Renewable material traceability system and renewable material traceability method

Abstract

Encourage donors to provide renewable materials. [Solution] The renewable material traceability system acquires information about renewable materials provided by a provider and information about the provider, assigns lots of renewable materials to products during the production process of the products, and notifies the provider of evaluation data, which is data evaluating the provision by the provider, obtained based on data associated with the provider from a group of traceability data that includes material traceability data, which is data containing pairs of information about renewable materials and information about the provider, and production traceability data, which is data that contains information indicating the lot assigned to a product for each of one or more types of renewable materials that are used as materials for the product.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to techniques for traceability of renewable materials. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, factors such as worsening environmental problems and resource depletion, as well as the promotion of Industry 4.0 and changes in consumer perceptions, have led to a demand for systems that realize an environmentally conscious circular economy, rather than the linear economy of the past.

[0003] There are various strategies for achieving circularity, but resource recycling has been an especially long-standing approach.

[0004] An example of a renewable material is plastic, which is used in many modern products. Because plastic is an important resource made primarily from petroleum, recycling it is essential to achieving a circular economy.

[0005] There are many different types of plastics with different properties, but if they are not separated by type or recycled with impurities mixed in, the quality of the recycled plastic will deteriorate and its uses will be limited. Therefore, in order to properly separate and recycle recyclable materials, a traceability system that manages these processes and obtains information is effective.

[0006] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a traceability system for acquiring disposal history information of renewable materials is known.

[0007] Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 below, a method is known in which the recycle processing steps of recyclable materials are tracked and traceability is obtained until the materials are re-made into products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-131620 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-123209 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, conventional technologies that acquire information on any part of the process from the disposal to the reproduction of renewable materials only reveal how the renewable materials were disposed of and recycled, and what types of products they were made into. To promote the circulation of renewable materials, it is desirable to encourage providers to provide renewable materials, but conventional technologies make it difficult to promote the provision of renewable materials.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to promote the provision of renewable materials by donors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The renewable material traceability system acquires information about renewable materials provided by a provider and information about the provider, assigns a lot of renewable materials to a product during the production process of the product, and notifies the provider of evaluation data, which is data evaluating the provision by the provider, obtained based on data associated with the provider from a group of traceability data that includes material traceability data, which is data including pairs of information about the renewable material and information about the provider, and production traceability data, which is data including information indicating the lot assigned to the product for each of one or more types of renewable materials that are used as materials for the product. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to promote the provision of renewable materials by donors. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a renewable material traceability system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a data table generated when providing renewable materials according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a data table generated when recovering renewable materials according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a data table showing materials needed to manufacture products using renewable materials, according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a data table showing a combination of lots to be input into the manufacture of products using renewable materials according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a data table showing lot linkages for products using renewable materials according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing a process for linking a provided renewable material with a product using the renewable material according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a data table showing points awarded to all providers for each product event according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the flow of information between people and systems according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a support system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may refer to one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: An I / O interface device is one or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface devices are interface devices for at least one of an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. A communication interface apparatus that is one or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., an NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0015] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0016] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and more specifically, may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0017] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to at least one of memory and persistent storage device.

[0018] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0019] In the following description, functions are sometimes described using the expression "yyy unit." However, the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, and therefore the function may be considered to be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory storage medium). The description of each function is merely an example; multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0020] In the following description, data that produces an output in response to an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table." However, this data may have any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a neural network that generates an output in response to an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, "xxx table" may be referred to as "xxx data." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0021] In the following description, identification numbers, names, etc. are examples of identification information, and information other than numbers, etc. may be used as identification information.

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a renewable material traceability system 1 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the renewable material provided is plastic. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the term "provider" refers to a person who can provide plastic, regardless of whether they actually provided the plastic (brought it in for collection). A provider may typically be an ordinary consumer, but may also be an organization, etc.

[0024] The traceability system 1 includes a collection system 2 that acquires information on plastics 10 brought in by providers 100; a production system 3 that recycles plastic groups, including collected plastics 10, by lot and assigns the lots to products 30 during the production process; a sales system 4 that acquires sales information (information related to sales) for the products 30; a use / repair system 5 that acquires usage information (information related to usage) and repair information (information related to repair) for the products 30; and a support system 190 that is communicatively connected to systems 2-5 and 100 and stores traceability data. At least one of systems 2-5 and 100 may be a computer system, specifically, a physical computer system (one or more physical computers) or a logical computer system based on a physical computer system (e.g., a virtual machine or a cloud-based service system). Furthermore, at least one of systems 2-5 and 100 may be a system that includes a computer system and other devices (e.g., equipment).

[0025] For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the support system 190 may be a computer system including an interface device 1001, a storage device 1002, and a processor 1003 connected to the devices 1001 and 1002. The interface device 1001 communicates with systems 2 to 5 via a communication network (e.g., the Internet or a wide area network (WAN)). The storage device 1002 stores data and programs (details of the data stored in the storage device 1002 will be described later). Functions such as a storage unit 11 and a notification unit 12 are realized by the processor 1003 executing the programs. At least some of the data processing functions of systems 2 to 5 may be realized by the support system 190 (e.g., all or part of the data processing performed by systems 2 to 5 may be performed by the support system 190), and the processing unit 13 may be realized as the data processing function. The storage unit 11 stores traceability data 21, 31, 61, and 71 based on data obtained from systems 2 to 5 in the storage device 1002. The notification unit 12 notifies the provider 100 of evaluation data, which will be described later, based on data associated with the provider 100 from the traceability data 21, 31, 61, and 71. Each of the traceability data 21, 31, 61, and 71 may be a database, or may be data in a format other than a database.

[0026] According to such a traceability system 1, various traceability data relating to the plastic 10 is acquired and managed so as to be linked to the provider 100. In order to facilitate the transmission and reception of information between the provider 100 and the traceability system 1, an app linked to the traceability system 1 (hereinafter referred to as linked app) may be prepared and installed on the mobile terminal 101 of the provider 100.

[0027] First, the donor 100 goes to a collection space equipped with facilities linked to the collection system 2 to separate and donate the plastic 10. The space may be a garbage dump at a community center where people gather.

[0028] Prior to providing plastic 10, donor 100 registers his / her information in collection system 2 using a personal mobile terminal 101 (a mobile information processing terminal such as a smartphone). At this time, it is desirable that a two-dimensional barcode such as a QR code (registered trademark) is affixed to equipment linked to collection system 2, and that information about donor 100 stored in the linked app be automatically registered in collection system 2 simply by reading the barcode with mobile terminal 101. That is, donor information, which is information about donor 100, may be registered in advance in the linked app in mobile terminal 101. When the linked app reads a QR code on equipment linked to collection system 2 using the camera of mobile terminal 101, the donor information registered in the linked app may be sent to the link (e.g., URL) indicated by the QR code, thereby registering the donor information in collection system 2. This makes it possible to link donor 100 and plastic 10. In other words, once the collection system 2 has completed receiving the donor information together with the donor, when the sorting and provision of the plastics 10 begins, the donor information is linked to the recyclable material information (information on recyclable materials) related to the sorting of the plastics 10. At the time of reception, the collection system 2 may issue a reception number to the donor 100, and the recyclable material information including the reception number may be input to the collection system 2.

[0029] The collection system 2 communicates, for example, directly or through a linked app, with a determination device 20 (e.g., a resin determination handheld sensor) that determines the type of plastic 10. The determination device 20 assists the provider 100 in sorting the plastic 10. The determination device 20 may be a component of the collection system 2. For example, the determination device 20 determines the type of plastic 10 (e.g., PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene)) and displays the determination result or notifies the linked app (the determination result is displayed on the mobile terminal 101 by the linked app). Then, through the sorting and provision by the provider 100, the collection system 2 acquires information on the recyclable materials of the plastic 10. Here, the "recyclable material information" includes the location and time of provision of the plastic 10, the type of plastic 10, one or more items per type, the weight of each item, etc. The recyclable material information may be displayed in real time for the provider 100 on the screen of the mobile terminal 101 of the provider 100 or on the screen of linked equipment (e.g., equipment in a collection space where the plastic 10 can be placed). 2 and transmits the provided data table 211 to the support system 190. The storage unit 11 of the support system 190 stores the provided data table 211 in the material traceability data 21. In the provided data table 211, values ​​(instances) of data items such as "reception number", "provider", "location", "time", "type", "item", and "weight" are, for example, as follows: For example, the provided data table 211 is generated as follows, which includes pairs of provider information including "provider" and recyclable material information including "reception number", "location", "time", "type", "item", and "weight". Reception number: A number issued by the collection system 2. One reception number is issued for each donation. Provider: Information included in the provider information acquired from the linked app, etc., and is identification information such as the name of the provider. At least a portion of the provider information may be anonymized by at least one of the linked app, the collection system 2, and the support system 190 (storage unit 11). Location: The location where the collection equipment is installed and where the provision took place. The location may be input by any method. For example, the location may be identified by the collection system 2 based on which equipment the information came from, or it may be identified from location information included in the provider information from the mobile terminal 101 of the provider 100, or the location information may be included in the QR code described above and the renewable material information may include that location information, or it may be location information obtained from the determination device 20. Time: The time at which the donation was made. The time may be input by any method. For example, it may be the time at which the donation was received by the donation provider 100 at the collection system 2, the time obtained from the determination machine 20, or the time obtained from the linked app. Type: The type of plastic 10. The type of plastic may be input by any method. For example, the result of the determination of the plastic type by the determination device 20 may be input to the collection system 2 via or without the linked app, or the donor 100 may manually input the type while looking at the screen of the determination device 20 or the linked app. Item: The item of the plastic 10 (for example, the name of the plastic part). The item may be input by any method. For example, the item may be automatically determined and input by the collection system 2 from a photograph of the plastic 10 (a photograph of the plastic 10 taken by equipment) that has been sorted by plastic type and provided by the provider 100, or the item may be input by the provider 100. Weight: The weight of the plastic 10. The weight may be input by any method. For example, the weight may be measured by a sensor or the like installed in the equipment, and the collection system 2 may link the weight measured by the sensor or the like with the result of automatic item determination, and generate a pair of item and weight for each item.

[0030] When the provision of the plastic 10 is completed, the support system 190 may provide points to the provider 100 through an associated app or the like according to the type, weight, etc. of the plastic 10. For example, the notification unit 12 may notify the associated app of the mobile terminal 101 of data representing the points. The points may be electronic money or points that can be exchanged for prizes. Information on the provided points is linked to information about the provider 100 and stored in the point traceability data 71 by the memory unit 11.

[0031] In a collection space such as a garbage dump at a community center, other donors of plastic gather in addition to donor 100. Therefore, when a collection company collects donated plastics, it collects them as a lot that includes plastics other than plastic 10 that has been sorted into the relevant type among multiple types. In other words, there is a lot for each type of plastic. Collection is carried out at an optimal frequency that takes into account transportation efficiency.

[0032] When collecting plastics, the collection system 2 groups multiple (or one) supply records (records in the supply data table 211) related to plastics in the collection space by type of plastic (i.e., classifying information belonging to the same plastic type identified from different records into the same group), and assigns a material lot identification number to each collection lot. To simplify management up to the production system 3, the collection system 2 may issue a sticker indicating the material lot identification number (e.g., a sticker bearing a QR code or barcode representing the material lot identification number), and the collection company may attach the sticker to the cardboard box or the like containing the lots. As a result, the collection system 2 generates a material data table 212 related to collection, as shown in FIG. 3. Note that FIG. 3 shows how PP is collected together from among the plastics provided by Mr. X and Mr. Y listed in the supply data table 211 of FIG. 2. The material data table 212 is also transmitted from the collection system 2 to the support system 190, and the storage unit 11 stores the material data table 212 in the material traceability data 21. In the material data table 212, the values ​​(instances) of data items such as "material lot identification number", "collection time", "collection number", "weight" and "quality" are, for example, as follows: Material lot identification number: This is the lot identification number issued for each lot by the collection system 2. Collection time: The time when the collection was made. The collection time may be input by any method. For example, it may be the time when the collection company accepts the collection from the collection system 2. Collection number: A number consisting of a combination of the reception number in the provision data table 211 and the type in the provision data table 211. The collection number identifies which type of plastic it is and which provision it is. One or more collection numbers are linked to one material lot identification number. Weight: Provided for each collection number, this is the weight of the plastic type identified from the collection number. Specifically, this weight is the total weight of all items belonging to the plastic type identified from the provided data table 211 using the collection number as a key. According to the examples in Figures 2 and 3, the weight corresponding to collection number "KBJ2024-PP" is the total weight of all items in the provided data table 211 that belong to reception number "KBJ2024" and type "PP." Quality: As explained in the next paragraph, this is data that can be added later during production rather than collection. Specifically, for example, it is the quality (e.g., viscosity or durability) measured for a single lot when a new lot is produced by recycling one or more lots.

[0033] Plastics collected by collectors in lots are crushed into flakes, sometimes after removing impurities by washing or other methods. If the lots are small and difficult to process, multiple lots may be treated as a single lot, regrouped, and processed together. In this case, production system 3 updates data table 212 according to the regrouping status. After the flakes are heated and melted, the recycled plastic is processed into granular pellets. During this recycling process, the quality of the recycled plastic, such as viscosity, durability, and color, is measured, and production system 3 adds the quality information to material data table 212 stored in material traceability data 21 via memory unit 11.

[0034] Next, when manufacturing a product using recycled plastic, the production system 3 determines the lot to be input into the production line. The production system 3 holds material data 311 required for product manufacturing, such as that shown in Figure 4, for each product type (e.g., product model number). The material data 311 represents one or more materials required for the product and the required weight of each material. Here, for example, it is assumed that 6000g of PP is required to produce one refrigerator A. Normally, when manufacturing products on a production line, multiple products are produced simultaneously, so one lot is insufficient and multiple lots are input. Therefore, when determining the input lot, the production system 3 generates a combination of lots that will achieve the required amount, focusing on the collection time and region (the location itself or the region to which the location belongs) obtained by the collection system 2, or quality information obtained by the production system 3. Inputting only the amount of lots needed for the product can reduce the amount of plastic surplus and waste generated during manufacturing. Specifically, for example, to manufacture one refrigerator A, the production system 3 determines the combination of PP lots so that the total weight of the PP lot is 6000 g or more, but the difference between that total weight and the required weight of 6000 g is as small as possible.

[0035] Determining input lots based on collection time allows for first-in, first-out storage in warehouses that store recycled plastics, reducing the burden on warehouse operations. It also strengthens the chronological connection between the provided plastics and the manufactured products. In other words, the production system 3 determines that the lots that make up a lot combination are those that are collected at the same time or within the same time period (for example, within 30-minute to 1-hour intervals).

[0036] When determining input lots with a focus on the collection region, using only lots related to one region strengthens the connection between the manufactured product and the region, and also enables local production and consumption of resources. That is, the production system 3 may use lots that make up a lot combination with the same collection region (a location (region of location) identified from the provided data table 211 for each collection number belonging to the material lot identification number). On the other hand, using lots from multiple regions over a wide range can also create a wide connection. That is, the production system 3 may use lots that make up a lot combination with different collection regions.

[0037] By determining the input lot with a focus on quality, the quality of the product can be improved accordingly. Furthermore, when generating input lot data, materials informatics can be used to predict the quality when mixed with other lots. This may result in recycled plastics that previously could not be used in products due to their quality meeting the specified quality and becoming usable in products. In other words, this leads to an increase in the amount of usable recycled plastics. In other words, the production system 3 selects lots that make up a lot combination to be lots of the same or similar quality.

[0038] When determining the input lot, the production system 3 may simultaneously consider the time, region, and quality. This is expected to produce the above-mentioned effects in a composite manner.

[0039] In addition, when the calculations required to generate combinations are not simple, particularly when using materials informatics, the production system 3 may send the conditions and necessary data to an external server, and the CPU of the external server may be used for the calculations.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows an example of an input lot data table 312 generated by one of the above methods. The input lot data table 312 is stored in the production system 3 for each material type used in a product. For each material type (plastic type), the input lot data table 312 indicates the material lot identification number and weight for each of one or more lots used in a product. For example, the lot with the material lot identification number "PP39628" is the same as the lot shown in FIG. 3. This is achieved by obtaining traceability through lot management. The weight corresponding to the material lot identification number is the sum of the weights corresponding to all recovery numbers identified from the material data table 212 using the material lot identification number as a key. The input lot data table 312 is sent from the production system 3 to the support system 190 and stored in the production traceability data 31 by the memory unit 11.

[0041] Next, the determined input lot is transported to the production factory of the product and used in manufacturing the product. For example, the amounts of multiple plastics required to produce the desired number of refrigerators A are known from material data 311 shown in FIG. 4, and the input lot satisfies that amount. At the time of manufacturing, an input lot consisting of multiple lots is processed together, but it may also be collected into the same bag or the like at the time of transportation.

[0042] Next, the production of product 30 is completed using the input lot. At the time of production, the lot and product were in a many-to-many relationship, but when production is completed, the lot and product must be linked again in a many-to-one or one-to-many relationship.

[0043] For example, if product 30 is one unit of refrigerator A, it is called refrigerator A-1, and production system 3 assigns a combination of lots from the input lots to be linked to refrigerator A-1. In this case, just as when the combination of input lots was generated, production system 3 generates a combination of lots that will produce the amount necessary to manufacture refrigerator A-1, focusing on the collection time and region obtained by collection system 2 or quality information obtained by production system 3. The PP necessary to manufacture refrigerator A-1 is set to 6,000 g, but the total amount of the lots may vary slightly depending on the combination of lots.

[0044] When allocating lots to products, the production system 3 may limit the use of one lot to one product. This means that the plastic 10 provided by the provider 100 will be used in one product, creating a strong bond between the plastic 10 and the product. As a result, the provider 100's contribution to recycling for one product can be increased.

[0045] Furthermore, the production system 3 may be configured so that one lot is used for multiple products. This allows the plastic 10 provided by the provider 100 to be used in multiple products, allowing the provider 100 to make a wide-ranging contribution to the production of products using recycled plastics.

[0046] The provider 100 may be able to select the number of units to be used in advance through a linked app, etc. In other words, either limiting the use of one lot to one product or dividing the use of one lot into multiple products may be performed in accordance with a request from the provider 100 (for example, a request included in the provider information).

[0047] FIG. 6 shows an example of linking lots to products. For example, the lot with the material lot identification number "PP39628" is the same as the lot shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The linked lot data table 313 is generated by the production system 3, transmitted to the support system 190, and stored in the production traceability data 31 by the storage unit 11. The linked lot data table 313 may be generated for each product and indicates the product's serial number, the material (plastic type) used in the product, and, for each material, the material lot identification number of each of the one or more lots that make up the material. The linked lot data table 313 indicates which lot was used in which product. Furthermore, the provider can be identified from the lot via the material data table 212 and the provided data table 211, so it is possible to determine which provider's plastic was used to manufacture which product.

[0048] After the linking is complete, the notification unit 12 uses the traceability data 21 and 31 up to that point to calculate the contribution rate of each provider, including provider 100, who contributed to the production of product 30. When calculating the contribution rate, the notification unit 12 may assign weights that take into account the quantity and quality of the plastic provided. The calculation results are output as a reference data table, and the memory unit 11 stores the reference data table of the calculation results in the point traceability data 71. This makes it possible to allocate points to providers by looking at the reference data table when an event related to the product occurs.

[0049] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the process of linking the lot containing the plastic 10 to the product using it in the production system 3. The process starts on the premise that the material lot identification number has been generated in the collection system 2.

[0050] That is, in S1, the production system 3 references the material traceability data 21 (particularly the material data table 212) and generates an input lot data table 312 according to the application (for example, the manufacture of refrigerator A).

[0051] Furthermore, there is a point in the manufacturing process where lots are mixed together, and once this point has passed there is no turning back. Therefore, in S2, the production system 3 determines whether the lot can be introduced into the manufacturing line before the input lot is confirmed.

[0052] If the judgment result of S2 is true (S2: Yes), in S3, the production system 3 identifies the required weight for the product for each type of plastic required for the product from the product material data 311, and determines a lot combination that is equal to or greater than the required weight from the input lot data table 312.

[0053] In S4, the production system 3 generates a linked lot data table 313 linking the lot combination to the product and stores the linked lot data table 313 in the production traceability data 31 via the storage unit 11. The production system 3 also identifies the providers who provided the plastics in each lot that constitutes the lot combination for the product from the material traceability data 21 and provides a contribution rate for each identified provider. For example, for each plastic type for a product, the contribution rate may be the proportion of the weight of the plastic provided by the provider out of the total weight of that plastic type. A predetermined weight may be reflected in this proportion. For a product, the contribution rate of each provider may be a contribution rate determined from the contribution rates for each plastic type (e.g., the average contribution rate of all plastic types).

[0054] In S5, the production system 3 generates a reference data table that indicates the products and the contribution ratios of the providers. The reference data table may be stored in the production system 3, or may be stored in the point traceability data 71 via the storage unit 11.

[0055] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of an event data table 611 of points awarded to all providers for an event involving refrigerator A-1. When an event related to a product occurs, the production system 3 or the notification unit 12 divides the points based on the contribution rate of each provider listed in the reference data table and awards them to each provider. At this time, the notification unit 12 may simultaneously notify data on various events. Information on the awarded points is linked to information on each provider and stored in the point traceability data 71. An event data table 611 is prepared, for example, for each product. The event data table 611 indicates points for one or more events for a product. Each time an event such as production (production completion), sale, use, or repair occurs (for example, each time information indicating the occurrence of the event is detected by any of the systems 3 to 5 or input to the support system 190), points corresponding to the event that occurred for the product may be distributed according to the contribution rate of each provider related to the product.

[0056] Finally, the production system 3 uses the storage unit 11 to store information indicating that the production of the product has been completed in the event traceability data 61.

[0057] When production completion information is uploaded to the event traceability data 61, the traceability system 1 recognizes that a production event has occurred, and executes production-related event notification and point allocation to each provider using the notification unit 12. The notification and points may be allocated to the provider 100 via a linked app or the like installed on the mobile terminal 101 owned by the provider 100.

[0058] After being manufactured, the products 30 are put on display in stores or on e-commerce sites and sold to users 300 of the products 30. The sales system 4 acquires this information and uses the storage unit 11 to store it in event traceability data 61. The information related to sales and stored in the event traceability data 61 may include information indicating the product number of the sold product, the sales location, etc.

[0059] When the product 30 is sold, the user 300 may be allowed to access the traceability system 1 before purchasing and refer to the traceability data 21 and 31. This allows the user 300 to know the history of the plastic used in the product 30, which can be used by the user 300 in making a purchasing decision.

[0060] When sales information is uploaded to the event traceability data 61, the traceability system 1 recognizes that a sales event has occurred, and executes a sales-related event notification and point awarding to each provider using the notification unit 12. The notification and points may be awarded to the provider 100 via an app or the like installed on the mobile terminal 101 owned by the provider 100.

[0061] After purchasing product 30, user 300 uses product 30 and repairs it if it breaks down. Use / repair information for product 30 is linked to use / repair system 5 with permission from user 300. The use information for product 30 includes the number of specific operations and operating time, and the repair information includes the cumulative number of repairs. In exchange for the use / repair information, user 300 may be given incentives such as points. Use / repair system 5 stores the linked information in event traceability data 61 using memory unit 11.

[0062] When use / repair information is uploaded to the event traceability data 61, the traceability system 1 recognizes that a sales event has occurred and uses the notification unit 12 to notify each provider of the use / repair event and award points. The notification and points may be given to the provider 100 via an app installed on the mobile terminal 101 owned by the provider 100. Depending on the content of the use / repair information, the total number of points awarded to all providers can be varied, for example, by doubling the points awarded for the second repair. In other words, when use or repair, which is an example of an event that occurs after production completion, the length of use and the number of repairs are considered as indicators of the provider's contribution to products made from the plastic provided by the provider, and points are awarded to the provider based on these indicators.

[0063] 9 is a diagram illustrating the flow of information between people and systems according to the above embodiment. This is an example showing the flow in this embodiment, and the flow is not limited to this example, including other embodiments.

[0064] According to FIG. 9, examples of information returned to the provider 100 are as follows: Any of the information below may be displayed from the notification unit 12 of the support system through an associated app on the mobile terminal 101, or may be notified to the provider 100 by other methods. In the following description, the "traceability data group" refers to at least a part of the traceability data 21, 31, 61, and 71. At least a part of the information below is based on data in the traceability data group that is associated with the provider 100, i.e., data that can be traced using the provider 100 as a key. Information indicating the judgment result from the collection system 2 regarding the provided plastic (for example, the type of plastic and its weight). Information about the production results regarding the completion of the production of products made using the provided plastic (for example, how much of the plastic provided by the provider 100 was used in which products, or the points allocated from the production points based on the contribution rate calculated based on that provision). Information regarding the sales results of products produced using the provided plastic (for example, that a product using plastic provided by the provider 100 was purchased, or points allocated from sales points based on the contribution rate calculated based on the provision). Information regarding the results of the use or repair of products made using the provided plastic (for example, the length of time the product was used or the number of repairs made using the plastic provided by the Provider 100, or the points allocated from the use points or repair points based on the contribution rate calculated based on the provision).

[0065] According to FIG. 9, the user 300 may be able to view at least a portion of the information in the traceability data group.

[0066] Although one embodiment has been described above, this is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the traceability of recyclable materials other than plastic (e.g., metal materials such as empty cans and glass materials such as bottles).

[0067] The above-described embodiment can be summarized as follows: The following summary may include supplementary explanations and explanations of modifications to the above explanations.

[0068] A renewable material traceability system (e.g., traceability system 1) includes a collection system (e.g., collection system 2), a production system (e.g., production system 3), and a support system (e.g., support system 190). Each time one or more types of renewable materials are provided by a provider, the collection system acquires renewable material information, which is information about the one or more types of renewable materials, and provider information, which includes information identifying the provider. For each product to be produced, the production system assigns a renewable material lot to the product for each of the one or more types of renewable materials provided and collected that will be used as materials for the product. The support system notifies each provider of evaluation data (data representing an evaluation of the provider's provision) obtained based on data associated with the provider in the traceability data group. The traceability data group includes material traceability data, which is data including pairs of renewable material information and provider information for each provision, and production traceability data, which is data for each product including information identifying the lot assigned to the product for each of the one or more types of renewable materials that will be used as materials for the product. The support system may include at least some of the functions of the recovery system and the production system.

[0069] According to such a set of traceability data, provided renewable materials and recycled products are associated with the provider. In the set of traceability data, it is possible to trace which renewable materials provided by which providers were used in which products, and the provider is notified of an evaluation based on that tracing, which gives the provider an incentive to provide renewable materials, thereby encouraging providers to provide more renewable materials.

[0070] The collection system may be capable of communicating with at least one of a determination device (e.g., determination device 20) that determines the type of recyclable material and shows the determination result, including the determined type, to the provider, and a linked app that is installed on a mobile terminal (e.g., mobile terminal 101), which is a mobile information processing terminal, and that receives information indicating the determination result by the determination device. The recyclable material information is information received from the determination device or the linked app, and may include information that indicates the type of recyclable material included in the determination result by the determination device. This allows the provider to be automatically linked to the type of recyclable material provided by the provider in the material traceability data.

[0071] When the same type of renewable material provided by different providers is contained in the same lot, the material traceability data may include information representing the lot and the provision of the different providers, the production traceability data may include information representing the lot and the product in which the lot was used, and the evaluation data notified to each different provider for that provider may be based on that lot. In this way, even if one lot contains the same type of renewable material provided by different providers, the different providers can each be appropriately evaluated and the evaluations can be notified to the providers individually.

[0072] If a lot is obtained by recycling one or more lots in the production process after collection, the production traceability data may contain information describing the measured quality of the obtained lot, which can contribute to the production according to the quality, for example by making products from lots of the same or similar quality, and consequently inform the provider of the renewable material used in the production of an appropriate assessment.

[0073] The production system or the support system may determine, for each product, one or more lots made up of one or more types of materials required for the type of product to which the product belongs, thereby determining a lot combination for the product, which enables the product to be produced with an appropriate lot combination.

[0074] The material traceability data may include information indicating the amount (e.g., weight) of renewable material contained in each lot of renewable material. For at least one product, the production system or support system may determine, for each type of material in the product category to which the product belongs, one or more lots to be input into the production line based on the material traceability data, such that the total amount of material of that type is equal to or greater than the required amount of material of that type and the difference between that total amount and the required amount is minimized. This is expected to reduce the amount of renewable material discarded.

[0075] The material traceability data may include information representing the provider and the amount of renewable material provided for each provision (e.g., receipt into a collection system). The production system or support system may perform the following (a) to (c) for each product based on the traceability data group. The evaluation data notified to each of the one or more providers identified below may include data representing points determined for that provider. This allows the provider to be provided with appropriate points according to the amount of renewable material provided, thereby providing appropriate incentives. (a) For each of one or more lots allocated to the product, identify one or more providers that provided the renewable material contained in that lot and, for each such provider, the quantity of renewable material that provider provided in that lot. (b) Calculate the contribution of the provider for the product based on the provider and the amount of renewable material identified for each lot allocated to the product. (c) For each of one or more events for the product, including the completion of production of the product, if the event occurs, determine the points to be awarded to each of the one or more identified providers by allocating the points corresponding to the event to each of the identified providers in accordance with the provider's calculated contribution ratio.

[0076] The traceability system may further include an event system (e.g., the sales system 4 and / or the use / repair system 5) that acquires information about an event other than production completion when the event occurs for each product. The traceability data group may include event traceability data (e.g., event traceability data 61) containing information about the event. When information about an event that occurred among one or more events including production completion is acquired for at least one product, either the production system or event system corresponding to the event that occurred or the support system may determine whether a trace including the provider from which the product was produced using renewable materials can be acquired from the traceability data group. If the result of the determination is true, information about the event may be associated with the product in the traceability data group. In other words, before storing information about an event in the traceability data group, it is confirmed whether the data is stored so that it can be traced back to the most recent event. This allows the traceability data group to be updated appropriately. For example, such confirmation may be performed before each of the production result registration, sales result registration, and use / repair result registration in Fig. 9 is executed, and the registration may be executed only after it is confirmed that the data is appropriately stored in a traceable manner. Note that for each product, the one or more events may include at least one of the sale, use, and repair of the product in addition to the completion of production of the product.

[0077] At least one of the collection system, production system, and support system may anonymize all or part of at least the information about the provider in the traceability data group. This makes it possible to provide at least the information about the provider in a manner that makes it difficult to identify the provider, even if access by a person other than the provider, such as user 300, is permitted.

[0078] When an event occurs regarding a product that uses a newly provided renewable material and the points of the provider who provided the renewable material are updated, the support system may notify the provider of evaluation data as point data representing the updated points, thereby enabling the provider to quickly learn of the point update.

[0079] The material traceability data may include information indicating the collection time for each lot, which is the time when the lot was collected, and the production system may preferentially allocate lots with older collection times to products input into the production line. The material traceability data may also include information indicating the location where the provision was made for each provision, and the production system may create lots from renewable materials provided at provision locations belonging to the same region. The material traceability data may also include information indicating the location where the provision was made for each provision, and the renewable material information or provider information acquired by the recovery system may include a recycling request, which is a request from the provider indicating whether the renewable material should be used in as few products as possible or as many products as possible, and the production system may determine the lot to allocate to a product according to each recycling request. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1: Traceability system, 10: Plastic, 100: Provider, 2: Collection system, 190: Support system, 21: Material traceability data, 3: Production system, 31: Production traceability data

Claims

1. a collection system that acquires, each time any one or more types of renewable materials are provided by any provider, renewable material information that is information about the one or more types of renewable materials and provider information that includes information representing the provider; a production system that allocates to each product a lot of renewable materials for each of the one or more types of renewable materials that are to be used as materials for the product from among one or more types of renewable materials that have been provided and collected; a support system that notifies each provider of evaluation data, which is data assessing the provision by the provider, obtained based on data associated with the provider from a group of traceability data that includes, for each provider, material traceability data, which is data including a set of renewable material information and provider information for each provision, and production traceability data, which is data including information indicating the lot assigned to each product for each of one or more types of renewable materials that are materials for the product; Equipped with Renewable Materials Traceability System.

2. The collection system is capable of communicating with at least one of a determination device that determines the type of the recyclable material and shows the provider a determination result including the determined type, and a linked app that is installed on a portable terminal that is a mobile information processing terminal and receives information representing the determination result by the determination device; The renewable material information is information received from the determination device or the linked app, and includes information indicating the type of renewable material included in the determination result by the determination device. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

3. When the same lot contains the same type of renewable material provided by different providers, the material traceability data includes information representing the lot and the provision of the different providers; the production traceability data includes information representing the lot and the product in which the lot is used; For each of the different providers, the evaluation data communicated to the provider is based on the lot. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

4. In the case where there is a lot obtained by recycling one or more lots in the production process after collection, the production traceability data includes information representing the quality measured for the obtained lot. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

5. the production system or the support system determines, for each product, one or more lots made up of one or more types of materials required for a product of the type to which the product belongs, thereby determining a lot combination for the product; The renewable material traceability system according to claim 1 .

6. The material traceability data includes, for each lot of renewable material, information indicating the amount of renewable material contained in the lot; The production system or the support system determines, for at least one product, for each type of material of the type of product to which the product belongs, based on the material traceability data, one or more lots to be put into the production line, in which the total amount of material of the type is equal to or greater than the required amount of material of the type and the difference between the total amount and the required amount is the smallest. The renewable material traceability system of claim 5.

7. The material traceability data includes, for each provision, information representing the provider and the amount of renewable material provided; The production system or the support system performs the following for each product based on the traceability data group: For each of one or more lots allocated to the product, identifying one or more providers that provided the renewable materials included in the lot and, for each of the one or more providers, the amount of renewable materials provided by that provider in the lot; Calculating the contribution rate of the provider for the product based on the provider and the amount of renewable material identified for each lot allocated to the product; For each of one or more events regarding the product, including the completion of production of the product, when the event occurs, determine points to each of the identified one or more providers by distributing points corresponding to the event to each of the identified one or more providers according to the provider's calculated contribution rate; the evaluation data notified to each of the one or more providers includes data representing points determined for the provider; The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

8. an event system that acquires information about an event other than production completion when the event occurs for each product; Further provided with the set of traceability data includes event traceability data containing information about an event that has occurred; When information regarding an event that has occurred among one or more events including production completion is acquired for at least one product, either the production system or the event system corresponding to the event that has occurred, or the support system: Determine whether a trace including which provider has provided renewable materials to produce the product can be obtained from the traceability data group; If the determination is true, associating information about the event with the product in the set of traceability data. The renewable material traceability system according to claim 1 .

9. For each of the products, the one or more events include at least one of the sale, use, and repair of the product, other than the completion of production of the product; The renewable material traceability system of claim 8.

10. At least one of the collection system, the production system, and the support system anonymizes all or part of information relating to at least the provider in the traceability data group. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

11. When an event occurs regarding a product using a newly provided renewable material and points are updated for a provider who provided the renewable material, the support system notifies the provider of the evaluation data as point data representing the updated points. The renewable material traceability system of claim 7.

12. the material traceability data includes, for each lot, information indicating a collection time as the time when the lot was collected; The production system allocates products to be input into the production line with priority to lots with earlier collection times. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

13. The material traceability data includes, for each provision, information indicating a provision location as a location where the provision was made, The production system comprises lots made of renewable materials provided at providing locations belonging to the same region. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

14. The material traceability data includes, for each provision, information indicating a provision location as a location where the provision was made, The renewable material information or provider information acquired by the recovery system includes a recycling request, which is a request from a provider indicating whether the renewable material should be used in as few products as possible or as many products as possible, The production system determines a lot to be allocated to a product according to each remanufacturing request. The renewable material traceability system of claim 1 .

15. Each time any one or more types of renewable materials are provided by any provider, renewable material information that is information about the one or more types of renewable materials and provider information that includes information representing the provider are acquired; For each product to be produced, assign a lot of renewable materials to the product for each of the one or more types of renewable materials that are to be used as materials for the product from among the one or more types of renewable materials provided and recovered; notify each provider of evaluation data, which is data assessing the provision by the provider, obtained based on data associated with the provider from a group of traceability data including: material traceability data, which is data including a pair of renewable material information and provider information for each provision; and production traceability data, which is data including, for each product, information indicating the lot assigned to the product for each of one or more types of renewable material that are materials for the product; A computer-based method for traceability of renewable materials.

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