data storage table 1000 is a table for storing usage data, which is data that represents usage-related aggregate values among product-based aggregate values, along with their breakdown, such as consumable items, registration dates and times, and data details. The product-based tally-usage data storage table 1000 has a record for each record ID. The record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record and the data content of the usage data recorded in the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-based tally-usage data storage table 1000 manages usage data by data by recording the data content of the usage data corresponding to each record in association with the record ID. Figure 10 shows an example of the data configuration of usage data corresponding to "record 15" in the product-based tally metadata storage table 600B.

[0114] (Product Unit Aggregation - Disposal and Recycle Data Storage Table 1100) The product-based aggregate - disposal / recycle data storage table 1100 is a table for storing upstream transportation data, which is data that represents the disposal / recycle-related aggregate values from the product-based aggregate values, along with their breakdowns such as classification, data type, registration date and time, and data details. The product-based aggregate - disposal / recycle data storage table 1100 has a record for each record ID. The record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record and the data content of the disposal / recycle data recorded in the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the product-based aggregate - disposal / recycle data storage table 1100 manages disposal / recycle data by data by linking the data content of the disposal / recycle data corresponding to each record with the record ID. Figure 11 shows an example of the data configuration of disposal / recycle data corresponding to "record 16" in the product-based aggregate metadata storage table 600B.

[0115] (Example of table configuration for organizational unit aggregation) Next, an example of the configuration of each table relating to the organization unit summary will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an organization unit summary record table 1200A and an organization unit summary metadata storage table 1200B.

[0116] (Organizational Unit Summary Record Table 1200A) The organization unit summary record table 1200A is a table for recording the results of the organization unit summary. The organization unit summary record table 1200A has a record for each organization. Each record represents a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, the date and time of recording of the record, the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization corresponding to the record, and the fields for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 in the organization unit summary conducted for the organization. In other words, the organization unit summary record table 1200A links and records, for each record, the record ID and date and time of recording of the record, the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization corresponding to the record, and the fields for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 in the organization unit summary conducted for the organization, thereby managing the summary value of the organization unit summary, i.e., the total GHG emissions related to the organization, for each organization, along with metadata regarding the breakdown of the organization unit summary. In the example shown in Figure 12, "Record 100" in the organizational unit summary record table 1200A records that the total amount of GHG emitted in relation to the organization is "2.345E+010g-CO2" at "September 1, 2023, 12:34:56."

[0117] (Organizational Unit Summary Metadata Storage Table 1200B) The organizational unit aggregation metadata storage table 1200B is a table for storing metadata related to organizational unit aggregation. The organizational unit aggregation metadata storage table 1200B has a record for each record ID. A record manages metadata related to the breakdown of the organizational unit aggregation by storing the same record ID as the organizational unit aggregation record table 1200A in association with each field for Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3, which are the target items of the organizational unit aggregation identified by the record ID. According to the example shown in FIG. 12, "record 100" in the organizational unit aggregation metadata storage table 1200B stores, as metadata, "record 101" for Scope1, "record 102" for Scope2, and "record 103" for Scope3, which are the target items of the organizational unit aggregation.

[0118] Of the target items of the organizational unit aggregation corresponding to each field of the organizational unit aggregation metadata storage table 1200B, data of content corresponding to "record 101" stored as metadata in the field for Scope 1 is stored in an organizational unit aggregation-Scope 1 record table 1300, an example of the configuration of which is shown in Fig. 13. Similarly, of the target items of the organizational unit aggregation, data of content corresponding to "record 102" stored as metadata in the field for Scope 2 is stored in an organizational unit aggregation-Scope 2 record table 1400, an example of the configuration of which is shown in Fig. 14, and data of content corresponding to "record 103" stored as metadata in the field for Scope 3 is stored in an organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 record table 1500, an example of the configuration of which is shown in Fig. 15.

[0119] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 1 Record Table 1300) The organizational unit summary-Scope 1 record table 1300 has a record for each record ID. Each record indicates the record ID, the date and time of the record, the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization corresponding to the record, and the specific data content. In the example shown in FIG. 13, "Record 101" in the organizational unit summary-Scope 1 record table 1300 records the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization as "1.111E+010g-CO2" at "January 10, 2022, 12:34:56" along with detailed data content.

[0120] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 2 Record Table 1400) The organizational unit summary-Scope 2 record table 1400 has a record for each record ID. Each record indicates the record ID, the date and time of the record, the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization corresponding to the record, and the specific data content. In the example shown in FIG. 14, "Record 102" in the organizational unit summary-Scope 2 record table 1400 records, together with detailed data content, that the total amount of GHG emissions related to the organization is "1.111E+010g-CO2" at "January 10, 2022, 12:34:56."

[0121] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 3 Record Table 1500) The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500 is a table for storing metadata about Scope 3 in the organizational unit summary. The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500 has a record for each record ID. The record indicates the record ID, the recording date and time of the record, and a field for each of the 15 categories included in Scope 3. In other words, the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500 stores, for each record, the record ID, the recording date and time of the record, and a field for each category of Scope 3 that corresponds to the record, in association with each other, thereby managing metadata about each of Categories 1 to 15 of Scope 3 for each record.

[0122] Of the categories 1 to 15 of Scope 3 in the organizational unit aggregation corresponding to each field of the organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 record table 1500, the data corresponding to "Record 103-1" stored as metadata in the field for Category 1 (Purchases) is stored in the organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchases) record table 1600, an example of the configuration of which is shown in Figure 16. Similarly, of categories 1 to 15 of Scope 3 in the organizational unit aggregation, data corresponding to "record 103-4" stored as metadata in the field for category 4 (upstream transportation) is stored in organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 category 4 (upstream transportation) record table 1700 shown as an example in FIG. 17, data corresponding to "record 103-11" stored as metadata in the field for category 11 (use of sold products) is stored in organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 category 11 (use of sold products) record table 1800 shown as an example in FIG. 18, and data corresponding to "record 103-12" stored as metadata in the field for category 12 (disposal of sold products) is stored in organizational unit aggregation-Scope 3 category 12 (disposal of sold products) record table 1900 shown as an example in FIG. 19.

[0123] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchases) Record Table 1600) The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Items) record table 1600 is a table for recording the summary values for Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Items) among the organizational unit summary values, along with the breakdown of data content and the recording date and time. The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Items) record table 1600 has a record for each record ID. The record indicates a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, as well as the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Items) record table 1600 records the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of each record in association with the record ID, thereby managing the organizational unit summary values for Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Items) for each recording date and time. Figure 16 shows an example of the data configuration of data corresponding to "Record 103-1" in the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500.

[0124] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 3 Category 4 (Upstream Transportation) Record Table 1700) The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 4 (upstream transportation) record table 1700 is a table for recording the summary values for Scope 3 Category 4 (upstream transportation) among the organizational unit summary values, along with the breakdown of data content and the recording date and time. The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 4 (upstream transportation) record table 1700 has a record for each record ID. The record indicates a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, as well as the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 4 (upstream transportation) record table 1700 records the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of each record in association with the record ID, thereby managing the organizational unit summary values for Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased items) for each recording date and time. Figure 17 shows an example of the data configuration of data corresponding to "Record 103-4" in the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500.

[0125] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 3 Category 11 (Use of Sold Products) Record Table 1800) The organizational unit aggregate-Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) record table 1800 is a table for recording the aggregate values for Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) among the organizational unit aggregate values, along with the breakdown of data content and recording date and time. The organizational unit aggregate-Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) record table 1800 has a record for each record ID. The record indicates a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, as well as the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the organizational unit aggregate-Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) record table 1800 records the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of each record in association with the record ID, thereby managing the organizational unit aggregate values for Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased items) for each recording date and time. Figure 18 shows an example of the data configuration of data corresponding to "Record 103-11" in the organizational unit aggregate-Scope 3 record table 1500.

[0126] (Organizational Unit Aggregation - Scope 3 Category 12 (Disposal of Sold Products) Record Table 1900) The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 12 (disposal of sold products) record table 1900 is a table for recording the summary values for Scope 3 Category 12 (disposal of sold products) among the organizational unit summary values, along with the breakdown of data content and the recording date and time. The organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 12 (disposal of sold products) record table 1900 has a record for each record ID. The record indicates a record ID for uniquely identifying each record, as well as the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of the record identified by the record ID. In other words, the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 Category 12 (disposal of sold products) record table 1900 records the recording date and time, GHG emissions, and data content of each record in association with the record ID, thereby managing the organizational unit summary values for Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased items) for each recording date and time. Figure 19 shows an example of the data configuration of data corresponding to "Record 103-12" in the organizational unit summary-Scope 3 record table 1500.

[0127] <Processing flow example> Next, each process executed by the environment-related data management system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 20, 26, and 27. FIG.

[0128] (Environment-related data management processing) FIG. 20 is a flowchart 2000 showing an example of the flow of the environment-related data management process performed in this embodiment.

[0129] In step S2001, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process of performing organization-level aggregation using the organization-level aggregation execution unit 132. As a result, an organization-level aggregate value is obtained. The organization-level aggregate value obtained in step S2001 is recorded in the organization-level aggregate record table 1200 shown in FIG. 12. When the process in step S2001 is completed, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2002.

[0130] In step S2002, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process to perform product-based tallying using the product-based tallying execution unit 133. As a result, a product-based tally value is obtained. The product-based tally value obtained in step S2002 is recorded in the product-based tally record table 600A shown in FIG. 6. When the process in step S2002 is completed, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2003.

[0131] In step S2003, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 causes the metadata registration unit 134 to execute processing to record metadata of the registered data for the organization-unit aggregate value obtained in step S2001 and the product-unit aggregate value obtained in step S2002 in the organization-unit aggregate metadata storage table 1200B illustrated in Fig. 12 and the product-unit aggregate metadata storage table 600B illustrated in Fig. 6. As a result, the metadata of the registered data is recorded in the organization-unit aggregate metadata storage table 1200B and the product-unit aggregate metadata storage table 600B. Upon completing the processing in step S2003, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2004.

[0132] In step S2004, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process in which the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 compares the organization-level aggregated value obtained in step S2001 with the product-level aggregated value obtained in step S2002 for each corresponding item, and determines whether there is any item for which the difference (%) exceeds a threshold. The items compared in step S2004 (hereinafter also referred to as "the comparison items") are the items included in the organization-level aggregate that are shaded in Figure 4, and each item in the product-level aggregate that corresponds to each of the items.

[0133] This comparison in step S2004 is performed by detecting differences through an overall comparison of metadata parameters in the aggregated data, as shown in the example in Figure 22. In the example shown in Figure 22, a comparison is made between purchased items in product-level aggregation and Scope 3 Category 1 in organization-level aggregation. In product-level aggregation, the GHG emissions of each purchased item are recorded for each product, as shown in Figure 22 (1) product-level aggregation image. Then, among the purchased items registered in (2) product-level aggregation, as an example, the integrated value of all products used is calculated for the control board "CCC." In addition, the value of the control board "CCC" included in Scope 3 Category 1 is obtained as the value to be compared, as shown in (3) organization-level aggregation image.

[0134] Furthermore, if there are items that are not managed using the same aggregation unit, the aggregation unit for the item related to one of the aggregation methods is raised to match the aggregation units for the items being compared. For example, when comparing control boards "CCC," if the comparison cannot be made using the aggregation unit "CCC," the aggregation unit is raised to "control board," which includes control boards "CCC" and "DDD," and then the comparison is made. This makes it possible to compare product-based aggregation and organization-based aggregation even for items with different aggregation units, and identifies items that need to be corrected.

[0135] The difference (%) between the organization-unit aggregate value and the product-unit aggregate value can be calculated for each comparison item in step S2004 in the following manner.

[0136] Variance [%] = {(aggregate value by organization unit - aggregate value by product unit) / aggregate value by organization unit} x 100

[0137] In the example shown in Figure 22, for control board "CCC," in the product-by-product aggregation, the cumulative GHG emissions for "CCC" for all products used is 30, while in the organization-by-organization aggregation, it is 300. Therefore, when applied to the above formula, the difference is 90%, and control board "CCC" is identified as an item subject to correction processing.

[0138] The threshold value used in step S2004 is initially set to a predetermined value such as the organization's performance value, etc. The threshold value can be updated by a threshold value update process (described in detail later with reference to FIG. 27).

[0139] Instead of using the same threshold value for the entire organization, different threshold values may be used for each product, each product group, or each region / factory.

[0140] If it is determined in step S2004 that there are no items that exceed the threshold value (step S2004: No), correction processing is not required, and the environment-related data management processing shown in flowchart 2000 in Fig. 20 is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2004 that there are items that exceed the threshold value (step S2004: Yes), the processing proceeds to step S2005 to identify the relevant items as target items.

[0141] In step S2005, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing to identify the relevant item as a target item for correction processing by the aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135. As a result, the relevant item is identified as a target item for correction processing. Upon completing the processing in step S2005, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2006.

[0142] In step S2006, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process in which the aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135 compares the metadata of the target items and identifies metadata with different values. This comparison in step S2006 is performed by detecting differences through a comprehensive comparison of the metadata parameters of the items to be corrected between the organization-level aggregate and the product-level aggregate, as shown in Fig. 21. When the process in step S2006 is completed, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2007.

[0143] In step S2007, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 causes the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 to execute a correction process, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 26 . In this correction process, the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 determines whether the organization-based aggregation or the product-based aggregation is correct for different metadata, and executes a process of recording the aggregated value corresponding to the aggregation method determined to be correct in the post-correction DB and / or a process of presenting correction instructions to the user. Furthermore, if there are multiple items subject to correction processing, the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 loops this correction process, repeatedly executing it for each target item. This results in correction processing being executed for all target items. The environment-related data management system 100 can execute this correction process in step S2007 automatically, as shown in a GUI display screen 2300 illustrated in FIG. 23 , or in response to a user input operation, as shown in a GUI display screen 2400 illustrated in FIG. 24 . Upon completing the processing in step S2007, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2008.

[0144] In step S2008, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing to output the target product, the reason for the difference, and the aggregated values before and after the correction using the message output unit 136. This outputs the target product, the reason for the difference, and the aggregated values before and after the correction. Upon completing the processing in step S2008, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 ends the environment-related data management processing illustrated in the flowchart 2000 of FIG. 20.

[0145] (Correction content instruction table 2500) FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the correction content instruction table 2500.

[0146] The correction content instruction table 2500 is a table for instructing the correction content. The correction content instruction table 2500 has a record for each item to be corrected. The record indicates the location to be corrected, the reason for the correction, the method for the correction, and the date and time of recording the record. That is, the correction content instruction table 2500 links and records the location, cause, and method of the correction with the date and time of recording the record for each record, thereby managing the content of the correction instruction for each correction. In the example shown in FIG. 25, the correction content instruction table 2500 records that for the "control board (CCC)," the cause was "not applying supplier-provided information to the organization-unit aggregation," so "the organization-unit aggregation value was changed to the supplier-provided value" at "January 10, 2022, 12:34:56."

[0147] (correction processing) FIG. 26 is a flowchart 2600 showing an example of the flow of the correction process performed in this embodiment.

[0148] In step S2601, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process in which the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 determines whether the item with the difference relates to Scope 1. If it is determined in step S2601 that the item with the difference relates to Scope 1 (step S2601: Yes), that is, if the aggregated value is for a manufacturing process directly related to emissions within the company, the process proceeds to step S2610, where a process is executed to record the product-based aggregated value in the correction DB based on the organization-based aggregated value, including emissions during idling that are not included in the manufacturing process, in accordance with an allocation rule. Note that in the case of a correction allocation rule for product-based aggregates, the allocation rule can be set in advance by the user of the environment-related data management system 100 using various methods, such as a method of not including idling emissions in eco-friendly products and concentrating all emissions on cheaper products, a method of allocating emissions by weight or value for each product used, or a method of distributing emissions equally to all products. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2601 that the item having the difference is not related to Scope 1 (step S2601: No), the process proceeds to step S2602.

[0149] In step S2602, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process in which the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 determines whether the item with the difference relates to Scope 2. If it is determined in step S2602 that the item with the difference relates to Scope 2 (step S2602: Yes), that is, if the product-based aggregated value is an aggregated value for a manufacturing process related to electricity, heat, or steam supplied by another company, the process proceeds to step S2610, where the process executes a process to record the product-based aggregated value in the correction DB in accordance with the allocation rules, based on the organization-based aggregated value, for emissions during idling that are not included in the manufacturing process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2602 that the item with the difference does not relate to Scope 2 (step S2602: No), the process proceeds to step S2603.

[0150] In step S2603, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes a process in which the aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135 determines whether the values of Category 1, Category 4, Category 9, Category 11, and Category 12, among the categories included in Scope 3, are set in both aggregate values. If it is determined in step S2603 that any of the values of Category 1, Category 4, Category 9, Category 11, and Category 12 of Scope 3 are not set in either aggregate value (step S2603: No), the process proceeds to step S2620, where it executes a process of recording the numerical values of the set categories in an unset aggregate correction DB. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2603 that the values of Category 1, Category 4, Category 9, Category 11, and Category 12 of Scope 3 are set in both aggregate values (step S2603: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2604.

[0151] In step S2604, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing by the aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135 to determine whether primary data is set for only one of the aggregate values. This is because, when there is primary data (e.g., data provided by suppliers or downstream companies, or sensor values, etc.) and secondary data (e.g., calculated values for basic units), priority is given to the primary data. If it is determined in step S2604 that primary data is set for only one of the aggregate values (step S2604: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2630, where processing is performed to record the set primary data in the correction DB for the unset aggregate value. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2604 that primary data is not set for only one of the aggregate values (step S2604: No), that is, if both are primary data or both are secondary data, the process proceeds to step S2605.

[0152] In step S2605, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing by the aggregate value comparison and correction unit 135 to determine whether primary data has been set for either aggregate. If it is determined in step S2605 that primary data has been set for both aggregates (step S2605: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2640, where the aggregate value for which the latest primary data has been registered is recorded in the correction DB for the older aggregate. This is because, if the data is the same, the latest one takes priority. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2605 that primary data has not been set for either aggregate (step S2605: No), that is, both are secondary data and are values obtained by basic unit calculation, the process proceeds to step S2606.

[0153] In step S2606, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing in which the aggregated value comparison and correction unit 135 determines whether a physical quantity-based intensity unit is set for both aggregated values. If it is determined in step S2606 that a physical quantity-based intensity unit is set for both aggregated values (step S2606: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2650, where the aggregated values for which the intensity unit calculation method is based on monetary amount are converted to a physical quantity-based intensity unit and recorded in the correction DB. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2606 that a physical quantity-based intensity unit is set for both aggregated values (step S2606: No), that is, in all other cases such as when the calculation conditions for emissions during use in category 11 are different or when the calculation conditions for emissions at disposal in category 12 are different, the process proceeds to step S2660, where the different parameters are presented to the user, and the user manually records the changed values in the correction DB.

[0154] When the correction process illustrated in the flowchart 2600 of FIG. 26 is completed, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 proceeds to step S2008 of the environment-related data management process illustrated in the flowchart 2000 of FIG.

[0155] (Threshold update process) FIG. 27 is a flowchart 2700 showing an example of the flow of the threshold value update process performed in this embodiment.

[0156] In step S2701, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing to determine whether or not the previous aggregated value contained data exceeding the threshold value through the threshold value update unit 137. If it is determined in step S2701 that the previous aggregated value contained data exceeding the threshold value (step S2701: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2702 to determine whether or not the data exceeding the threshold value has been registered or corrected. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2701 that the previous aggregated value did not contain data exceeding the threshold value (step S2701: No), the process proceeds to step S2703 to update the threshold value based on the previous aggregated value.

[0157] In step S2702, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing to determine whether or not a registration correction has been made to the data that exceeded the threshold value, using the threshold value update unit 137. If it is determined in step S2702 that a registration correction has been made to the data that exceeded the threshold value (step S2702: Yes), there is no need to update the threshold value, and the threshold value update processing shown in flowchart 2700 in Fig. 27 ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2702 that a registration correction has not been made to the data that exceeded the threshold value (step S2702: No), the processing proceeds to step S2703 to update the threshold value based on the previous aggregate value.

[0158] In step S2703, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 executes processing to update the threshold value based on the previous aggregated value using the threshold value update unit 137. The threshold value update unit 137 updates the threshold value by setting the median of the difference errors obtained by comparing the previous aggregated value as a new threshold value. This updates the threshold value. When the processing in step S2703 is completed, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 ends the threshold value update processing illustrated in the flowchart 2700 of FIG. 27.

[0159] As a result, if the previous aggregated value did not contain data exceeding the threshold value (step S2701: No), or if the previous aggregated value contained data exceeding the threshold value (step S2701: Yes) but no registration corrections were made to the data exceeding the threshold value (step S2702: No), the environment-related data management system 100 can update the threshold value by setting the median of the difference error when comparing the previous aggregated value as the new threshold value.

[0160] The above-described embodiment of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

[0161] (1) The environment-related data management system 100 is a system for managing environment-related data, and the environment-related data includes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a supply chain consisting of at least supplier companies and buyer companies. The method includes at least GHG emissions that represent the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG), and among target items for organizational unit aggregation that aggregate GHG emissions for each organization of a supplier company, and target items for product unit aggregation that aggregate GHG emissions for each product manufactured by a buyer company, items that have a corresponding relationship with comparable items in the organizational unit aggregation, where the product unit has categories corresponding to each process from procurement of GHG-emitting parts to manufacturing, use, and disposal, and the categories are managed for each product, compares the value of the target item for organizational unit aggregation with a value that represents an integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation that is integrated by category, identifies items between the target item for organizational unit aggregation and the corresponding target item for product unit aggregation for which the value of the target item for organizational unit aggregation and the value that represents the integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation are compared, and determines which of the target values, the target item for organizational unit aggregation or the target item for product unit aggregation with different aggregate values, more accurately represents the actual situation, for each compared item, and corrects the aggregate value that is determined not to accurately represent the actual situation to a more accurate value. In this way, the environment-related data management system 100 can automatically optimize the aggregated value of GHG emissions based on consistent decision logic, making it easier for users of the environment-related data management system 100 to promote GX.

[0162] (2) The organizational unit aggregate values are managed by metadata for each target item of the organizational unit aggregate.

[0163] (3) The aggregated values per product are managed for each target item of the aggregated product by metadata.

[0164] (4) The items to be compared in the organization-level aggregate and the items to be compared in the product-level aggregate are identified based on a predetermined threshold value.

[0165] (5) If the aggregation unit of the comparison item in the organization-level aggregation does not match the aggregation unit of the comparison item in the product-level aggregation, the aggregation unit of the comparison item with the finer aggregation unit is aligned with the aggregation unit of the comparison item with the coarser aggregation unit, and the organization-level aggregation value and the product-level aggregation value are compared.

[0166] (6) Greenhouse gases include at least one of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons.

[0167] (7) The fluorocarbon is at least one of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon), HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon), and HFC (hydrofluorocarbon).

[0168] (8) The predetermined threshold is updated when either: - If there is no data exceeding the threshold in the previous aggregate value. - When the previous aggregated value contains data that exceeds the threshold, and the data that exceeds the threshold is registered and corrected.

[0169] (9) All target items of the organization unit total or product unit total related to the corrected total value, the reason for the difference, and the organization unit total value and product unit total value before and after the correction are displayed on the display screen.

[0170] (10) If the items with different predetermined aggregate values are related to Scope 1 or Scope 2, records emissions during idling, etc., which are not included in the manufacturing process, based on the values of the target items in the organizational unit aggregate in accordance with the allocation rules. If the items with differences are not related to Scope 1 or Scope 2, and the values of each category included in Scope 3 are not set to at least one of the aggregate values, records the values of the set categories. If the values of each category included in Scope 3 are set to at least one of the aggregate values, and primary data is set for only one of the aggregate values, records the set primary data as an unset aggregate. If the value of each category included in Scope 3 is set to at least one of the aggregated values and primary data is set for both aggregated values, the old aggregated value will be updated by recording the aggregated value for which the latest primary data is registered; if a physical volume-based intensity unit is set for both aggregated values, the aggregated value for which the intensity unit calculation method is monetary is recorded as a physical volume-based intensity unit; if a physical volume-based intensity unit is not set for either aggregated value, different parameters will be presented to the user so that the user can manually input a changed value, and aggregated values that are determined not to accurately represent the actual situation will be corrected to more accurate values.

[0171] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented using any components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0172] As an example, the control unit of the environment-related data management system 100 may further execute a process of comparing the corrected organization-level aggregated value and / or product-level aggregated value with a target value preset by the user (e.g., a target value by scope or a target value by product), and if the aggregated value exceeds the target value, suggesting to the user a method for reducing GHG emissions for each scope of the organization-level aggregate or for each product of the product-level aggregate. In this case, a more appropriate method for reducing GHG emissions is suggested to the user based on the optimized aggregated value of GHG emissions. As a result, users of the environment-related data management system 100 can more easily promote GX.

[0173] The above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these details as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments, examples, and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these details. Other aspects that can be considered within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0174] In the above figures, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines that are actually implemented. For example, it can be considered that almost all components are actually connected to each other.

[0175] Furthermore, the above-described layout of the functional units of the environment-related data management system 100 is merely an example. The layout of the functional units can be changed to an optimal layout in terms of the performance, processing efficiency, communication efficiency, etc. of the hardware and software included in the environment-related data management system 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 100: Environmental data management system

Claims

1. An environment-related data management system for managing environment-related data, the environmental data includes at least a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission amount representing the amount of GHG emitted in a supply chain composed of at least a supplier company and a buyer company; Target items for organization unit aggregation for aggregating GHG emissions by organization unit of the supplier company; Among the items subject to product-based aggregation that aggregates GHG emissions for each product manufactured by the buyer company, items that have a corresponding relationship with comparable items in the organizational-based aggregation Regarding The product unit has categories corresponding to each process from procurement of parts that emit GHG to manufacturing, use, and disposal, The categories are managed by product, comparing the value of the target item in the organization unit aggregation with the value representing the integration result for each category in the product unit aggregation integrated by category; a comparison is made between the value of the target item of the organization unit aggregation and the value representing the integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation, and among the target item of the organization unit aggregation and the corresponding target item of the product unit aggregation, items whose predetermined aggregation values differ are identified; determining, for each of the compared items, which of the target items of the organization unit aggregation and the target items of the product unit aggregation for which the aggregate values differ more accurately represents the actual situation; Correcting aggregated values that are deemed to not accurately represent the actual situation to more accurate values; Environmental data management system.

2. The environment-related data management system according to claim 1 , wherein the organization-unit aggregated values are managed for each target item of the organization-unit aggregated values by metadata.

3. The environment-related data management system according to claim 1 , wherein the product-unit aggregated value is managed for each target item of the product-unit aggregated value by metadata.

4. The environment-related data management system according to claim 1 , wherein the items to be compared in the organization-unit aggregation and the items to be compared in the product-unit aggregation are identified based on a predetermined threshold value.

5. 2. The environment-related data management system of claim 1, wherein, when the aggregation units of the comparison items in the organization-based aggregation are not aligned with the aggregation units of the comparison items in the product-based aggregation, the aggregation units of the comparison items with finer aggregation units are aligned with the aggregation units of the comparison items with coarser aggregation units, and the organization-based aggregate values and the product-based aggregate values are compared.

6. The greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), methane (CH ４ ), nitrous oxide (N ２ 10. The environment-related data management system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

7. 7. The environment-related data management system according to claim 6, wherein the fluorocarbon is at least one of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon), HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon), and HFC (hydrofluorocarbon).

8. The predetermined threshold is updated when either: ・If there is no data exceeding the threshold in the previous aggregate value, ・If the previous aggregated value contains data that exceeds the threshold, and the data that exceeds the threshold is registered and corrected, The environment-related data management system according to claim 4 .

9. 2. The environmental data management system according to claim 1, wherein all target items of the organization unit aggregate or the product unit aggregate related to the corrected aggregate value, the reason for the difference, and the organization unit aggregate value and the product unit aggregate value before and after the correction are displayed on a display screen.

10. If the item with a different predetermined aggregate value relates to Scope 1 or Scope 2, emissions during idling that are not included in the manufacturing process are recorded in accordance with an allocation rule based on the value of the target item in the organizational unit aggregate. If the item with the difference is not related to Scope 1 or Scope 2, and the value of each category included in Scope 3 is not set to at least one of the aggregate values, record the numerical value of the set category. If the value of each category included in Scope 3 is set to at least one of the aggregate values, and primary data is set to only one of the aggregate values, the set primary data is linked to the unset aggregate value and recorded. If the value of each category included in Scope 3 is set to at least one of the aggregate values and primary data is set to both aggregate values, the old aggregate value is updated by recording the aggregate value for which the latest primary data is registered, If a physical quantity-based unit of measure is set for both aggregated values, the aggregated value for which the unit of measure is calculated on a monetary basis shall be recorded as a physical quantity-based unit of measure, If a physical quantity-based basic unit is not set for either of the aggregated values, the different parameters are presented to the user so that the user can manually input the changed value.

2. The environment-related data management system according to claim 1, wherein the aggregated value determined not to accurately represent the actual situation is corrected to a more accurate value by performing the above-mentioned process.

11. An environment-related data management method for managing environment-related data, comprising: the environmental data includes at least a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission amount representing the amount of GHG emitted in a supply chain composed of at least a supplier company and a buyer company; a computer having at least a processor and a storage device, Target items for organization unit aggregation for aggregating GHG emissions by organization unit of the supplier company; Among the items subject to product-based aggregation that aggregates GHG emissions for each product manufactured by the buyer company, items that have a corresponding relationship with comparable items in the organizational-based aggregation Regarding The product unit has categories corresponding to each process from procurement of parts that emit GHG to manufacturing, use, and disposal, The categories are managed by product, comparing the value of the target item in the organization unit aggregation with the value representing the integration result for each category in the product unit aggregation integrated by category; a comparison is made between the value of the target item of the organization unit aggregation and the value representing the integration result for each category of the product unit aggregation, and among the target item of the organization unit aggregation and the corresponding target item of the product unit aggregation, items whose predetermined aggregation values differ are identified; determining, for each of the compared items, which of the target items of the organization unit aggregation and the target items of the product unit aggregation for which the aggregate values differ more accurately represents the actual situation; Correcting aggregated values that are deemed to not accurately represent the actual situation to more accurate values; Environmental data management methods.

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