Automated carbon asset network system and carbon asset management method

Abstract

To disclose an automated carbon asset network system.SOLUTION: An automated carbon asset network (hereinafter, referred to as NW) system 30 includes a computer-implemented carbon asset management digital platform (hereinafter, referred to as PF) 300 for conducting corporate carbon surveys. The PF 300 is equipped with a carbon asset NW architecture module, a carbon asset NW connection module, and a carbon asset NW update module. An API 310 receives carbon survey data obtained from stakeholders, internal and external carbon asset management digital PFs, carbon asset management report formats, and automated customized surveys within the carbon asset management digital PF, automatically integrates and version-controls supply chain carbon survey data, and digitally manages greenhouse gas surveys for all categories of organizations within the company, as well as product carbon footprint information for each product's lifecycle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for building carbon survey connections in multiple directions and implementing carbon asset management, and in particular to an automated carbon asset network system and carbon asset management method that uses computer technology to perform automated collection and processing, integrate carbon emission information, and calculate and update greenhouse gas and carbon footprints within a company's operational boundaries. [Background technology]

[0002] Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases that have the ability to absorb and re-emit infrared radiation emitted from the Earth's surface. Major greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The increase in these gases is primarily due to human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels, industrial production, and agricultural activities, and has caused problems such as global climate warming, extreme weather events, and sea level rise, resulting in significant impacts on humans and ecosystems.

[0003] With the United Nations calling for accelerated action on carbon reduction, "net-zero carbon reduction" has become a global challenge. In October 2021, the SBTi released the Net Zero Standard, the world's first climate science-based framework for setting corporate net-zero targets. Companies are required to set science-based net-zero carbon targets to limit global warming to 1.5°C. By the end of January 2024, 7,510 companies had joined the initiative, with 4,599 setting science-based reduction targets and 2,897 committing to "net-zero emissions." Therefore, if companies fail to assess their greenhouse gas emissions and develop reduction strategies, their competitiveness may be affected. However, achieving carbon reduction or zero carbon is not easy. Companies must first assess their greenhouse gas emissions, set reduction targets, and implement reduction strategies to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

[0004] According to the International Greenhouse Gas Survey - ISO / CNS 14064-1 Greenhouse gases - Part 1: Standards containing guidelines for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals at the organizational level and the Greenhouse Gas Survey Protocol (GHG Protocol), the scope of the survey is shown in Table 1, with Categories 1 and 2 and Category 1 and Category 2 referring to greenhouse gas emissions from corporate operations, and the rest referring to greenhouse gas emissions generated in the upstream and downstream supply chains.

[0005] [Table 1-1] [Table 1-2]

[0006] Traditionally, corporate greenhouse gas surveys are completed annually using a paper report format or electronic platform such as Microsoft Excel. However, no matter what method is used, it takes a lot of time and effort. The greenhouse gas emissions of the upstream and downstream supply chains can be calculated by collecting (but not limited to) the following information from subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, investments, outsourcing factories, and upstream and downstream supply chains:

[0007] 1. For subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, and investments: The allocation ratio of carbon emissions in the company's organizational greenhouse gas survey to the carbon emissions that the head office should recognize (e.g., the operating rights control method, the equity control method, etc.).

[0008] 2. For the upstream supply chain: carbon factor for purchased goods and transportation, carbon factor for purchased services, carbon factor for purchased capital goods, upstream carbon factor related to fuel and energy use, carbon factor for waste disposal, carbon factor for leased products, etc.

[0009] 3. For the downstream supply chain: carbon emissions from the transportation of sold products, carbon emissions from post-processing, carbon emissions from use, carbon emissions from disposal, carbon emissions from leasing, carbon emissions from franchises, and carbon emissions from investment products, etc.

[0010] Furthermore, the above carbon coefficient information may be updated annually or periodically, and after obtaining the real-time carbon coefficient, it is necessary to calculate and update the greenhouse gas survey for all categories for the current year.

[0011] Taking the electronics manufacturing industry as an example, the relationship network diagram of carbon coefficients for products, components, and their suppliers can be seen in Figure 1. In this example, the carbon coefficients of related goods and services for a certain model number of laptop computer 10 are obtained. The production of the laptop computer 10 requires 148 suppliers 100, and its components have a total of 1,154 part numbers. The carbon coefficients of the related part numbers include the carbon coefficients of 119 part numbers in the processor / chip / integrated circuit 101 category, the carbon coefficients of 14 part numbers in the circuit board 102 category, the carbon coefficients of 907 part numbers in the resistor / inductor / capacitor 103 category, the carbon coefficients of 104 part numbers in the mechanism / connector / cable 104 category, the carbon coefficients of 3 part numbers in the packaging / production consumables 105 category, the carbon coefficients of 4 part numbers in the storage / display 106 category, and the carbon coefficients of 3 part numbers in the other 107 category.

[0012] Based on the current method, numerous purchasing personnel must obtain carbon coefficients for the 1,154 part numbers from 148 suppliers100 via telephone, email, or questionnaires, consolidate the data, and provide it to a specialized department to calculate the carbon emissions for that category.

[0013] Therefore, companies must expend a lot of manpower to acquire, integrate, and version-control carbon factor and carbon emission data, and use software reports and electronic platforms to complete full-scale greenhouse gas surveys. Ultimately, one of the biggest challenges facing the industry today is issuing carbon-related management documents required by different stakeholders in a timely and real-time manner, depending on the needs of different stakeholders, such as domestic policies and regulations, international policy needs, and global brand factories.

[0014] Furthermore, companies are required to calculate their own operating boundaries and submit "all-category organizational greenhouse gas and full-lifecycle product carbon footprint information" for multiple operating boundaries at the same time, making repeated submission and calculation another major challenge facing the industry. As shown in Figure 2, a schematic diagram of establishing carbon footprints across different operating boundaries can be seen.

[0015] The diagram shows that a company's operational boundary a includes the organization's greenhouse gas (labeled "organization" in the diagram) and product carbon footprint information (labeled "product" in the diagram). Related upstream and downstream manufacturers also form operational boundaries b, c, and d, each of which includes the organization's greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information. Another company's upstream and downstream manufacturers related to operational boundary e form operational boundaries f, g, and d, respectively. This example shows that operational boundary d related to operational boundary a is also related to operational boundary e, as indicated by connecting line 203. That is, operational boundary d is an upstream and downstream manufacturer of both operational boundary a and operational boundary e. Meanwhile, operational boundary b related to operational boundary a is also an upstream and downstream manufacturer of both itself (operating boundary b) and another operational boundary c, as indicated by connecting line 201.

[0016] In such complex upstream and downstream supply chain relationships, establishing the operating boundaries of a company's organizational greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information presents complex challenges, such as duplicate calculations and the need to provide duplicate organizational greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information due to complex relationships. Therefore, in light of global net-zero emissions, carbon taxation, and the need for sustainable development, companies must also establish their own operating boundaries for their outsourcing factories and supply chains. Other companies' operating boundaries may require the submission of organizational greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information, and annual survey results must be updated, verified, and data exchanged. The complexity of carbon footprint verification increases as companies' operating boundaries and inter-company interconnections become more complex.

[0017] However, the current carbon survey workflow generally involves using various software solutions to compile relevant data. Due to the lack of effective carbon survey tools, difficulties increase as the complexity of carbon footprints increases. Related difficulties include at least the following: Due to overlapping operational boundaries between companies, data may be duplicated between an organization's greenhouse gas survey and product carbon footprint information. Furthermore, the information must be updated annually. Furthermore, downstream manufacturers that originally belonged to another company's operational boundary may establish their own operational boundary for carbon surveys, requiring them to invite upstream, parallel, or downstream manufacturers within their own operational boundary and repeat the same workflow, consuming additional time and costs. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] In order to provide a system for automatically processing carbon investigation data and generating related documents, the invention proposes an automatic carbon asset network system and a carbon asset management method. This system is constructed using a computer network system and software means. After processing the collected carbon investigation data of an enterprise and its upstream and downstream manufacturers, the automatic carbon asset network system can establish the relationship between the enterprise and stakeholders and effectively generate carbon investigation related documents that meet the needs of different stakeholders. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] In one embodiment of the automated carbon asset network system disclosed in the specification, the system includes a carbon asset management digital platform implemented by a computer system for enterprises to conduct carbon surveys. The carbon asset management digital platform mainly includes a carbon asset network architecture module, a carbon asset network connection module, and a carbon asset network update module.

[0020] The automated carbon asset network system executes an automated carbon asset management method using a carbon asset management digital platform. The method receives carbon survey data obtained through at least one stakeholder, an internal carbon asset management digital platform, one or more external carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more external carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires via an application programming interface, automatically consolidates greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information of organizations in upstream and downstream supply chains outside the operating boundary, and digitally updates greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information for each product lifecycle for all categories of organizations under one or more brands of the company in real time under version control. The automated carbon asset management method implemented by the automated carbon asset network system includes building a corporate carbon asset network based on the reported corporate operating boundary using a carbon asset network architecture module. The corporate carbon asset network includes one or more operating boundaries of one or more external companies related to the company. The carbon asset network connection module establishes or does not establish a connection between the corporate operating boundary and one or more related external operating boundaries. The connection method includes connecting one or more carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more carbon asset management report formats, and one or more automated customized questionnaires for each brand of one or more external companies through an application programming interface, and when there is a change in the carbon emission information of any one or more related operating boundaries, the carbon asset network update module updates the operating boundaries of the company based on the carbon emission information of the one or more related external operating boundaries, and performs version control of the carbon emission coefficients and emissions.

[0021] The at least one stakeholder may include one or any combination of the following: government agency needs, environmental protection needs, international supply chain brand needs, international government needs, and regional coalition needs.

[0022] The one or more carbon asset management report formats include a unique report format provided by each stakeholder to the company to report and manage greenhouse gas surveys and product carbon footprint information for all product life cycles for all categories of organizations.

[0023] Furthermore, the automated customized questionnaire format includes an automated customized questionnaire format provided to companies by the carbon asset management digital platform of each brand within the company, which manages greenhouse gas surveys of all categories of organizations and product carbon footprint information for the entire product life cycle through a questionnaire format.

[0024] Furthermore, the reporting of the operational boundary, which constitutes the carbon asset network related to the enterprise, includes the carbon emission information disclosed by one or more subsidiaries of the enterprise, the consolidated financial statement company, one or more investment companies, one or more outsourcing factories, and the upstream and downstream supply chains.

[0025] In this way, after the carbon asset network connection module sets up a connection method between the operating boundary of the enterprise and one or more external operating boundaries related thereto, the carbon asset management digital platform sends invitation information to the enterprises in the one or more related operating boundaries, inviting the enterprises in the one or more related operating boundaries to return the carbon emission information they are willing to accept and disclose.

[0026] Furthermore, the automated carbon asset network system further includes a carbon asset network status list module, which is used to display, in an interactive and shared manner, greenhouse gas and full life cycle product carbon footprint information of all categories of organizations generated by the operations of the enterprises, against one or more operating boundaries of one or more related external enterprises, via the carbon asset network.

[0027] The automated carbon asset network system further includes a carbon asset network reporting module, which is used to publish real-time carbon-related management documents based on the greenhouse gases generated by enterprise operations across all categories and the carbon footprint information of products throughout their life cycles, according to the needs of different stakeholders.

[0028] Furthermore, in the automated carbon asset management method implemented in the carbon asset management digital platform, a carbon asset network architecture module is first used to build an enterprise's carbon asset network based on the enterprise's operational boundary report, and a carbon asset network connection module is then used to set up a connection between the enterprise's operational boundary and one or more external operational boundaries. The application programming interface is mainly used to establish or not set up a connection between one or more carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires for each brand within the one or more external enterprises.

[0029] Then, based on the above-mentioned connection method, carbon survey data can be obtained, including greenhouse gas surveys of all categories of organizations for each brand within the company and product carbon footprint information for each product life cycle. Furthermore, if there is a change in the carbon emission information of any one or more related operating boundaries, the carbon asset network update module is used to update the operating boundaries of the company based on the carbon emission information of one or more related external operating boundaries, and perform version control of carbon emission factors and emissions.

[0030] In order to better understand the features and technical contents of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, which are provided for reference and explanation only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing the relationship between carbon coefficients of conventional products, components and their suppliers. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of establishing carbon footprints between different conventional operational boundaries. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment establishing the architecture of a platform for performing carbon research through an automated carbon asset network system. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a carbon asset management method. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of operational boundaries within different systems. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating embodiment 1 of creating a stakeholder network diagram using software within an automated carbon asset network system. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating embodiment 2 of using software within an automated carbon asset network system to create a stakeholder network diagram. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of filtering interests and generating reports. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a configuration of a carbon asset network architecture module within an automated carbon asset network system. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carbon asset network architecture and connection module configuration within an automated carbon asset network system. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the data relationship between an organization's greenhouse gas survey categories and product carbon footprint stages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the merits and advantages of the present invention from the disclosure of this specification. The present invention can be implemented or applied in other different embodiments. Each detail in this specification can be modified or changed equivalently based on various viewpoints or applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are for simple and schematic illustration only and do not represent actual dimensions. The following embodiments will further explain technical matters related to the present invention, but the disclosed contents do not limit the present invention.

[0033] Throughout this specification, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used to describe various components or signals, but it should be understood that these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are primarily used to distinguish one component from another or one signal from another. Furthermore, the term "or" as used herein may include any one or combination of the associated listed items, depending on the actual circumstances.

[0034] The present invention proposes an automated carbon asset network system and a carbon asset management method. The network uses a relational data structure formed during carbon surveys to build a carbon asset network using computer network technology. The automated carbon asset network system can manage greenhouse gas emissions and product carbon footprints throughout the entire life cycle of all organizational components generated by the company's operations. The service categories of the automated carbon asset network system include a company's parent company, subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, investments, outsourced factories, and upstream and downstream supply chains. The carbon asset management method includes automated collection, updating, version control, and integration of carbon emission information. For example, carbon emission factors and emissions or other related information can be used to recalculate and update the greenhouse gas and carbon footprints within a company's operational boundaries, enabling the rapid and real-time issuance of carbon-related management documents required by different stakeholders (e.g., domestic policy regulations, international policy needs, and international brand manufacturers) in accordance with their needs.

[0035] According to an embodiment, the automated carbon asset network system implemented by computer technology may be a cloud system, which can be provided to multiple users via a network to collect data, establish operating boundaries based on each company's carbon footprint, and build a network diagram of relationships of interest between different operating boundaries. Furthermore, the system can filter required relationships based on needs and output carbon footprint reports, thereby realizing a cloud service for carbon research.

[0036] 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of establishing a platform architecture for performing carbon research using an automated carbon asset network system. The diagram shows that the automated carbon asset network system 30 establishes a carbon asset management digital platform 300 for a specific enterprise. Here, hardware and software cooperate to realize various functional modules, mainly including a carbon asset network architecture module 301, a carbon asset network connection module 303, and a carbon asset network update module 305.

[0037] According to an embodiment, the automated carbon asset network system proposed in the present invention can provide a service for multiple enterprises to manage their carbon assets. It establishes a corporate carbon asset network and, in particular, provides each enterprise with a carbon asset management digital platform 300 for conducting carbon surveys via a computer system. This provides a carbon asset management digital platform for each enterprise's brand, enabling the digital management of greenhouse gas surveys and carbon footprints across the entire product lifecycle for all categories of organizations. The automated carbon asset network system 30 then executes a carbon asset management method via the carbon asset management digital platform 300. The carbon asset management method can also refer to the flow chart of an embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0038] In the system architecture diagram shown in FIG. 3 , the automated carbon asset network system 30 implements a carbon asset management digital platform 300 using a computer system. For a particular company, the carbon asset management digital platform 300 receives carbon survey data from various sources via an application programming interface (API) 310 from at least one stakeholder 311, one or more external carbon asset management digital platforms 312 and 313, one or more external carbon asset management report formats 314 and 315, and / or an automated customized questionnaire 316 via one or more carbon asset management digital platforms. These data sources are used by the company to build a carbon asset network, allowing one or more brands within the company to digitally manage greenhouse gas surveys for all categories of organizations within each brand and product carbon footprint information for each product lifecycle. The carbon asset management digital platform 300 then builds the company's carbon asset network based on reports from the company's operating boundaries using a carbon asset network architecture module 301.

[0039] The automated carbon asset network system 30 operates a carbon asset management method through a carbon asset management digital platform 300. In the method, according to embodiment 1, the carbon asset management digital platform 300 uses a carbon asset network architecture module 301 to build a carbon asset network for an enterprise based on the categories of the enterprise's operating boundaries, including not only the enterprise's own operating boundaries but also one or more operating boundaries of one or more external enterprises related to the enterprise. The categories of the enterprise's operating boundaries include subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, investments, outsourced factories, and upstream and downstream supply chains that require disclosure, and the purpose is to obtain carbon emission information to be disclosed, including related information such as carbon emission factors and emissions (step S401).

[0040] Next, the company's operating boundary is connected to one or more external operating boundaries associated with it via the carbon asset network connection module 303. The connection setting includes a connection setting that allows the company to build one or more carbon asset management digital platforms 312, 313, one or more carbon asset management report formats 314, 315, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires 316 for each brand of the one or more external companies via the application programming interface 310. Alternatively, the system may set not to build a connection setting with a specific target via the application programming interface 310 (step S403). According to an embodiment, after the carbon asset management digital platform 300 sets the connection setting, each operating boundary exists in a blank network or blank network list, and each operating boundary can draw its own carbon asset network map and share organizational carbon survey and product carbon footprint information with each other.

[0041] In this way, the carbon asset management digital platform 300 invites the operating boundary of the system or an external system, sends invitation information to the enterprises of the relevant operating boundary, and invites the enterprises of the relevant operating boundary to return the carbon emission information they are willing to accept and disclose. The carbon emission information may include related information such as carbon emission coefficients and emissions. The invited operating boundary can exchange data with the external system directly or through a software interface and choose to share some or all of the data to perform a data handshake. Finally, the application programming interface 310 completes the connection between the operating boundary of the enterprise and the relevant operating boundary.

[0042] Based on the above connection relationship, in addition to the internal carbon asset management digital platform 300, the carbon asset management digital platform 300 receives carbon survey data from at least one stakeholder 311, one or more external carbon asset management digital platforms 312, 313, one or more external carbon asset management report formats 314, 315, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires 316 through the application programming interface 310, and obtains the organization's greenhouse gas survey and product carbon footprint information (step S405).

[0043] The carbon asset management digital platform 300 automatically integrates and controls the greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information of organizations in the upstream and downstream supply chains outside each operating boundary, and obtains the greenhouse gas survey information of all categories of organizations for each brand within the company and the product carbon footprint information of each product's life cycle. In this way, when the system recognizes through software means that there has been a change in the carbon emission information (e.g., carbon emission coefficients and emissions) of any one or more associated operating boundaries, it sends it back in real time to the carbon asset network update module 305, which then updates the operating boundary of the company based on the carbon emission information of one or more associated external operating boundaries, controls the versioning of the carbon emission coefficients and emissions, and completes the update of the carbon emission coefficients and emissions of the company's operating boundary through the application programming interface 610 (step S407).

[0044] According to the embodiment, in order to meet the needs of presenting the greenhouse gas emissions and full life cycle product carbon footprint information of all categories of organizations in the enterprise's operations to other operational boundaries related to the enterprise, the automated carbon asset network system further implements a carbon asset network status list module 307 through the cooperation of software and hardware, and also issues carbon-related management documents in real time according to the needs of different stakeholders 311 and submits them to a carbon asset network report module 309.

[0045] In this way, the carbon asset management digital platform 300 integrates the greenhouse gas emissions and product carbon footprints of all categories of organizations involved in the company's operations and throughout their entire life cycles through the carbon asset network status list module 307, and can obtain one or more operating boundaries for one or more external companies related to the company. The carbon emission information disclosed by one or more subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, or multiple investment companies, one or more outsourced factories, and upstream and downstream supply chains is displayed in a visual and interactive shared manner (step S409). The carbon asset network reporting module 309 then filters the greenhouse gas emissions and product carbon footprints of all categories of organizations involved in the company's operations and throughout their entire life cycles through the automated carbon asset network system 30, and issues carbon-related management documents required by different stakeholders 311 in a timely and real-time manner according to their needs (e.g., domestic policy regulations, international policy needs, and international brands) (step S411).

[0046] It should be noted that the stakeholders 311 may include any one or combination of the needs of government agencies, environmental protection needs, brand needs in an international supply chain, international government needs, and regional alliance needs. The one or more carbon asset management report formats include a unique report format provided by each stakeholder to a company, which can manage greenhouse gas surveys of all categories of organizations and product carbon footprint information of the entire product life cycle in a report format (e.g., Microsoft Excel®). The automated customized questionnaire format includes an automated customized questionnaire format provided to a company by the carbon asset management digital platform of each brand within the company, which can manage greenhouse gas surveys of all categories of organizations and product carbon footprint information of the entire product life cycle in a questionnaire format.

[0047] Furthermore, within the Automated Carbon Asset Network system, the greenhouse gas emissions of all of the above categories of organizations include at least: direct greenhouse gas emissions whose sources include stationary fuel sources, mobile fuel sources, process sources, fugitive sources, land use and change, and forestry; indirect greenhouse gas emissions whose sources include purchased electricity and purchased energy; and other indirect greenhouse gas emissions whose sources include upstream transportation and distribution, downstream transportation and distribution, employee commuting, business travel, purchases of goods or services, fuel and energy activities, waste from operations, upstream purchases of capital goods, upstream leased assets, use of sold products, processing of sold products, end-of-life treatment of sold products, downstream leased assets, franchises and affiliations, and investments.

[0048] 5 to 8 below, schematic diagrams of embodiments for providing reports based on the relationships between different operational boundaries, the relationships between operational boundaries of different digital platforms, and the associations that make operational boundaries possible are illustrated.

[0049] FIG. 5 shows that multiple operational boundaries, illustratively operational boundary a, operational boundary b, and operational boundary g, are established within the first carbon asset management digital platform 51. It also shows that operational boundary h, operational boundary i, operational boundary j, and so on are established within the second carbon asset management digital platform 52. Each operational boundary represents the organization's greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information obtained by a department, company, or enterprise conducting a carbon survey through the digital platform to which it belongs, and operational boundary k and so on are established within the carbon asset management report 53. For the first carbon asset management digital platform 51, each operational boundary is an internal system of each enterprise, while the second carbon asset management digital platform 52 and the carbon asset management report 53, which provides the carbon footprint information, belong to an external system.

[0050] When an enterprise conducts a carbon survey, it must build an operational boundary based on the enterprise's carbon asset network, which is formed from the complex upstream and downstream supply chain relationships and the enterprise's organizational greenhouse gas and product carbon footprint information. Data search, verification, and data exchange are performed between operational boundaries through an invitation mechanism, and annual updates are also required. That is, the carbon asset management method is implemented using the automated carbon asset network system described in the above embodiment. For related operations, please refer to the schematic diagram of embodiment 1 shown in Figure 6, which uses software within the automated carbon asset network system to create an interest network diagram.

[0051] 6 shows the first carbon asset management digital platform 51, the second carbon asset management digital platform 52, and the carbon asset management report 53 shown in FIG. 5. When establishing a specific enterprise's own operating boundary, the enterprise first creates a blank network or blank network list in the existing carbon asset management digital platform, and then sends an invitation to one or more relevant operating boundaries based on the enterprise's carbon asset network to obtain carbon survey data for the relevant operating boundaries. The carbon survey data includes the organization's carbon survey and product carbon footprint information.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6, taking an example of an enterprise establishing operational boundary a on the first carbon asset management digital platform 51, when conducting a carbon survey, carbon survey data for operational boundary e and operational boundary f should be obtained based on the first network diagram 61. This allows the carbon survey data for operational boundary a, operational boundary e, and operational boundary f to be simultaneously obtained from the first carbon asset management digital platform 51. Based on the second network diagram 62, to obtain carbon survey data for operational boundary c, the carbon survey data for operational boundary c, operational boundary e, and operational boundary g can be simultaneously obtained from the first carbon asset management digital platform 51. Similarly, based on the third network diagram 63, to obtain carbon survey data for operational boundary g, the carbon survey data for operation a, operational boundary f, and operational boundary g can be simultaneously obtained from the first carbon asset management digital platform 51.

[0053] In addition to the case where carbon survey data of the relevant operating boundary is obtained from the same carbon asset management digital platform (i.e., the first carbon asset management digital platform 51) as shown in Figure 6, reference is further made to the operating method where the relevant operating boundary belongs to a different carbon asset management digital platform as shown in Figure 7.

[0054] 7 shows an embodiment of creating a stakeholder network diagram using software in an automated carbon asset network system. This example shows the construction of an operational boundary a for a specific company, and based on the fourth network diagram 64 shown, the operational boundaries related to operational boundary a include operational boundary b, operational boundary c, operational boundary d, operational boundary e, operational boundary h, operational boundary i, and operational boundary k.

[0055] Based on the fourth network diagram 64, carbon survey data for operational boundary a, operational boundary b, operational boundary c, operational boundary d, and operational boundary e can be obtained from the first carbon asset management digital platform 51. Furthermore, the digital platform software 71 provided in the first carbon asset management digital platform 51 must be used to connect to the second carbon asset management digital platform 52, and carbon survey data for operational boundary h and operational boundary i must be obtained from the second carbon asset management digital platform 52. The digital platform software 72 provided in the first carbon asset management digital platform 51 must then be used to connect to the carbon asset management report 53, and carbon survey data for operational boundary k must be obtained from the carbon asset management report 53. In this way, in addition to the first carbon asset management digital platform 51 where the operational boundary itself is located, the digital platform software 71 and 72 can be used to make an invitation to easily obtain carbon survey data from external systems, thereby drawing one's own network diagram.

[0056] In this way, the implementation of the automated carbon asset network system allows different digital platforms to be connected through software means. Invited operational boundaries can convert data from external systems directly or through software interfaces, and can choose to share some or all of the data to perform a data handshake, sharing organizational carbon surveys and product carbon footprint information with each other.

[0057] Based on the above embodiments and related examples, by using the automated carbon asset network system according to the present invention, even when the complexity of an enterprise's own operating boundaries and the interrelationships between enterprises are high, the system can implement a carbon asset management method and solve a complex carbon investigation process.

[0058] Furthermore, by establishing connections between different platforms and establishing carbon asset networks for each company, when information is updated on any link, the automated carbon asset network system can quickly update data for each invited operational boundary. Corresponding carbon information documents can then be quickly generated through filtering according to the needs of different stakeholders. For an embodiment, please refer to the schematic diagram of an embodiment of generating reports by filtering stakeholders shown in FIG. 8.

[0059] According to the schematic diagram shown in Figure 8, users can use the filtering mechanism provided by the automated carbon asset network system to set the needs of stakeholders, which allows the automated carbon asset network system to issue carbon-related management documents in real time based on needs.

[0060] For example, the drawing shows a first stake 11 covering operational boundary a, operational boundary b, operational boundary c, and operational boundary d with a dotted line. Based on the operational boundaries associated with the first stake 11, the system can obtain carbon survey data for each operational boundary from the corresponding carbon asset management digital platform and issue carbon-related management documents associated with the first stake 11 in real time. A filter is used to set a second stake 12 covering operational boundary a, operational boundary b, operational boundary c, operational boundary d, operational boundary e, and operational boundary h. Based on this second stake 12, the system can obtain carbon survey data for each operational boundary from the corresponding carbon asset management digital platform and issue carbon-related management documents associated with the second stake 12 in real time.

[0061] As shown in Figure 8, the user uses a filter to set a third stakeholder 13, which includes operational boundary a, operational boundary b, operational boundary c, operational boundary d, operational boundary i, and operational boundary k. In addition, there is also a fourth stakeholder 14, which only includes operational boundary d. The automated carbon asset network system can issue carbon-related management documents in real time based on the needs of different stakeholders, and perform version control of carbon emission factors and emissions based on the related carbon asset network.

[0062] Next, a working example is provided in Figures 9 to 11 to illustrate how the automated carbon asset network system operates. Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment involving the configuration of a carbon asset network architecture module within the automated carbon asset network system.

[0063] The illustrated carbon asset management digital platform 90 is a digital platform for carbon research provided by an automated carbon asset network system for a laptop manufacturer, which uses a carbon asset network architecture module 301 to build a corresponding carbon resource network based on the laptop manufacturer's operational boundary report, and indicates that the greenhouse gas research categories of the organizations related to the laptop manufacturer have been disclosed in the carbon resource network. In this example, stationary fuel sources 901, mobile fuel sources 902, process emissions sources 903, and fugitive emissions sources 904 are shown in the first category (direct greenhouse gas emissions and removals); purchased electricity 905 and purchased energy 906 are shown in the second category (indirect greenhouse gas emissions from imported energy); upstream transportation and distribution 907, downstream transportation and distribution 908, and employee commuting 909 are shown in the third category (indirect greenhouse gas emissions from transportation); purchase of goods or services 910, fuel and energy activities 911, and waste from operations 912 are shown in the fourth category (indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated by products used by the organization); and sold product use 913 and sold product disposal 914 are shown in the fifth category (indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the organization's product use).

[0064] Next, based on the greenhouse gas survey category of the notebook computer manufacturer's organization established in the system, the relevant suppliers (e.g., Supplier A 921, Supplier B 922, Supplier C 923, Supplier D 924, Supplier E 925, Supplier F 926, Supplier G 927, and Supplier I 928) can be obtained, respectively. This allows the notebook computer manufacturer to obtain the relevant carbon survey data provided by each supplier. As shown in this example, Supplier E 925 provides part number AAA (product carbon factor / unit) 931, part number BBB 932, and part number CCC 933.

[0065] Figure 9 shows the construction of a carbon asset network for a laptop manufacturer by the carbon asset network architecture module 301 in the automated carbon asset network system. Further, referring to Figure 10, it further shows that the laptop manufacturer uses the carbon asset network connection module 303 in the automated carbon asset network system to set up an operating boundary under the carbon asset management digital platform 90 and a connection manner with one or more related external operating boundaries.

[0066] 10, the carbon asset management digital platform 90 sets a connection method between the laptop manufacturer's own operating boundary and other related operating boundaries through the carbon asset network connection module 303. As shown in the figure, various parameters and settings that need to be written are automatically retrieved from the carbon asset network connection module 303 in settings 1, 2, and 3. Setting 1 involves the carbon asset management digital platform 90 setting an application programming interface (API) for establishing a connection with an external system, setting 2 indicates that the supplier of a specific product needs to be entered, and setting 3 provides connection confirmation.

[0067] Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the data relationships between organizational greenhouse gas survey categories and product carbon footprint stages.

[0068] In this example, the carbon sizing information 110 includes greenhouse gases of all categories of organizations, covering Category 1: direct greenhouse gas emissions, Category 2: energy indirect greenhouse gas emissions, and Category 3: other indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the greenhouse gas emissions defined in each category, the corresponding organizational greenhouse gas sizing and related product carbon footprints can be obtained.

[0069] In the process of conducting a carbon survey, when setting operational boundaries for a specific product, the automated carbon asset network system proposed in the present invention can be used to establish a product carbon footprint through the relationship between internal and external operational boundaries established within the system. According to the illustrated embodiment, the system uses an energy resource use allocation standard 111 to allocate carbon survey information 110, such as greenhouse gases of all categories of organizations, to the product manufacturing stages. As shown in this example, the product carbon footprint stages include a raw material procurement stage 113, a production and manufacturing stage 114, a sales and distribution stage 115, a product use stage 116, and a product disposal stage 117, thereby achieving the purpose of the carbon survey.

[0070] In summary, the automated carbon asset network system and carbon asset management method described in the above embodiments primarily use the relational data structure created by a company during its carbon survey to build a carbon asset network using computer network technology. This enables automated collection, updating, version control, and integration of carbon emission information for subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, investments, and upstream and downstream supply chains. The automated carbon asset network system can manage all categories of organizational greenhouse gas emissions generated by corporate operations and product carbon footprints throughout their entire life cycle. This system can quickly and in real time issue carbon-related management documents required by different stakeholders according to their needs.

[0071] The above disclosure is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical modifications made based on the contents of the specification and accompanying drawings of the present invention shall be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10. Laptop 100 Suppliers 101 Processors / Chips / Integrated Circuits 102 Circuit Board 103 Resistors / Inductors / Capacitors 104 Mechanism / Connector / Cable 105 Packaging materials / production consumables 106 Storage / Display 107 Other a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k operational boundaries 201, 203 connecting lines 30 Automated Carbon Asset Network System 300 Carbon Asset Management Digital Platform 301 Carbon Asset Network Architecture Module 303 Carbon Asset Network Connection Module 305 Carbon Asset Network Update Module 307 Carbon Asset Network Status List Module 309 Carbon Asset Network Reporting Module 310 Application Programming Interface 311 Stakeholders 312, 313 Carbon Asset Management Digital Platform 314, 315 Carbon Asset Management Report Format 316 Automated Customised Surveys 51 The First Carbon Asset Management Digital Platform 52 Second Carbon Asset Management Digital Platform 53 Carbon Asset Management Report 61 First Network Diagram 62 Second Network Diagram 63 Third Network Diagram 64 Fourth Network Diagram 71, 72 Digital Platform Software 11. First Interest 12 Secondary Interests 13 Third Interests 14. The Fourth Interest 90 Carbon Asset Management Digital Platform 901 Fixed fuel source 902 Mobile Fuel Source 903 Process Emission Sources 904 Fugitive emission sources 905 Purchased electricity 906 Purchased Energy 907 Upstream transportation and delivery 908 Downstream Transportation and Distribution 909 Employee Commuting 910 Purchase of goods or services 911 Fuel and Energy Activities 912 Waste generated from operational activities 913 Use of Sales Products 914 Disposal of sales products 921 Supplier A 922 Supplier B 923 Supplier C 924 Supplier D 925 Supplier E 926 Supplier F 927 Supplier G 928 Supplier I 931 Part Number AAA 932 Part Number BBB 933 Part Number CCC 110 Carbon Survey Information 111 Energy Consumption Allocation Standards 113 Raw material procurement stage 114 Manufacturing Stage 115 Sales and Distribution Stage 116 Product Use Stage 117 Product Disposal Stage S401~S409 steps

Claims

1. An automated carbon asset network system, comprising: a carbon asset network architecture module, a carbon asset network connection module, and a carbon asset network update module; and a carbon asset management digital platform for carrying out an enterprise's carbon survey through a computer system, The automated carbon asset network system executes the carbon asset management method through the carbon asset management digital platform, and receives carbon survey data obtained by at least one stakeholder, an internal carbon asset management digital platform, one or more external carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more external carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires through an application programming interface, and automatically integrates and controls the greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information of organizations in the upstream and downstream supply chains outside each operational boundary, and obtains the greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information of the life cycle of each product of one or more brands of the company for all categories of organizations; the carbon asset network architecture module constructs a carbon asset network for the enterprise based on the reporting of the enterprise's operational boundaries, the carbon asset network including one or more operational boundaries of one or more external enterprises related to the enterprise; The carbon asset network connection module configures a connection with one or more external operating boundaries associated with the operational boundary of the enterprise, and establishes or does not configure a connection with one or more of the carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more of the carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more of the automated customized questionnaires for each brand of the one or more external enterprises through the application programming interface; When there is a change in the carbon emission information of the one or more related operating boundaries, the carbon asset network update module updates the operating boundary of the enterprise according to the carbon emission information of the one or more related external operating boundaries, and performs version control of carbon emission coefficients and emissions; An automated carbon asset network system comprising:

2. 2. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the stakeholders includes any one or any combination of the needs of a government agency, the needs of environmental protection, the needs of an international supply chain brand, the needs of an international government, and the needs of a regional association.

3. 3. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 2, wherein the one or more carbon asset management report formats include a unique report format provided by each stakeholder to the company, and manages greenhouse gas surveys and product carbon footprint information for all categories of organizations and for the entire product life cycle in a reporting manner.

4. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 1, wherein the automated customized questionnaire format includes an automated customized questionnaire format provided to the company by a carbon asset management digital platform for each brand within the company, which uses a questionnaire to manage greenhouse gas surveys of all categories of organizations and product carbon footprint information for the entire product life cycle.

5. 2. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 1, wherein the operational boundary reports that make up the carbon asset network of the company include carbon emission information disclosed by one or more subsidiaries, consolidated financial statement companies, one or more investment companies, one or more outsourcing factories, and upstream and downstream supply chains of the company.

6. The automatic carbon asset network system of claim 1, wherein after the carbon asset network connection module sets up a connection method between the operating boundary of the enterprise and one or more external operating boundaries associated with the enterprise, the carbon asset management digital platform sends invitation information to the one or more relevant enterprises in the operating boundary, inviting the one or more relevant enterprises in the operating boundary to return carbon emission information they are willing to accept and disclose.

7. 7. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 1, further comprising a carbon asset network status list module for displaying greenhouse gas and full life cycle product carbon footprint information of all categories of organizations generated by the operations of the enterprise in an interactive, shared manner based on the carbon asset network for one or more of the operational boundaries of one or more of the enterprises related to the enterprise.

8. 8. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 7, further comprising a carbon asset network reporting module for issuing carbon-related management documents in real time according to the needs of each stakeholder, including greenhouse gas and full life cycle product carbon footprint information for all categories of organizations generated by the operations of the enterprise.

9. The greenhouse gas emissions of all categories of organizations include at least direct greenhouse gas emissions, indirect greenhouse gas emissions from energy sources, and other indirect greenhouse gas emissions; The sources of direct greenhouse gas emissions include stationary fuel sources, mobile fuel sources, process sources, fugitive sources, land use and change, and forestry; The sources of indirect energy-related greenhouse gas emissions include purchased electricity and purchased energy; 8. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 7, wherein the other indirect greenhouse gas emission sources include upstream transportation and distribution, downstream transportation and distribution, employee commuting, business travel, purchase of goods or services, fuel and energy activities, operational waste, upstream purchase of capital goods, upstream leased assets, use of sold products, processing of sold products, waste disposal of sold products, downstream leased assets, franchises and affiliations, and investments.

10. The automated carbon asset network system of claim 9, wherein, based on an energy resource use allocation standard, the stages of the distributed product carbon footprint of greenhouse gases of all categories of organizations include raw material acquisition stage, production and manufacturing stage, sales and distribution stage, product use stage, and product disposal stage.

11. A carbon asset management method operated on a carbon asset management digital platform for performing a carbon survey of a company by a computer system, comprising: a carbon asset network architecture module that builds a carbon asset network for the enterprise based on the reporting of the enterprise's operational boundaries, the carbon asset network including one or more operational boundaries of one or more external enterprises related to the enterprise; A carbon asset network connection module is used to establish a connection with one or more external operating boundaries associated with the operating boundary of the enterprise, and an application programming interface is used to establish or not establish a connection with one or more carbon asset management digital platforms, one or more carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more automated customized questionnaires for each brand within the one or more external enterprises; receiving, via the application programming interface, carbon survey data obtained by at least one stakeholder, internally from the carbon asset management digital platform, externally from one or more carbon asset management digital platforms, externally from one or more of the carbon asset management report formats, and / or one or more of the automated customized questionnaires; Automatically integrate and version control the greenhouse gas survey information and product carbon footprint information of organizations in the upstream and downstream supply chains outside each operating boundary, and obtain the greenhouse gas survey information of all categories of organizations in each brand within the company and the product carbon footprint information of each product's life cycle; When there is a change in the carbon emission information of one or more related operating boundaries, a carbon asset network update module updates the operating boundaries of the enterprise based on the carbon emission information of one or more related external operating boundaries, and performs version control of carbon emission factors and emissions; A carbon asset management method comprising:

12. 12. The carbon asset management method of claim 11, wherein the at least one stakeholder comprises any one or any combination of the following: the needs of a government agency, the needs of environmental protection, the needs of an international supply chain brand, the needs of an international government, and the needs of a regional association.

13. 13. The carbon asset management method of claim 12, wherein the one or more carbon asset management report formats include a unique report format provided by each stakeholder to the company, and manage greenhouse gas surveys and product carbon footprint information for all categories of organizations and for the entire product life cycle in a reporting format.

14. 14. The carbon asset management method of claim 11, wherein the carbon asset network status list module displays greenhouse gas and full life cycle product carbon footprint information of all categories of organizations generated by the operations of the enterprise in an interactive, shared manner to one or more operational boundaries of one or more of the enterprises externally related to the enterprise based on the carbon asset network.

15. The carbon asset management method of claim 14, wherein the carbon asset network reporting module issues carbon-related management documents in real time regarding greenhouse gas and full life cycle product carbon footprint information of all categories of organizations generated by the enterprise's operations according to the needs of different stakeholders.

Images