Information processing device

Abstract

To provide a technology for reducing the effort involved in trading improvement credits.SOLUTION: An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure acquires the remaining improvement credits held by a target company to enhance the value of an environmental impact indicator. The information processing device then distributes at least a portion of the acquired remaining improvement credit to the accounts of one or more companies that supply one or more containing products. The containing products are identified by traversing a product tree that hierarchically shows the supply relations within the supply chain to which the target company belongs for product groups that include the target company's target product. Each containing product is included as one or more upstream products within the target company's target product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a data communication system between companies. Specifically, in the proposed system, a supply chain consisting of multiple companies and a management server that manages data between the multiple companies that make up the supply chain are connected via a communication line. The management server includes a contract database, a transaction product database, and a transaction conditions database. The management server is configured to search for individual information on the vendor side and the customer side stored in the transaction conditions database using a contract unique ID as a key, and to code-translate the individual information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-171146 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for reducing the effort required for trading improvement credits. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit that is configured to acquire a remaining amount of improvement credits held by a target company for improving the value of an environmental impact index, and to distribute at least a portion of the acquired remaining amount of improvement credits to the accounts of one or more companies that supply one or more included products that are included as one or more upstream products of a target product of the target company, the included products being identified by tracing a product tree that hierarchically represents the supply relationships of a product group including the target product of the target company in a supply chain to which the target company belongs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the effort required for trading improvement credits. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a situation to which the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a method for distributing remaining improvement credits according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a first method for browsing a product tree of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a second method of browsing a product tree of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for accepting distribution conditions by the information processing device of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure related to distribution of improvement credits by the information processing device of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In recent years, there have been changes in the social responsibilities of companies, such as the need to curb global warming. It is difficult for a single company to address such social responsibilities. Companies in the supply chain are required to address social responsibilities. Therefore, the final Progress is being made in the development of technologies that visualize the supply relationships of product groups from a product to the most upstream product of the most upstream company. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for facilitating communication between companies in a supply chain. Development of technologies that visualize the supply relationships of product groups is being carried out in a variety of fields. For example, efforts such as Catena-X and MOBI are underway to develop technologies that visualize the supply relationships of product groups in a battery supply chain.

[0009] One of the purposes of visualizing the supply chain relationships of product groups is to measure the environmental impact indicators of final products and prove compliance with the above-mentioned social responsibility. Examples of environmental impact indicators include carbon dioxide emissions and the degree of renewable energy use. For example, Europe is currently developing a system requiring the reporting of carbon dioxide emissions over the life cycle of batteries. One measure to improve the environmental impact indicators is the introduction of credits such as carbon credits. However, if each company in the supply chain individually trades credits, the credit transactions become cumbersome.

[0010] In contrast, an information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit. The control unit is configured to acquire the remaining amount of improvement credits held by the target company, which are used to improve the value of the environmental impact index, and to distribute at least a portion of the acquired remaining amount of improvement credits to the accounts of one or more companies that supply one or more included products that are included as one or more upstream products of the target company's target product, identified by tracing a product tree that hierarchically shows the supply relationships of products including the target company's target product in the supply chain to which the target company belongs. According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the remaining amount of improvement credits can be distributed in accordance with the supply relationships of products in the supply chain. This is expected to reduce the effort required for trading improvement credits.

[0011] As another form of the information processing device according to the above aspect, one aspect of the present disclosure may be an information processing method that realizes all or part of the above components, a program, or a storage medium that stores such a program and is readable by a machine such as a computer. Here, a machine-readable storage medium is a medium that stores information such as a program by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action.

[0012] [1 Application example] 1 schematically illustrates an example of a scenario in which the present disclosure is applied. An information processing device 1 according to this embodiment is one or more computers configured to execute a process of distributing improvement credits held by a target company.

[0013] In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 acquires the remaining improvement credits 50 held by the target company TC for improving the value of the environmental impact index. The information processing device 1 distributes at least a portion of the acquired remaining improvement credits 50 to the accounts of one or more companies IC that supply one or more included products IP that are included in the target product TP of the target company TC as products one or more upstream from the target product TP, as identified by tracing a product tree 60 that hierarchically shows the supply relationships of the product group including the target product TP of the target company TC in the supply chain to which the target company TC belongs. In the supply chain, company IC is an upstream company relative to the target company TC. By distributing at least a portion of the remaining improvement credits 50, it is possible to improve the impact index of each of the one or more included products IP. According to this embodiment, the remaining improvement credits 50 can be distributed in accordance with the supply relationships (product tree 60) of the product group in the supply chain. This is expected to reduce the effort required for trading improvement credits.

[0014] (Improvement credit) Improvement credits are used to improve the value of an environmental impact indicator. The environmental impact indicator is not particularly limited and may be defined appropriately depending on the embodiment. The environmental impact indicator may include, for example, carbon dioxide emissions, the degree of renewable energy use, etc. Publicly known indicators may be used as the environmental impact indicator. Typically, improvement credits may be introduced to offset shortfalls in such environmental indicators that cannot be achieved through a company's own efforts alone. Improvement credits may be subject to commercial transactions.

[0015] In one example of this embodiment, the environmental impact indicator may include carbon dioxide emissions. Correspondingly, the improvement credits may include carbon credits. These carbon credits may be used to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the applicable enterprise. This example of this embodiment can reduce the effort required for trading carbon credits.

[0016] In addition, in one example of this embodiment, the environmental impact indicator may include the degree of renewable energy use. The degree of use may be defined, for example, by a ratio, a total amount, or the like. Accordingly, the improvement credit may include a renewable energy credit. The renewable energy credit may be used to increase the degree of the renewable energy indicator of the applicable company. According to this example of this embodiment, when trading renewable energy credits, the effort required for the transaction can be reduced.

[0017] (Applicable products) In a supply chain, the company that provides the final product is the most downstream company. Going back from this final product (the most downstream company) to the raw materials (the company that provides the raw materials) refers to going from downstream to upstream. Of two adjacent companies in the upstream / downstream direction of a supply chain, the company that provides the product is the upstream company, and the company that receives the product is the downstream company. For example, from the perspective of a company upstream of "Company Z," "Company Z" is a downstream company, and from the perspective of a company downstream of "Company Z," "Company Z" is an upstream company. In this way, "upstream" and "downstream" indicate a relative relationship, and the terms "upstream company" and "downstream company" can be referred to differently depending on their position within the supply chain. If an "upstream company" is called a Tier N company, the "downstream company" is called a Tier N-1 company (N is 1 or greater).

[0018] In addition, in a supply chain, a company that provides a product that cannot be traced back any further upstream is the most upstream company. An example of the most upstream company is a mineral mining company. A company located between the most upstream company and the most downstream company in the supply chain is an intermediate company, and the product provided by this intermediate company (i.e., a product between the final product and the most upstream product) is an intermediate product. Typically, an intermediate company processes one or more upstream products provided by its upstream company and provides the resulting product to its downstream company. Processing may include assembly, etc. However, not all companies in a supply chain are necessarily companies that perform such processing. A supply chain may include companies (e.g., trading companies) that do not perform processing and simply wholesale upstream products to downstream companies. The number of layers in a supply chain is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment.

[0019] The target product TP may be arbitrarily selected from products provided within the supply chain other than the most upstream product of the most upstream company. For example, the target company TC may be the most downstream company, and accordingly the target product TP may be a final product. Also, for example, the target company TC may be an intermediate company, and accordingly the target product TP may be an intermediate product. On the other hand, the included product IP is a product that is one or more steps upstream from the target product TP. The included product IP may be an intermediate product or a most upstream product. The company IC is a company that is located one or more steps upstream from the target company TC. At least some of the one or more companies IC may be direct upstream companies (companies one step upstream) of the target company TC. Alternatively, all of the companies IC may be products that are one or more steps upstream from the target company TC. It may be a company two or more upstream.

[0020] The value of the impact indicator for product A is derived by integrating the values ​​of the impact indicators for one or more upstream products included in product A and the value of the impact indicator for product A alone. For example, in the case of carbon dioxide emissions, the emissions of Tier N-1 products can be calculated using the following formula 1.

[0021]

number

[0022] (Distribution method) The conditions for distributing the remaining amount 50 of improvement credits are not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment. The conditions for distribution may be defined to specify the mode of distribution, such as the range, the total distribution amount, or the individual distribution amounts. Furthermore, the conditions for distribution may be specified by a user such as an operator, or may be set specifically within a program (program 81 described below) of the information processing device 1. The method for specifying the conditions for distribution is not particularly limited and may be selected appropriately depending on the embodiment.

[0023] In one example of this embodiment, companies one or more upstream from the target company TC may be candidates to receive at least a portion of the remaining improvement credits 50 from the target company TC. Among these one or more upstream companies, the company IC to which the improvement credits will be distributed (i.e., the range to which the remaining improvement credits 50 will be distributed) may be determined arbitrarily. All companies one or more upstream may be the distribution targets, or companies selected from the one or more upstream companies may be the distribution targets. When selecting distribution targets from one or more upstream companies, any method may be used to select distribution target companies, such as random selection or selection of companies that satisfy specified conditions. In one example, a tier (Tier 1, Tier 2, etc.) may be specified as a condition for the distribution range, and companies belonging to the specified tier may be selected as distribution targets (company IC). The tier may be specified as an absolute value such as Tier 1, Tier 2, etc., or may be specified as a relative value such as one level upstream from the target company TC. As an example, a standard value of the impact indicator may be specified as a condition regarding the distribution scope, and companies that supply included product IP that meet or do not meet the specified standard value may be selected as distribution targets (company ICs).

[0024] Furthermore, in one example of this embodiment, the total amount of improvement credits (total distribution amount) to be distributed to each account of one or more corporate ICs out of the remaining amount 50 of improvement credits is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment. The entire remaining amount 50 may be distributed, or a portion of the remaining amount 50 may be distributed. The distribution amount may be specified as an absolute value, or may be specified as a relative value, for example, half of the remaining amount 50.

[0025] Furthermore, in one example of this embodiment, when multiple companies are distribution targets (company IC), the amount of at least a portion of the remaining improvement credits 50 to be distributed to each company (individual distribution amount) is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment. In one example, the individual distribution amount may be determined by a ratio. The ratio to be distributed to each company may be set, for example, as an equal ratio, a weighted ratio, or the like. The individual distribution amount may be determined by a relative value like the ratio above, or by an absolute value. Furthermore, the individual distribution amount may be determined simultaneously for each company, or may be determined in order of priority. For example, improvement credits may be distributed in order of priority, with the remainder being distributed to the last company. The individual distribution amount may be determined according to the attributes of each company, such as the tier to which each company belongs, the value of the impact index, etc.

[0026] In one example, the information processing device 1 may be configured to accept specification of conditions for distributing improvement credits. In response to this, distributing at least a portion of the remaining amount 50 of improvement credits may be configured by distributing at least a portion of the remaining amount 50 of improvement credits in accordance with the specified conditions. The specifiable conditions may include at least one of a condition regarding the above-mentioned distribution range, a condition regarding the total distribution amount, and a condition regarding each individual distribution amount. According to one example of this embodiment, it is possible to control the amount of improvement credits distributed to a company IC that supplies an included product IP.

[0027] The distribution conditions may be specified by an operator of the target company TC. The operator of the target company TC may input the conditions using any method. For example, if the information processing device 1 is accessed using a terminal, the operator may input the distribution conditions via the terminal. Also, for example, if an input device and an output device are connected to the information processing device 1, the operator may input the distribution conditions using the input device and the output device.

[0028] In one example, the specified conditions may include allocating more improvement credits to corporate IC accounts that supply inclusive product IP with lower impact index values. In one example, the individual distribution amounts may be determined according to a ratio corresponding to the impact index value. For example, in cases where a higher impact index value indicates a negative impact on the environment, such as carbon dioxide emissions, the individual distribution amounts may be determined proportionally to the impact index value. Furthermore, in cases where a higher impact index value indicates a positive impact on the environment, such as the level of renewable energy use, the individual distribution amounts may be determined inversely proportional to the impact index value. However, the distribution method for determining a larger distribution amount for a lower impact index value is not limited to this example, and may be modified as appropriate depending on the embodiment, as long as this relationship is satisfied for at least some of the corporate ICs to which the distribution is made. In another example, the individual distribution amounts may be determined according to the rank to which the impact index value belongs. According to one example of this embodiment, the probability of the existence of inclusive product IP with lower impact index values ​​can be reduced by allocating at least a portion of the remaining improvement credits 50 to corporate IC accounts that supply inclusive product IP with lower impact index values. As a result, it is possible to expect to avoid adverse effects due to the inclusion of an inclusion product IP with a poor impact index value.

[0029] Note that the configuration of distributing more improvement credits to accounts of company ICs that supply included product IP with poorer impact index values ​​may be satisfied for at least some of the company ICs to which distribution is made. In other words, if, among at least some of the company ICs, the amount of improvement credits distributed to company ICs that supply included product IP with poorer impact index values ​​is greater than that of company ICs that supply included product IP with good impact index values, it may be considered that the configuration of distributing more improvement credits to accounts of company ICs that supply included product IP with poorer impact index values ​​is satisfied.

[0030] 2 shows an example of a method for distributing the remaining improvement credits 50 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a larger value indicates a worse environmental impact, such as carbon dioxide emissions, This scenario assumes that the value of a company's own product is derived by accumulating the value of the company's own product and the value of its upstream products (Equation 1 above), and that the improvement credits adopt the impact indicator used for subtraction. Product A includes products Aa and Ab, which are supplied by the company one level upstream. Product Ab includes products Aba, Abb, and Abc, which are supplied by the company one level upstream. Products Aa, Aba, Abb, and Abc are the most upstream products. In other words, in this scenario, there are five candidates for included products IP, which are included by Product A as one or more upstream products: Product Aa, Product Ab, Product Aba, Product Abb, and Product Abc. Product A, Product Aa, Product Ab, Product Aba, Product Abb, and Product Abc are supplied by Company C10, Company C21, Company C22, Company C31, Company C32, and Company C33, respectively. The impact index values ​​for products Aba, Abb, and Abc are

[10] ,

[20] , and

[30] , respectively. The impact index value for product Aa is

[40] . The impact index value for product Ab is calculated as "110" by adding up the value for product Ab itself (

[50] ) and the impact index values ​​for the upstream products (product Aba, product Abb, product Abc) (

[10] ,

[20] ,

[30] ). The impact index value for product A is calculated as "210" by adding up the value for product A itself (

[60] ) and the impact index values ​​for the upstream products (products Aa and Ab) (

[40] ,

[0110] ). Product A is an example of a target product TP, and company C10, which supplies product A, is an example of a target company TC. Assume that all five products (product Aa, product Ab, product Aba, product Abb, and product Abc) are selected as included products IP. That is, each company (C21, C22, C31, C32, C33) is an example of one or more upstream companies IC that supply the included product IP. Company C10 receives improvement credits. <100> This <100> is an example of a remaining balance of 50. Company C10 <100> Of <40> is used to improve the value of product A itself, and the remaining <60> This assumes a situation in which the following is to be distributed:

[0031] In this scenario in Figure 2, the improvement credit <60> By proportionally distributing, each company (C21, C22, C31, C32, C33) will receive an amount proportional to each value ( <16> , <20> , <4> , <8> , <12> ) improvement credits are distributed. This distribution improves the impact index values ​​of each product (product Aa, product Ab itself, product Aba, product Abb, product Abc) to

[24] ,

[30] , [6],

[12] and

[18] . The impact index value of product Ab improves from "110" to "66" (30 + 6 + 12 + 18 = 66). The impact index value of product A is the sum of <100> Since improvement credits of 50 are used, the value is improved from "210" to "110" (20 + 24 + 66 = 110). As described above, by distributing the remaining improvement credits of 50, the impact index value of the target product TP can be improved, and the impact index values ​​of each included product IP can also be improved. Note that with the distribution method in Figure 2, once the total value of the included products IP is specified for the target company TC, it is possible to specify the amount to be distributed to each included product IP. Therefore, this distribution method is easy to calculate.

[0032] These condition settings are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to these condition settings. Also, as mentioned above, the distribution method does not have to be limited to the proportional distribution exemplified in FIG. 2, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the embodiment. In another example, the improvement credits may be distributed equally. In the example of FIG. 2, <60> If we distribute it evenly, each product (product Aa, product Ab itself, product Aba, product Abb, product Abc) will have <12> Then, in product Aba, the amount of improvement credits ( <12> ) improvement credits will be distributed. Any excess of this distribution amount may be handled in any way. The excess may be directly credited to the account of the company to which the distribution is to be made (Company C31 in the above scenario), or may be redistributed to other products. The redistribution may be done in any way. For example, the excess may be distributed to the account of a downstream company of the company to which the distribution is to be made (Company C22 in the above scenario).

[0033] Each company's account may be managed as account information. The impact index value of each product may be stored in the product information of each product. The remaining amount of improvement credits held by each account may be stored as credit information. The process of distributing improvement credits may be configured by updating at least one of the credit information and product information associated with each account. For example, the distribution source (target company TC) may update the credit information associated with the target company TC's account by subtracting the distributed amount from the remaining amount 50 held. Meanwhile, the distribution destination (company IC) may update the credit information or product information associated with company IC's account by adding the distributed amount to the remaining amount held or applying the distributed amount to the value of the impact index. These information processes may be executed by the information processing device 1 or by an external computer in response to an instruction from the information processing device 1. Furthermore, at least a portion of each company's account information, credit information, and product information may be stored in the memory resources of the information processing device 1 or in an external computer other than the information processing device 1. The same applies to the improvement credit information and product information. A known account management method may be adopted as a method for managing account information, etc.

[0034] (Product Tree) The product tree 60 is configured to hierarchically display at least a portion of the supply relationships of a group of products, from the most upstream product to the final product. The target product TP may be a final product or intermediate product included in the group of products visualized in the product tree 60. The included product IP is a product located one or more upstream from the target product TP and may be an intermediate product or the most upstream product included in the group of products visualized in the product tree 60. In one example, the information representing this product tree 60 (tree information) may be composed of product information for each product and linking information between products. In another example, this tree information may be stored as integrated information or may be stored in a distributed manner for each company. If the information is stored as integrated information, the information processing device 1 may refer to the tree information to simultaneously grasp the structure of the product tree 60 to which the target product TP belongs and perform information processing related to the distribution. On the other hand, if the information is stored in a distributed manner, the information processing device 1 may perform information processing related to the distribution by gradually accessing the distributed information stored. In one example of this embodiment, the information processing device 1 may refer to information held in a distributed manner and execute a process of distributing improvement credits by using one of the following two methods.

[0035] (A) First method FIG. 3 shows an example of a first method for referencing the product tree 60 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a server device 1A is configured to manage each company's account information, product information, linking information, and credit information. The server device 1A is an example of an information processing device 1. Each company accesses the server device 1A using a terminal. A dedicated storage area is provided for each company's account. The dedicated storage area is configured so that only the corresponding company's account can access it. In addition, a storage area is further provided between company accounts to be used for sharing information. Each storage area may be provided within the memory resources of the information processing device 1, or may be provided in an external computer other than the information processing device 1.

[0036] The scenario shown in Figure 2 is assumed for each company. Of the six companies, companies C10, C22, and C31 are shown as representatives. Each company (C10, C22, C31) accesses the server device 1A using a terminal (P10, P22, P31). Each company (C10, C22, C31) is provided with a dedicated storage area (M10, M22, M31). Product information such as identification information for each company's (C10, C22, C31) product (A, Ab, Aba) and impact index values ​​may be stored in each dedicated storage area (M10, M22, M31). In addition, a shared storage area M231 is provided between company C31 and company C22, and a shared storage area M122 is provided between company C22 and company C10. Company C31 can share the identification information and impact index value

[0010] of product Aba with company C22 via storage area M231. Company C22 can obtain the impact index values ​​of the upstream products via the shared storage area (including storage area M231) with the upstream company, and can calculate the impact index value of product Ab ("110") by integrating the obtained value (total: 60) with product Ab's own value

[50] . Company C22 can share the identification information and impact index value "110" (integration result) of product Ab with company C10 via storage area M122. Company C10 can obtain the impact index values ​​of the upstream products via the shared storage area (including storage area M122) with the upstream company, and can calculate the impact index value of product A ("210") by integrating the obtained value (total: 150) with product A's own value

[60] .

[0037] In the shared memory area, identification information of downstream products may also be shared. For example, in memory area M231, identification information of product Ab may be shared, and in memory area M122, identification information of product A may be shared. Then, in the shared memory area, linking information may be generated using the identification information of the upstream product and the downstream product, thereby forming a linking relationship between the upstream product and the downstream product. As long as the upstream and downstream product relationships in the product tree 60 can be identified, the data format of the linking information is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment. Note that the value of the impact index of the downstream company does not need to be shared with the upstream company. The data format of each memory area may be any format, such as a relational database or a blockchain platform.

[0038] The terminal P10 of the company C10 may access the server device 1A in response to an operation by an operator, log in with the account of the company C10, and then issue an instruction to distribute the improvement credits to the server device 1A. In response to this, the server device 1A may distribute the improvement credits to each company IC by propagating the distribution amount from the target company TC to the upstream side using each shared storage area. In the examples of Figs. 2 and 3 above, in the case of proportional distribution, the server device 1A may refer to a storage area shared between the company C10 and each upstream company (C21, C22) and determine the distribution amount according to the value of the impact index of the products (Aa, Ab) of each upstream company (C21, C22). The server device 1A may write grant information for granting the determined distribution amount into each shared storage area. In the example of Fig. 3, the storage area M122 shared with the company C22 stores the value "110" of the product Ab. <44> The server device 1A writes the attached information for attaching the <44> Among them, the value of product Ab itself

[50] corresponds to <20> The company C22 writes the assignment information for assigning the above to the dedicated storage area M22 of the company C22. <20> The server device 1A also refers to the shared storage area between the company C22 and each upstream company (C31, C32, C33) and executes the same process as above. As a result, the server device 1A can receive improvement credits for the remaining upstream companies (C31, C32, C33). <24> Improvement credits can be distributed.

[0039] Note that when the server device 1A employs a method for managing product information, a shared storage area does not necessarily have to be provided. Each dedicated storage area may be configured to accept writing of information from companies other than the corresponding company, for example, using a method such as public key cryptography. In the example of FIG. 3 above, company C31 may write information about product Aba to storage area M22 using a digital certificate (public key, etc.) issued by company C22. Company C22 may write information about product Ab to storage area M10 using a digital certificate issued by company C10. This allows information to be shared between the companies. When a blockchain platform is adopted for the storage areas, a smart contract may be used to write this information.

[0040] (B) Second method FIG. 4 shows an example of a second method for referencing the product tree 60 according to this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4, product information of each company is managed on the terminal of each company. The server device SP manages registry information R1 for data linkage between the companies. The registry information R1 is stored on the terminal of each company. The registry information R1 may include connection information such as the destination (address information) of the terminal and authentication information. For example, the registry information R1 may be configured from existing information such as a digital twin registry. Eventually, this registry information R1 can be used to share data with terminals of other companies. A connector may be used for data sharing between terminals of each company. The connector is software for data sharing such as authentication. The connector may be configured with existing software such as EDC (Eclipse Dataspace Connector).

[0041] As with the first method described above, the scenario shown in Figure 2 is assumed for each company. As with Figure 3, of the six companies, companies C10, C22, and C31 are shown as representatives. Company C10 uses terminal 1B on which connector CS10 is installed. Terminal 1B is an example of an information processing device 1. Product information for product A is managed in terminal 1B. Each company (C22, C31) uses terminals (P22, P31) on which connectors (CS22, CS31) are installed. Product information for each product (Aba, Ab) is managed in each terminal (P22, P31).

[0042] In response to an operator's operation, terminal 1B of company C10 may refer to registry information R1 of server device SP and perform data linkage with terminals of upstream companies (including terminal P22). Through this data linkage, terminal 1B may obtain identification information and impact index values ​​of upstream products (Aa, Ab). Through data linkage with the terminals of each upstream company, terminal 1B may obtain information of further upstream companies (C31, C32, C33). Terminal 1B may refer to registry information R1 using the obtained information as a key and perform data linkage with terminals of further upstream companies (including terminal P31) to obtain identification information and impact index values ​​of further upstream products (Aba, Abb, Abc). Alternatively, terminal P22 of company C22 may perform data linkage with terminals of each upstream company (C31, C32, C33) in a manner similar to that of terminal 1B, and collect identification information and impact index values ​​of products (Aba, Abb, Abc) through this data linkage. In this case, terminal 1B may also acquire information on products (Aba, Abb, Abc) through data linkage with terminal P22 of company C22. Information on product tree 60 may be collected through such data linkage with each company. The acquired information on product tree 60 may be stored in terminal 1B, or may be stored as registry information R1.

[0043] The operator of the company C10 may use the obtained product tree 60 to operate the terminal 1B to distribute the improvement credits. The grant information for distributing the improvement credits may be notified through data linkage between the terminals. In one example, the terminal 1B may notify the grant information for the products (Aa, Ab) of each upstream company (C21, C22) through data linkage with the terminals of each upstream company (C21, C22). The grant information for each upstream company (C31, C32, C33) of the company C22 may be notified through data linkage between the terminal 1B and the terminals of each upstream company (C31, C32, C33), or may be notified through data linkage between the terminal P22 of the company C22 and the terminals of each upstream company (C31, C32, C33). In this way, the company C10 can distribute the improvement credits to each company (C21, C22, C31, C32, C33).

[0044] [2 Configuration Examples] In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment is a computer in which a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication interface 13, and a drive 14 are electrically connected.

[0045] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory The control unit 11 (CPU) is an example of a processor resource. The storage unit 12 includes, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, a The storage unit 12 may be configured by any storage device such as a drive. The storage unit 12 (and RAM, ROM) is an example of a memory resource. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores various information such as a program 81. The program 81 is a program for causing the information processing device 1 to execute information processing related to the distribution of improvement credits (see FIGS. 5 and 6 described below). The program 81 includes a series of instructions for the information processing. The communication interface 13 is configured to perform wired or wireless data communication via a network. The communication interface 13 may be configured by, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) module, a wireless LAN module, or the like. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 may perform data communication with another computer via a network using the communication interface 13. The drive 14 is a device for reading various information such as programs stored in the storage medium 91. The program 81 may be stored in the storage medium 91 instead of or together with the storage unit 12. The storage medium 91 is configured to store various types of information (such as stored programs) by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action so that a machine such as a computer can read the information. The information processing device 1 may acquire the program 81 from the storage medium 91. The storage medium 91 may be a disk-type storage medium such as a CD or DVD, or may be a non-disk-type storage medium such as a semiconductor memory (for example, a flash memory). The type of drive 14 may be selected appropriately depending on the type of the storage medium 91.

[0046] Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the information processing device 1, components can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. The hardware processors may be a microprocessor, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), an E The information processing device 1 may be configured with an electronic control unit (CU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The drive 14 may be omitted. The information processing device 1 may further include an input device and an output device. The input device may include, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, an operator, a microphone, etc. The output device may include, for example, a display, a speaker, etc. The input device and the output device may be integrated into, for example, a touch panel display, etc. An operator can operate the information processing device 1 by using the input device and the output device. The input device and the output device may be connected via an external interface. The external interface may be appropriately configured to connect to an external device via a wired or wireless connection, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) port, a dedicated port, etc. The drive 14 may be connected via the external interface. The information processing device 1 may be a computer designed specifically for the services provided, a general-purpose server device, a general-purpose personal computer (PC), etc.

[0047] [3 Example of operation] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for accepting distribution conditions by the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for distributing improvement credits by the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. The control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 executes instructions included in the program 81 by the CPU. As a result, the information processing device 1 operates as a computer capable of executing the information processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 below. The following processing procedure is an example of an information processing method executed by a computer. However, the following processing procedure is merely an example, and each step may be changed as much as possible. Furthermore, steps in the following processing procedure may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0048] (Acceptance of distribution conditions) As shown in FIG. 5, in step S101, the control unit 11 receives a specification of a condition for distributing improvement credits. In one example, the condition is that an inclusive product IP with a poor impact index value is provided. The more the company IC accounts that provide the better the improvement credits that are distributed to them. When the designation of the distribution conditions is accepted, the control unit 11 advances the process to the next step S102.

[0049] In step S102, the control unit 11 saves the specified distribution conditions. In one example, the setting information indicating the distribution conditions may be saved in any storage area such as RAM, the storage unit 12, the storage medium 91, an external storage device (external computer), etc. As the saving process in step S102, the control unit 11 may update the setting information in accordance with the designation in step S101.

[0050] When the specified distribution conditions are saved, the control unit 11 ends the processing procedure for accepting the distribution conditions according to this operation example. The control unit 11 may appropriately execute a series of processes in steps S101 and S102 in response to a request from the target company TC's account (operation by the operator). Note that if the system is not configured to accept the specification of distribution conditions, the processes in steps S101 and S102 may be omitted.

[0051] (Improvement credit distribution) As shown in FIG. 6, in step S201, the control unit 11 acquires the remaining amount 50 of improvement credits held by the target company TC. In one example, the environmental impact indicator may include carbon dioxide emissions, and the improvement credits may include carbon credits. In another example, the environmental impact indicator may include the degree of renewable energy use, and the improvement credits may include renewable energy credits. After acquiring the remaining amount 50, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S202.

[0052] In step S202, the control unit 11 distributes at least a portion of the remaining amount 50 of the acquired improvement credits to the accounts of one or more company ICs that supply one or more included product IPs identified by tracing the product tree 60. In one example, the control unit 11 may distribute at least a portion of the remaining amount 50 of the acquired improvement credits to the accounts of the company ICs in accordance with the conditions specified in step S101 above. When the distribution of the improvement credits is complete, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S203.

[0053] In step S203, the control unit 11 outputs information about the distribution result. The configuration and output destination of the information about the distribution result may be selected appropriately depending on the embodiment. The information about the distribution result may include information indicating that the distribution has been executed (i.e., the distribution has been completed). The information about the distribution result may include information indicating the amount of improvement credits distributed to the included product IP of each company IC. The information about the distribution result may include information indicating the remaining amount of improvement credits held by the target company TC after the distribution. Furthermore, the output destination may be selected from RAM, the memory unit 12, the storage medium 91, an external storage device (external computer), etc.

[0054] After outputting the information about the distribution result, the control unit 11 ends the processing procedure for distribution of improvement credits according to this operation example. The control unit 11 may appropriately execute a series of processes from step S201 to step S203 in response to a request from the account of the target company TC (operation by the operator).

[0055] [Features] According to this embodiment, by the processing of steps S201 and S202, the remaining amount of improvement credits 50 can be distributed in accordance with the supply relationship (product tree 60) of the product group in the supply chain. This is expected to reduce the effort required for trading improvement credits.

[0056] [4 Variations] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail, the above description has been The above embodiments are merely examples of the present disclosure. The processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. Various improvements or modifications may be made to the above embodiments as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...information processing device, 11...control unit, 12...storage unit, 50...Remaining amount, 60...Product tree, TP: Target product, TC: Target company, IP…inclusive products, IC…(upstream) companies

Claims

1. Acquire the remaining improvement credits held by the target company to improve the value of the environmental impact indicators; and Distributing at least a portion of the remaining amount of the improvement credits acquired to the accounts of one or more companies that supply one or more included products that are included as one or more upstream products in the target product of the target company, the included products being identified by tracing a product tree that hierarchically shows the supply relationships of a group of products including the target product of the target company in the supply chain to which the target company belongs; a control unit configured to perform Information processing device.

2. The environmental impact indicator includes carbon dioxide emissions, The improvement credits include carbon credits. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The environmental impact indicators include the degree of use of renewable energy; the improvement credits include the renewable energy credits; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the control unit is further configured to receive a specification of a condition for distributing the improvement credits; The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein distributing at least a portion of the remaining amount of said improvement credits is configured by distributing at least a portion of the remaining amount of said improvement credits in accordance with said specified condition.

5. The conditions include allocating more of the improvement credits to accounts of companies that supply inclusive products with poorer values ​​of the impact indicators. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

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