Generating environmental impact information of companies that make up the supply chain

Abstract

This system provides a mechanism that enables the efficient generation of environmental impact information that reflects the business activities of multiple companies that make up a supply chain. [Solution] A system is provided that generates supply chain load information showing the amount of supply chain load related to the environmental impact caused by the business activities of a first company. The system includes information acquisition means for acquiring individual load information showing the amount of environmental impact of each company among a plurality of companies, and transaction ratio information showing the transaction ratio of one or more downstream trading partners of each company; construction means for constructing a directed graph representation of the supply chain, in which each of the plurality of companies is a node and the transaction ratio shown by the transaction ratio information is used as the weight of the edge; and generation means for generating the supply chain load information by repeatedly applying the directed graph representation to the individual load information and distributing the amount of environmental impact of each company downstream.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the generation of environmental impact information for companies that constitute a supply chain. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with growing awareness of environmental issues, the extent to which a company contributes to environmental conservation is increasingly being considered in evaluating its corporate value. In some regions, initiatives have begun to require companies to objectively evaluate and report the degree of their contribution to environmental conservation (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, many companies have multi-layered supply chains, and simply quantifying the environmental impact resulting from the activities of a single company does not necessarily adequately evaluate that company's contribution to environmental conservation. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a system that generates environmental impact information regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a company's products, based not only on the GHG emissions generated during the production of the product, but also on the GHG emissions generated by other companies during the production of the product's components or raw materials. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, [online], European Commission, [retrieved on 2024-08-20], Retrieved from the Internet:<URL:https: / / taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu / carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en> [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7505125 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, when generating environmental impact information for a given company, the company's representative is required to input data about other companies that are suppliers of parts or raw materials. In order to accurately reflect the contribution to environmental protection of the entire multi-layered supply chain in the environmental impact information, it may be necessary to input data about companies that are not direct trading partners, but such input work could be a relatively heavy burden for, for example, the representative of a small or medium-sized enterprise. Furthermore, some companies may not consent to providing data to companies that are not direct trading partners.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a mechanism that enables the efficient generation of environmental impact information that reflects the impact of the business activities of multiple companies constituting a supply chain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] From one perspective, a system is provided that generates supply chain load information indicating the amount of supply chain load related to the environmental burden caused by the business activities of a first company, wherein the first company is one of a plurality of companies that constitute a supply chain, and the system includes: information acquisition means for acquiring individual load information indicating the amount of environmental burden of each of the plurality of companies, and transaction ratio information indicating the transaction ratio of one or more downstream trading partners of each of the plurality of companies; construction means for constructing a directed graph representation of the supply chain, wherein each of the plurality of companies is a node, and the transaction ratio indicated by the transaction ratio information of the plurality of companies is used as the weight of the edge; and generation means for generating the supply chain load information by repeatedly applying the directed graph representation to the individual load information and distributing the amount of environmental burden of each company downstream. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently generate environmental load information reflecting the influence of corporate activities of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing an overview of an information management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a trading partner input screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram conceptually showing an example of the overall configuration of a supply chain. [Figure 5] Flowchart showing an example of the flow of consent request processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] Explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transaction ratio input screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] Explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a single load information input screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] Explanatory diagram showing a directed graph in which the transaction ratios between companies in the supply chain illustrated in FIG. 4 are also shown. [Figure 9] Explanatory diagram showing an example of an adjacency matrix corresponding to the directed graph of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] Flowchart showing an example of the flow of SC load information generation processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] Explanatory diagram showing a first example of the configuration of an information browsing screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] Explanatory diagram showing a second example of the configuration of an information browsing screen according to an embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the invention. Two or more of the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Also, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] <1. Overview of the System> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information management system 1 according to an embodiment. The information management system 1 is a system that manages information related to the environmental load brought about by the business activities of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain.

[0013] Generally, companies consume resources and energy through their business activities and emit greenhouse gases (GHGs). In recent years, contribution to environmental conservation has been recognized as one of the social responsibilities of companies aiming at sustainable development, and the degree of reduction of environmental load has come to be considered in the evaluation of corporate value. The environmental load is represented by indicators such as, for example, the consumption amounts of resources and energy and the GHG emission amount. Alternatively, the contribution to environmental conservation by forest regeneration, carbon recovery, or power generation using renewable energy is quantified in the form of the trading amount of carbon credits. These quantitative indicators are examples of information related to the environmental load.

[0014] In today's complex business environment, supply chains often involve multiple layers of companies, with numerous businesses participating in the production and distribution of a single product. For example, in the steel parts supply chain, steel produced by blast furnace or electric arc furnace manufacturers undergoes various processes (e.g., wire drawing, annealing, and plating) by multiple intermediate processors before being transformed into steel parts (e.g., screws or bolts) used by finished product manufacturers. Therefore, to properly assess the environmental impact of corporate activities, it is insufficient to simply understand the environmental burden caused by the activities of individual companies. For instance, even if a company emits only small amounts of GHGs when producing a product, if upstream companies involved in the production of parts or raw materials for that product emit large amounts of GHGs, it would not be appropriate to highly evaluate the overall contribution to environmental protection.

[0015] In light of these circumstances, Information Management System 1 provides a mechanism that enables a more appropriate evaluation of the degree of each company's contribution to environmental protection. The supply chain load information generated by Information Management System 1 is generated by allocating the environmental load of each company individually to downstream companies according to the transaction relationships between multiple companies that make up the supply chain. Therefore, by looking at the supply chain load information generated for a particular company, it is possible to grasp the degree of contribution to environmental protection of the company's activities, including not only that company's own contributions but also those of upstream companies.

[0016] Referring to Figure 1, the information management system 1 includes corporate terminals 20a to 20n of multiple companies 10a to 10n, and a management server 100. The corporate terminals 20a to 20n and the management server 100 are connected to network 3. Network 3 may be any combination of networks, such as the internet, intranet, and cloud network. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between companies 10a to 10n, they will be collectively referred to as company 10. Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish between corporate terminals 20a to 20n, they will be collectively referred to as corporate terminal 20.

[0017] The corporate terminal 20 may be any type of terminal device, such as a personal computer (PC) or a smartphone. The corporate terminal 20 has components similar to those of a typical terminal device, such as a processor, memory, storage, input device, display, and communication interface. Each company 10's assigned user can access the management server 100 using the corporate terminal 20 after appropriate user authentication. The corporate terminal 20 is used, for example, for the assigned user to input information into the information management system 1 and to view information provided by the information management system 1.

[0018] The management server 100 is a server device that provides various functions for managing information related to the environmental impact caused by the business activities of companies 10a to 10n. The management server 100 may be implemented as an application server, web server, or cloud server using a high-performance general-purpose computer. Figure 1 shows a single management server 100, but the functions of the management server 100 described below may be realized by the cooperation of multiple devices. A specific example of the configuration of the management server 100 will be described in detail later.

[0019] In one embodiment, the supply chain load information generated by the management server 100 can be used to fulfill the obligation of each company to report environmental load information.

[0020] For example, in Europe, preparations are underway for the full-scale implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a system that imposes carbon costs on imports from outside the European Union. According to CBAM, companies importing products from certain sectors, such as steel, aluminum, or cement, are obligated to purchase certificates corresponding to the GHG emissions generated during the manufacture of their products. This means that companies supplying products (e.g., steel parts) to importing companies within the European Union must report accurate GHG emission information to their importers. Some of the companies 10a-10n shown in Figure 1 could be reporters with such reporting obligations. Importers who import products from reporters are called declarers. The information management system 1 facilitates reporting by reporters to declarers by generating supply chain load information for reporting companies in accordance with the requirements for reporting GHG emissions.

[0021] Figure 1 also shows Verification Organization 5. Verification Organization 5 is responsible for verifying the validity of the environmental impact information. Personnel of Verification Organization 5 may also be able to access the management server 100 using some kind of terminal device. Personnel of Verification Organization 5 may be given different permissions than the users of Company 10. For example, personnel of Verification Organization 5 may be permitted to view not only the supply chain impact information of each Company 10, but also the information on the individual environmental impact amounts of each Company 10 that formed the basis for generating the supply chain impact information, as well as information representing the configuration of the supply chain.

[0022] <2. Configuration of the Management Server> <2-1. Basic Configuration Example> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server 100 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the management server 100 includes a communication interface 101, a memory 103, a processing circuit 105, an input device 107, an output device 109, and a database 110.

[0023] The communication interface 101 is an interface for the management server 100 to communicate with other devices via the network 3. The communication interface 101 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface.

[0024] Memory 103 may be any combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) provides the processing circuit 105 with a temporary storage area for calculations. Non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) and hard disk) stores one or more computer programs and various data.

[0025] The processing circuit 105 includes one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) capable of executing computer programs stored in the memory 103. In this embodiment, the processing circuit 105 functions as an information acquisition unit 121, a consent request unit 122, a matrix construction unit 123, an information generation unit 124, and a display control unit 125. Details of these functional modules will be described later.

[0026] The input device 107 is a device for the management server 100 to receive information input from the system administrator. The input device 107 may include, for example, one or more of the following: a keyboard, a touch panel, a pointing device, a button, a switch, and a microphone. The output device 109 is a device for the management server 100 to output information. The output device 109 may include, for example, one or more of the following: a display and a speaker.

[0027] Database 110 is a collection of tables that hold data used for managing environmental impact information. In this embodiment, the management server 100 includes database 110. However, the technology relating to this disclosure is not limited to this configuration. In other embodiments, database 110 may be implemented as a separate database server from the management server 100. In yet another embodiment, database 110 or a part thereof may be implemented as a distributed ledger using blockchain technology.

[0028] <2-2. Example of Database Configuration> Referring to Figure 2, the database 110 includes a company table 111, a user table 112, a trading partner table 113, an agreement table 114, a transaction ratio table 115, a load information table 116, an adjacency matrix table 117, and a supply chain (SC) information table 118.

[0029] The company table 111 is a table that holds information related to each company under the management of the information management system 1. The company table 111 may include data items such as the following: ·"Company ID" ·"Company name" · "Company type" "Company ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies each company. "Company Name" represents the name of each company. "Company Type" represents the type assigned to each company. The value of "Company Type" may be, for example, "Supplier," "Reporter," or "Declarant." "Reporter" is a company that is the target of the generation of supply chain load information. "Supplier" is a company that is directly or indirectly upstream of the "Reporter" in the supply chain. "Declarant" is a company to which the "Reporter" provides supply chain load information. Note that "Declarants" do not necessarily have to be registered in Company Table 111.

[0030] The user table 112 is a table that holds information related to each user who uses the information management system 1. The user table 112 may include data items such as the following: ·"User ID" ·"Username" ·"email address" ·"Affiliated company" ·"authority" "User ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies each user. "Username" represents the name of each user. "Email address" represents the email address of each user. "Affiliated company" identifies the company to which each user belongs using the company ID in company table 111. "Permissions" represents the permissions granted to each user for each function provided by the management server 100. For example, for each company, there may be users who are allowed to input and view information, and users who are only allowed to view information.

[0031] The customer table 113 is a table that holds customer information showing the relationship between each company under the management of the information management system 1 and one or more upstream customers of that company in the supply chain. The customer table 113 may include data items such as the following: ·"Company ID" • "Target period" • "Client Companies" "Company ID" identifies one of the companies registered in company table 111 using its company ID. "Target Period" identifies which period of customer information each record in customer table 113 corresponds to. For example, if information management system 1 assumes annual reporting of information, "Target Period" may indicate the target year. "Customer Company" identifies one upstream customer company of the company identified by "Company ID" using the customer company's company ID. Therefore, one record in customer table 113 defines an association between one company and one upstream customer company.

[0032] The consent table 114 is a table that holds the status of consent from upstream companies regarding the use of information for generating supply chain load information for each company registered as a reporter (hereinafter simply referred to as the reporting company). The consent table 114 may include data items such as the following: ·"Reporter" ·"Upstream companies" ·"status" ·"Agreement date and time" The "Reporter" identifies one of the reporting companies registered in the company table 111 by its company ID. The "Upstream Company" identifies one company located upstream of the reporting company in the supply chain (directly or indirectly) by its company ID. Thus, one record in the consent table 114 defines the association of one upstream (consent-giving) company to one reporting company. The "Status" indicates whether the company identified in "Upstream Company" has given consent to the reporting company regarding the use of information. The value of "Status" may be, for example, "Not Consent" or "Consent". The "Consent Date and Time" represents the date and time when the value of "Status" was updated to "Consent," i.e., the date and time when consent regarding the use of information was given to the reporting company.

[0033] The transaction ratio table 115 is a table that holds transaction ratio information showing the transaction ratio of one or more direct trading partners downstream of each company under the management of the information management system 1. The transaction ratio table 115 may include data items such as the following: ·"Company ID" • "Target period" ·"Downstream companies" · "Transaction ratio" "Company ID" identifies one of the companies registered in Company Table 111 by its Company ID. "Target Period" identifies which period the transaction ratio information for is covered by each record in Transaction Ratio Table 115. "Downstream Company" identifies one downstream trading partner company of the company identified by "Company ID" by its Company ID. "Transaction Ratio" represents the transaction ratio of the trading partner identified by "Downstream Company" among one or more downstream trading partners from the perspective of the company identified by "Company ID," as a number within the range of 0 to 1. The transaction ratio may be calculated on a product weight basis or on a sales amount basis. If a company has N direct downstream trading partners, the sum of the transaction ratios registered for those N trading partners shall not exceed 1.

[0034] The load information table 116 is a table that holds individual load information showing the environmental load amount of each company under the management of the information management system 1. The load information table 116 may include data items such as the following: ·"Company ID" • "Target period" ·"Environmental load amount 1" ~ "Environmental load amount N" "Company ID" identifies one of the companies registered in company table 111 using its company ID. "Target Period" identifies which period each record in load information table 116 corresponds to. "Environmental Load n" (n=1,...,N) indicates the value of N types of environmental loads managed by the information management system 1 during the period specified by "Target Period". The N types of environmental loads may include, for example, one or more of the following: ·"Resource consumption" ·"GHG emissions" · "Energy consumption" • "Carbon Credits" · "Emissions rights" ·"Material mass" "Resource consumption" refers to the consumption of resources such as fuel and mineral resources. "GHG emissions" refers to greenhouse gas emissions converted to the amount of carbon dioxide. "Energy consumption" refers to the consumption of energy, mainly electricity. "Carbon credits" refers to the amount of carbon credits allocated to a company. "Carbon credits" may consist of two items: the allocated amount and the value (valuation per unit allocated amount). "Emission allowances" refers to the amount of GHG emission allowances acquired by a company. "Emission allowances" may consist of two items: the acquired amount and the value (valuation per unit acquired amount). "Material mass" refers to the total mass of materials used in the production of the product.

[0035] The adjacency matrix table 117 is a table that holds a directed graph representation of the supply chain, constructed by the matrix construction unit 123 based on the transaction ratio information held by the transaction ratio table 115. The adjacency matrix table 117 may include data items such as the following: • "Supply Chain ID" • "Target period" • "Adjacency matrix" The "Supply Chain ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies each of the multiple companies that make up the supply chain. The "Target Period" specifies the period for which supply chain load information is to be generated. The "Adjacency Matrix" shows the adjacency matrix constructed by the matrix construction unit 123 for the supply chain identified by the "Supply Chain ID". In this embodiment, this adjacency matrix is ​​a type of directed graph representation that represents the transaction relationships between the multiple companies that make up the supply chain. The directed graph representation in the form of an adjacency matrix will be explained in detail later.

[0036] The Supply Chain (SC) Information Table 118 is a table that holds supply chain load information showing the amount of supply chain load related to the environmental impact of the reporting company's business activities. The SC Information Table 118 may include data items such as the following: • "Supply Chain ID" ·"Company ID" • "Target period" ·"SC load amount 1" ~ "SC load amount N" "Supply Chain ID" identifies one of the supply chain IDs registered in the adjacency matrix table 117. "Company ID" identifies one of the reporting companies belonging to the supply chain identified by "Supply Chain ID" using the company ID of that reporting company. "Target Period" specifies the period for which supply chain load information is to be generated. "SC Load n" (n=1,...,N) represents a value that reflects the impact of the business activities of upstream companies in the supply chain for N types of environmental loads managed by the information management system 1. "SC Load n" (n=1,...,N) in the SC information table 118 is the same type of information as "Environmental Load n" in the load information table 116. The generation of supply chain load information using the adjacency matrix will be explained in detail later.

[0037] Of the tables in database 110 described above, the data in company table 111 and user table 112 corresponds to so-called master data and is registered in database 110 in advance by the system administrator of information management system 1. The data in trading partner table 113, transaction ratio table 115, and load information table 116 are collected from each company 10 via a graphical user interface (GUI) provided by the information acquisition unit 121 and stored in their respective tables. The data in the other tables is generated or updated by the functional modules of processing circuit 105.

[0038] Note that the configuration of database 110 described in this section is merely an example. Each table in database 110 may have additional data items, or may not have some of the data items described. One table described may be split into multiple tables, or multiple tables described may be merged into a single table.

[0039] <2-3. Obtaining Customer Information> The information acquisition unit 121 is an information acquisition means that acquires various information necessary for generating supply chain load information. For example, the information acquisition unit 121 provides each company 10's user with a supplier input screen to input one or more suppliers upstream of that company, and acquires supplier information through the supplier input screen.

[0040] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the customer input screen 130 provided by the information acquisition unit 121. Referring to Figure 3, the customer input screen 130 includes a target period selection field 131, customer selection fields 132a to 132c, delete buttons 133a to 133c, an add row button 134, a reset button 138, and an OK button 139.

[0041] The header area of ​​the customer input screen 130 displays the name of the company to which the user logged into the system belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "target company"). The target period selection field 131 is for selecting which period to enter customer information for. In the example in Figure 3, the target period is selected in years.

[0042] The customer selection fields 132a to 132c are for selecting one or more direct upstream customers of the target company from the companies 10 registered in the company table 111. In the example in Figure 3, two customer companies have already been selected in customer selection fields 132a and 132b, and no customer company has been selected in customer selection field 132c. When the user operates one of the delete buttons 133a to 133c, the information acquisition unit 121 deletes the corresponding entry in one of the customer selection fields 132a to 132c. Also, when the user operates the row add button 134, the information acquisition unit 121 adds a new pair of customer selection fields and delete buttons to the customer input screen 130. The reset button 138 is used to cancel the input and changes made to the information on the customer input screen 130 and return it to its initial state.

[0043] The OK button 139 is used to reflect the information entered and changed on the customer input screen 130 into the database 110. When a user selects one or more upstream customers of the target company in the customer selection fields 132a to 132c and operates the OK button 139, the information acquisition unit 121 stores the association between the target company and the selected one or more customers in the customer table 113. In addition, if a new upstream company is generated for the reporting company, the information acquisition unit 121 stores the association between the reporting company and the new upstream company in the agreement table 114 and sets the "status" of that record to a value indicating not agreed.

[0044] The information acquisition unit 121 notifies, for example, the users in charge of each company 10 under the management of the information management system 1 to access the customer input screen 130 and input customer information for each target period. When the users in charge of each company 10 input one or more direct customers on the upstream side in response to the notification, the management server 100 becomes able to understand the overall structure of the supply chain for the target period.

[0045] <2-4. Examples of Supply Chain Configurations> Figure 4 is a schematic diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the overall structure of a supply chain. In the example in Figure 4, the supply chain 30 consists of companies 10a-10l and companies 11v-11z. The arrows in the diagram represent trading relationships, with the starting point of the arrow indicating the company that supplies the product and the ending point indicating the company that receives the product.

[0046] Companies 10k and 10l are reporting companies. Therefore, as will be described later, the information management system 1 generates supply chain load information for companies 10k and 10l. Companies 10m and 10n are companies registered as declarants (hereinafter simply referred to as declarant companies). For example, by referring to the supply chain load information generated by the information management system 1, company 10M can objectively evaluate or compare the extent to which the business activities of companies K and L, including the business activities of their upstream companies, contribute to environmental protection as a whole.

[0047] Naturally, it is desirable for all or more companies in the supply chain to participate in Information Management System 1, but it is acceptable for some companies not to participate. In the example in Figure 4, companies 10a to 10n, shown by solid rectangles, are companies that participate in Information Management System 1. On the other hand, companies 11v to 11z, shown by dashed rectangles, are companies that do not participate in Information Management System 1.

[0048] For example, in the aforementioned customer input screen 130, the user in charge of company 10k enters companies 10h and 10j as direct upstream customers. The user in charge of company 10h enters companies 10d, 10e, 10f, and 10g as direct upstream customers. The user in charge of company 10d enters companies 10a, 10b, and 10c as direct upstream customers. As a result, it is understood that not only companies 10h and 10j, but also upstream companies such as companies 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are indirectly involved in the production of products supplied by company 10k.

[0049] <2-5. Management of consent regarding the use of information> The consent request unit 122 is a request means that requests consent from each of the companies 10 located upstream of the reporting company in the supply chain for the use of information to generate supply chain load information for each reporting company.

[0050] For example, the consent request unit 122 requests consent for the use of information from each of the upstream companies identified based on the trading partner information, in response to instructions from the reporting company's user. The consent request unit 122 may also display a message on the screen that instructs the reporting company's user to confirm that they will be subject to confidentiality obligations regarding the supply chain load information.

[0051] The request for consent may be communicated to the upstream company's user in the form of, for example, email or a message on the system screen. Upon receiving the request for consent, the user authorized to grant consent to the upstream company accesses a screen for granting consent regarding the use of information to the reporting company and performs the operation to grant (or deny) consent. When consent is granted by the upstream company, the consent request unit 122 changes the "status" of the corresponding record in the consent table 114 to a value indicating consent. It may also be possible to set a period for which consent regarding the use of information is valid. Furthermore, it may be possible to individually select consent or denial for each information item of the environmental impact information. In addition, it may be possible to revoke consent once it has been given.

[0052] The information generation unit 124, described later, may generate supply chain load information for a reporting company only if consent for information use has been obtained from all upstream companies of that reporting company. Alternatively, the information generation unit 124 may generate supply chain load information for a reporting company based only on information from upstream companies of that reporting company that have given consent for information use. In this way, by making explicit consent for information use from upstream companies to reporting companies a condition for generating supply chain load information, it is possible to expand the opportunities for generating and utilizing supply chain load information while appropriately protecting the information provided by each company.

[0053] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of consent request processing that can be performed by the consent request unit 122. The consent request processing in Figure 5 may be initiated, for example, when a user in charge at the reporting company performs an operation to instruct the consent request, or it may be initiated automatically when a predetermined timing arrives.

[0054] First, in step S11, the consent request unit 122 identifies one or more upstream companies of the reporting company by referring to the consent table 114.

[0055] Next, in step S12, the consent request unit 122 determines, based on the status in the consent table 114, whether there is at least one upstream company among the identified companies that has not given consent to the reporting company regarding the use of information. If there is at least one company that has not given consent to the use of information, the process proceeds to step S13. If all upstream companies have already given consent to the reporting company regarding the use of information, the subsequent steps S13 to S15 are skipped, and the consent request process ends.

[0056] In step S13, the consent request unit 122 sends a message to at least one user in charge of an upstream company that has not given consent, requesting their consent regarding the use of information by the reporting company.

[0057] Next, in step S14, the consent request unit 122 accepts consent-related actions from the user in charge at the upstream company that received the message. For example, the user in charge at the upstream company performs an operation on the screen provided by the consent request unit 122 to give consent to the reporting company regarding the use of information.

[0058] Next, in step S15, the consent request unit 122 updates the status of consent regarding the use of information in accordance with the action received in step S14. For example, if a new consent is given to the reporting company by an upstream company, the consent request unit 122 updates the status of the corresponding record in the consent table 114 to a value indicating consent.

[0059] <2-6. Obtaining Transaction Ratio Information> The information acquisition unit 121 provides a transaction ratio input screen to the user in charge of each company 10 that has one or more direct trading partners downstream in the supply chain, for inputting the transaction ratio of those one or more trading partners, and acquires transaction ratio information through the transaction ratio input screen.

[0060] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transaction ratio input screen 140 provided by the information acquisition unit 121. Referring to Figure 6, the transaction ratio input screen 140 includes a target period selection field 141, customer selection fields 142a to 142c, transaction ratio input fields 143a to 143c, an add row button 144, a total display field 145, a reset button 148, and an OK button 149.

[0061] The header area of ​​the transaction ratio input screen 140 displays the name of the target company. The target period selection field 141 is for selecting which period to input the transaction ratio for.

[0062] The trading partner selection fields 142a to 142c are for selecting one or more direct trading partners downstream of the target company from the companies 10 registered in the company table 111. If the downstream companies of the target company are known from the trading partner information registered in the trading partner table 113, the information acquisition unit 121 may automatically select the known downstream companies in the trading partner selection fields 142a to 142c. The transaction ratio input fields 143a to 143c are for entering the transaction ratio for the downstream companies selected in the trading partner selection fields 142a to 142c. The value of each transaction ratio entered in the transaction ratio input fields 143a to 143c is limited to a range of zero or more and 1 or less. When the user operates the row add button 144, the information acquisition unit 121 adds a new pair of trading partner selection fields and transaction ratio input fields to the transaction ratio input screen 140. The total display field 145 is for displaying the total of the transaction ratios entered in the transaction ratio input fields 143a to 143c. The information acquisition unit 121 may display a warning message on the screen if the sum of the entered transaction ratios exceeds 1, prompting the user to correct the entered values. The reset button 148 is used to cancel the input and changes made to the information on the transaction ratio input screen 140 and return to the initial state.

[0063] The OK button 149 is used to reflect the input and changes made on the transaction ratio input screen 140 to the database 110. When a user enters the transaction ratio for one or more downstream companies of the target company in the transaction ratio input fields 143a to 143c and operates the OK button 149, the information acquisition unit 121 stores a record in the transaction ratio table 115 that shows the target company's company ID, the target period, the company IDs of each downstream company, and the corresponding input values ​​for the transaction ratios.

[0064] The information acquisition unit 121 notifies, for example, the user in charge of each company 10 that has downstream companies to access the transaction ratio input screen 140 and input transaction ratio information for each target period. In response to this notification, the user in charge of each company 10 checks one or more direct downstream trading partners on the screen and inputs the value of the transaction ratio for each.

[0065] <2-7. Obtaining Individual Load Information> The information acquisition unit 121 provides each company 10 that constitutes the supply chain with a screen for inputting the environmental load amount for that company alone, and acquires the environmental load information through the screen.

[0066] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the individual load amount input screen 150 provided by the information acquisition unit 121. Referring to Figure 7, the individual load amount input screen 150 includes a target period selection field 151, numerical input fields 152a to 152e, evidence registration buttons 153b and 153c, a reset button 158, and an OK button 159.

[0067] The header area of ​​the individual load input screen 150 displays the name of the target company. The target period selection field 151 is for selecting which period to input the environmental load for.

[0068] Numerical input fields 152a to 152e are for inputting numerical values ​​for each information item of environmental load handled by the Information Management System 1. Numerical input field 152a accepts input of GHG emissions during the target period. Numerical input field 152b accepts input of fuel consumption during the target period. Evidence registration button 153b is a button for registering data that proves the input value of fuel consumption is valid. Numerical input field 152c accepts input of electricity consumption during the target period. Evidence registration button 153c is a button for registering data that proves the input value of electricity consumption is valid. Numerical input fields 152d and 152e accept input of the allocation amount and value of carbon credits during the target period, respectively. The product of the input values ​​in numerical input fields 152d and 152e may correspond to the amount of carbon credits during the target period.

[0069] In the example in Figure 7, five numerical input fields 152a to 152e are shown, but further numerical input fields may be displayed as the user scrolls down the screen. In these further numerical input fields, for example, the amount and value of GHG emission allowances acquired during the target period, as well as other information, may be entered.

[0070] The reset button 158 is used to cancel the input and modification of information made on the individual load input screen 150 and return to the initial state. The OK button 159 is used to reflect the input and modification of information made on the individual load input screen 150 to the database 110. When the user enters values ​​for each information item and operates the OK button 159, the information acquisition unit 121 stores a record indicating the entered values ​​in the load information table 116.

[0071] The information acquisition unit 121 notifies, for example, the user in charge of each company 10 to access the individual load input screen 150 and input individual load information for each target period. In response to this notification, the user in charge of each company 10 inputs the values ​​for each information item of the environmental load.

[0072] <2-8. Constructing a Directed Graph Representation of Supply Chains> The matrix construction unit 123 is a construction means that constructs an adjacency matrix as a directed graph representation of the supply chain based on the transaction ratio information acquired by the information acquisition unit 121. In this embodiment, the supply chain is modeled as a directed graph in which each company 10 is a node and the transaction ratio indicated by the transaction ratio information is used as the weight of the edge. The adjacency matrix represents this directed graph in matrix form. In other embodiments, the directed graph of the supply chain does not necessarily have to be represented in matrix form, and may be represented, for example, as a set of transaction ratio vectors.

[0073] Figure 8 shows a directed graph 31 that also shows the transaction ratios between firms in the supply chain 30 exemplified in Figure 4. Figure 9 shows an example of an adjacency matrix 32 corresponding to the directed graph 31 in Figure 8.

[0074] Referring to Figure 8, at the starting point of the arrows extending from each company 10, which corresponds to a node in the directed graph 31, to the downstream companies, a percentage value representing the transaction ratio, which can be shown by the transaction ratio information, is also indicated. For example, the direct downstream companies of company 10a are companies 10d and 10e, and the transaction ratios of companies 10d and 10e are 10% and 90%, respectively. The direct downstream companies of company 10b are companies 10d and 11w, and the transaction ratios of companies 10d and 11w are 50% and 50%, respectively. However, since company 11w does not participate in the information management system 1, the transaction ratio value for company 11w does not need to be entered.

[0075] The directed graph representation used in this embodiment is a representation that allows for the circulation of transactions between two or more firms. In the example of directed graph 31, firm 10i sells products to firm 10j at a transaction ratio of 49%, and firm 10j sells products to firm 10i at a transaction ratio of 13%. Such transaction circulation actually occurs in supply chains in several sectors.

[0076] The adjacency matrix 32 shown in Figure 9 is a 12x12 square matrix. The row index of the adjacency matrix 32 corresponds to the index of companies 10a to 10l that make up the supply chain 30. Similarly, the column index of the adjacency matrix 32 also corresponds to the index of companies 10a to 10l that make up the supply chain 30. In the figure, uppercase letters A to L representing companies 10a to 10l are shown as the row index and column index. The element (α,β) of the adjacency matrix 32 represents the transaction ratio of downstream company β to company α. If the element (α,β) is equal to zero, it is considered that there is no direct transaction relationship between company α and company β.

[0077] While the diagonal elements of a typical adjacency matrix are zero, in this embodiment, the diagonal elements of the adjacency matrix corresponding to the reporting company are set to a positive value of 1 or less. If it is not necessary to consider transactions from the reporting company to other companies, the value of the diagonal element corresponding to the reporting company may be 1. In the examples in Figures 8 and 9, companies 10k and 10l are the reporting companies. The values ​​of the diagonal elements (K,K) and (L,L) of the adjacency matrix 32 corresponding to companies 10k and 10l are 1, and the values ​​of the other diagonal elements are zero.

[0078] The structure of a supply chain can change over time depending on the state of business activities. The number of companies that have a trading relationship with a particular company may increase or decrease. The user in charge of each company 10 periodically accesses a screen provided by the management server 100 and updates the trading partner information and trading ratio information to match the latest trading relationships. When this information is updated, the matrix construction unit 123 reconstructs the adjacency matrix as a directed graph representation of the supply chain. Since the number of nodes in the directed graph representation, i.e., the size of the adjacency matrix described above, is not fixed but variable, this embodiment can flexibly adapt to changes in the state of business activities.

[0079] <2-9. Generating Supply Chain Load Information> The information generation unit 124 is a generation means that generates supply chain load information indicating the supply chain load for a reporting company by applying a directed graph representation of the supply chain to the individual load information collected for multiple companies 10. Specifically, in this embodiment, the information generation unit 124 uses the adjacency matrix constructed by the matrix construction unit 123 as the directed graph representation of the supply chain. The information generation unit 124 repeatedly performs calculations to distribute the environmental load of each company 10 to the downstream side of the supply chain by applying the adjacency matrix to the individual load information of each company 10. As a result, supply chain load information for a reporting company located downstream, one or more layers away from upstream companies, is generated.

[0080] As described above, in this embodiment, the element corresponding to the reporting company among the diagonal elements of the adjacency matrix is ​​equal to 1. The other elements are either zero or less than 1. Therefore, when the calculation of allocating the environmental load to the downstream side according to the transaction ratio shown by the adjacency matrix is ​​repeated, the environmental loads allocated from multiple upstream companies are accumulated as the environmental load of the reporting company in proportion to their respective contributions corresponding to the transaction ratios. On the other hand, for companies other than the reporting company (hereinafter referred to as non-reporting companies), the value of the environmental load decreases as the calculation is repeated and eventually converges to zero. The information generation unit 124 repeats the calculation of allocating the environmental load to the downstream side until the calculation results for one or more non-reporting companies become negligibly small, and adopts the environmental load of the reporting company obtained as a result of this repetition as the supply chain load related to the environmental load caused by the reporting company's business activities.

[0081] The following describes a specific example of iterative calculation using the adjacency matrix 32 in Figure 9. First, the information generation unit 124 focuses on one information item of the individual load information. Taking GHG emissions as an example, the information generation unit 124 arranges the GHG emission values ​​of companies 10a to 10l stored in the load information table 116 in the order of the index of companies 10a to 10l, and generates a 12-dimensional load vector X as shown in the following equation (1). GHG This constructs the loading vector X.GHG The values ​​of each element are merely illustrative examples.

[0082]

number

[0083] The adjacency matrix 32, explained using Figure 9, is referred to here as the adjacency matrix M NEIGHBOR This is expressed as follows: Adjacency matrix M NEIGHBOR The transpose matrix t M NEIGHBOR Therefore, the loading vector X is as shown in equation (2) below. GHG The GHG emissions represented by each element can be allocated to the GHG emissions of companies one level downstream in a directed graph.

[0084]

number

[0085] For example, the GHG emissions of company 10d are the sum of 10% (=10) of the GHG emissions of company 10a, 50% (=100) of the GHG emissions of company 10b, and 40% (=120) of the GHG emissions of company 10c, which is 230.

[0086] If we repeat the operation of multiplying the adjacency matrix one more time, we get the loading vector X as shown in equation (3) below. GHG The GHG emissions represented by each element can be allocated to the GHG emissions of companies two levels downstream in a directed graph.

[0087]

number

[0088] The following equation (4) shows the result of repeating the adjacency matrix multiplication operation seven times.

[0089]

number

[0090] In this calculation, the calculation results for non-reporting companies 10a to 10j, which are different from the reporting companies 10k and 10l, converge to zero or become negligibly small (for example, they become zero when rounded to a predetermined number of decimal places). On the other hand, the GHG emissions of company 10k are equal to the sum of the values ​​allocated according to the transaction ratio from the GHG emissions of multiple companies located upstream of company 10k in the supply chain 30, which is 1185 in the above example. Therefore, the GHG emission value of the supply chain load information generated for company 10k by the information generation unit 124 is 1185. Similarly, the GHG emissions of company 10l are equal to the sum of the values ​​allocated according to the transaction ratio from the GHG emissions of multiple companies located upstream of company 10l in the supply chain 30, which is 3370 in the above example. Therefore, the GHG emission value of the supply chain load information generated for company 10l by the information generation unit 124 is 3370.

[0091] As explained using Figure 8, the directed graph representation used in this embodiment allows for circular transactions between firms. However, since the transaction ratio of circular transactions is less than 1, repeated multiplication of the adjacency matrix gradually reduces the environmental burden associated with circular transactions, and ultimately the effect of transaction circularity is eliminated through repeated multiplication.

[0092] Thus, in this embodiment, supply chain load information for reporting companies can be generated at high speed using a simple algorithm consisting of iterative multiplication of adjacency matrices and convergence determination of the environmental load of non-reporting companies. Furthermore, since the size of the adjacency matrix and the size of the load vector are determined by the number of companies that make up the supply chain, a large amount of memory resources are not required for the calculation.

[0093] Similarly for each of the other information items, the information generation unit 124 constructs a load amount vector based on the individual load information, and iteratively multiplies the adjacency matrix by the load amount vector until the environmental load amount for the non-reporting company becomes negligibly small. Thereby, for all the target information items, supply chain load information reflecting the corporate activities of the entire supply chain is generated.

[0094] The information generation unit 124 stores in the memory the calculation result of the power of the adjacency matrix (for example, t M NEIGHBOR to the power of P, where P is the exponent that converges the environmental load amount of the non-reporting company to zero), and may reuse the stored power of the adjacency matrix when generating subsequent supply chain load information. Thereby, the process of generating supply chain load information can be further accelerated.

[0095] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of supply chain (SC) load information generation processing that can be executed by the matrix construction unit 123 and the information generation unit 124. The SC load information generation processing in FIG. 10 can be started, for example, in response to an operation by the user in charge of the reporting company to instruct the generation of SC load information, or can be automatically started in response to the arrival of a predetermined timing. It is assumed that, at the time when the processing is started, consent regarding information use has been obtained for all the companies 10, and the required individual load information has been collected.

[0096] First, in step S21, the matrix construction unit 123 acquires the transaction ratio information stored in the transaction ratio table 115. The transaction ratio information indicates the transaction ratios of one or more downstream trading partners of each company 10.

[0097] Next, in step S22, the matrix construction unit 123 constructs an adjacency matrix as a directed graph representation of the supply chain based on the acquired transaction ratio information. Each node in the directed graph corresponds to each company 10, and the edges of the directed graph represent a transaction relationship between two companies 10 connected by an edge. Each edge is assigned a weight equal to the transaction ratio, and the corresponding element in the adjacency matrix indicates the value of that transaction ratio.

[0098] Next, in step S23, the information generation unit 124 focuses on one environmental load amount, that is, one of the information items of the individual load information. The subsequent steps S24 to S27 are performed on the environmental load amount that was focused on at this point.

[0099] In step S24, the information generation unit 124 constructs a load vector for the environmental load of interest based on the individual load information stored in the load information table 116. The dimension of the load vector is equal to the number of companies 10 that make up the supply chain.

[0100] Next, in step S25, the information generation unit 124 multiplies the load vector constructed in step S24 by the adjacency matrix constructed in step S22 to distribute the environmental load of each company 10 to the environmental load of the downstream companies.

[0101] Next, in step S26, the information generation unit 124 determines whether the environmental load of all non-reporting companies has become sufficiently small. If it is determined that the environmental load of all non-reporting companies has become sufficiently small, the process proceeds to S27. Otherwise, the process returns to S25, and the information generation unit 124 repeatedly multiplies the load vector by the adjacency matrix.

[0102] In step S27, the information generation unit 124 stores the calculation results for the reporting company as supply chain load in the SC information table 118 of the database 110.

[0103] Next, in step S28, the information generation unit 124 determines whether there are any unprocessed environmental load amounts remaining among the information items of the individual load information. If there are any unprocessed environmental load amounts remaining, the process returns to S23, and steps S24 to S27 described above are repeated, focusing on the next environmental load amount. If there are no unprocessed environmental load amounts remaining, the SC load information generation process in Figure 10 ends.

[0104] <2-10. Utilization of Supply Chain Load Information> As described above, the generated supply chain load information, or the directed graph representation used as the basis for the supply chain load information, may be utilized in various ways. The display control unit 125 is a display control means that controls the display of information stored in the database 110. For example, the display control unit 125 provides the user of the information management system 1 with an information viewing screen for viewing the supply chain load information generated for the reporting company.

[0105] Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of the configuration of an information viewing screen provided by the display control unit 125. In the first example, the information viewing screen 160 may be displayed on the display of the reporting company's corporate terminal 20. Referring to Figure 11, the information viewing screen 160 includes a target period selection field 161, an SC information tab 162, a standalone information tab 163, a report output button 164, and a close button 169.

[0106] The header area of ​​the information viewing screen 160 displays the name of the reporting company to which the user logged into the system belongs. The target period selection field 161 is for selecting which period the generated information to view.

[0107] The SC Information tab 162 is a display area where the supply chain load information generated for the reporting company is displayed. The display control unit 125 retrieves the supply chain load information generated for the target reporting company and target period from the SC Information Table 118 and displays the retrieved information on the SC Information tab 162. In the example in Figure 11, the SC Information tab 162 displays the generated values ​​for supply chain loads such as GHG emissions, fuel consumption, electricity consumption, carbon credit allocation, and emission allowance acquisition. Further supply chain load values ​​may be displayed by the user scrolling down the screen.

[0108] As can be seen from the example in Figure 11, the information generation unit 124 generates supply chain load information in a form that conceals information of other companies besides the reporting company that contribute to the supply chain load (e.g., company name and individual environmental load). Therefore, even if the level of information security measures is not uniform among the companies that make up the supply chain, the mutual use of information in this system does not increase security risks.

[0109] The Individual Information tab 163 is a display area that shows individual load information for the reporting company. The display items for environmental load amounts shown on the Individual Information tab 163 may be the same as the input items for the Individual Load Amount Input Screen 150, as explained using Figure 7. A button for transitioning to the Individual Load Amount Input Screen 150 may be provided on the Individual Information tab 163.

[0110] The report output button 164 is a button that triggers the output of a report on supply chain load information. The report on supply chain load information may be output in the form of a data file that describes, for example, the environmental load values ​​for the reporting company's attribute information and the supply chain load information. The report may be downloaded to the reporting company's terminal 20 and sent to the declaring company or verification body 5 by the reporting company's designated user. Alternatively, the specified report may be sent directly from the management server 100 to the declaring company or verification body 5. When the user operates the close button 169, the display of the information viewing screen 160 ends.

[0111] In one embodiment, the reporting company is a company obligated by a regulatory authority to report supply chain load information for the supply of products to further downstream companies. In this case, the information generation unit 124 generates supply chain load information (or a report thereof) in accordance with the regulatory requirements for reporting supply chain load information. As a result of being able to download or transmit this supply chain load information from the system, the reporting company's user is no longer required to create the supply chain load information in a predetermined format each time a report is submitted, minimizing the workload of the user.

[0112] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of the configuration of the information viewing screen provided by the display control unit 125. In the second example, the information viewing screen 170 may be displayed on the display of the terminal device of the verification institution 5. Referring to Figure 11, the information viewing screen 170 includes a reporter selection field 171, a target period selection field 172, an information display area 173, a graph display button 174, and a close button 179.

[0113] The reporter selection field 171 is for selecting one of the reporting companies. The target period selection field 172 is for selecting which period the generated information should be viewed for.

[0114] The information display area 173 is a display area that shows the supply chain load information generated for the reporting company selected in the reporting company selection field 171 and the period selected in the target period selection field 172. In the example in Figure 12, the information display area 173 displays the generated values ​​for supply chain loads such as GHG emissions, fuel consumption, electricity consumption, carbon credit allocation, and emission allowance acquisition. Further supply chain load values ​​may be displayed by the user scrolling down the screen.

[0115] The graph display button 174 is used to display a directed graph of the supply chain to which the reporting company selected in the reporting company selection field 171 belongs on the display screen. When the graph display button 174 is operated, the display control unit 125 retrieves the adjacency matrix related to the reporting company from the adjacency matrix table 117 and displays a directed graph on the screen as explained using Figure 8, based on the retrieved adjacency matrix. This allows the person in charge at the verification organization 5 to check on the screen whether the supply chain is properly modeled and then efficiently verify the validity of the supply chain load information generated for the reporting company. When the close button 179 is operated, the display of the information viewing screen 170 ends.

[0116] <3. Summary> Up to this point, several embodiments and related examples of the present invention have been described. In the embodiments described above, the information management system generates supply chain load information that shows the amount of supply chain load related to the environmental impact caused by the business activities of the first company. The first company is one of a plurality of companies that make up the supply chain. The management server of the information management system acquires individual load information that shows the amount of environmental impact of each company among the plurality of companies. The management server also acquires transaction ratio information that shows the transaction ratio of one or more downstream trading partners of each company. The supply chain is represented as a directed graph based on the acquired transaction ratio information. In the directed graph, each of the plurality of companies is a node, and the transaction ratio between companies is the weight of the edge. The management server generates supply chain load information for the first company by repeatedly performing calculations that apply the directed graph representation to the individual load information and distribute the amount of environmental impact of each company downstream. With this configuration, supply chain load information for the first company can be efficiently generated without imposing information input work on companies that are not direct trading partners (companies that are multiple layers away in the supply chain) on the user in charge of the first company. Furthermore, the generated supply chain load information accurately reflects the transaction relationships between companies that constitute a multi-layered supply chain. By referring to this supply chain load information, it is possible to objectively evaluate the degree of a first-tier company's contribution to environmental protection, taking into account its position within the supply chain.

[0117] For example, in a certain business sector (e.g., steel), many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are located downstream rather than upstream in the supply chain. Such SMEs often face difficulties in obtaining the data necessary to generate environmental impact information from upstream companies that are not their direct trading partners, or in having to expend considerable effort on the complex calculations and report formatting required for environmental impact information. In contrast, the above-described embodiment eliminates the need for information exchange between companies across multiple layers, reduces the amount of information each company must input into the system, and performs environmental impact information calculations quickly and automatically. Therefore, SME personnel are not burdened with a heavy workload for generating supply chain impact information. Naturally, the benefits of this reduced workload are also enjoyed by personnel at large companies.

[0118] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0119] 1: Information management system, 3: Network, 5: Verification body, 10a~11n: Companies, 11v~11z: Companies, 20a~20n: Company terminals, 30: Supply chain, 31: Directed graph, 32: Adjacent matrix, 100: Management server, 110: Database, 121: Information acquisition unit, 122: Consent request unit, 123: Matrix construction unit, 124: Information generation unit, 125: Display control unit, 130: Business partner input screen, 140: Transaction ratio input screen, 150: Individual load input screen, 160,170: Information viewing screen

Claims

1. A system for generating supply chain load information that shows the amount of supply chain load related to the environmental impact caused by the business activities of a first company, The aforementioned first company is one of several companies that make up the supply chain, The aforementioned system, Information acquisition means for acquiring individual load information showing the amount of environmental load for each of the aforementioned multiple companies, and transaction ratio information showing the transaction ratio of one or more downstream trading partners of each of the aforementioned multiple companies, A directed graph representation of the supply chain, wherein each of the plurality of companies is a node, and the transaction ratios indicated by the transaction ratio information of the plurality of companies are used as edge weights for constructing the directed graph representation, A generation means for generating supply chain load information by repeatedly applying the directed graph representation to the individual load information and performing calculations to distribute the environmental load of each company downstream, A system that includes this.

2. The directed graph representation is in the form of an adjacency matrix, wherein the element corresponding to the first company among the diagonal elements of the adjacency matrix shows a positive value of 1 or less, according to claim 1.

3. Each transaction ratio shown in the aforementioned transaction ratio information is 1 or less. The iterative operation of applying the directed graph representation to the individual load information includes iteratively multiplying the adjacency matrix until the calculation results for one or more companies different from the first company become negligibly small. The system according to claim 2.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for displaying a directed graph based on the directed graph representation of the supply chain on a display.

5. The system further includes a means for requesting consent from each of the plurality of companies regarding the use of information for the supply chain load information, The generation means generates the supply chain load information when consent is obtained from the multiple companies. The system according to claim 1.

6. The information acquisition means further acquires customer information indicating one or more upstream business partners of each of the multiple companies, The requesting means, in response to instructions from the user of the first company, requests the consent regarding the use of the information from each of the upstream trading partners indicated by the trading partner information. The system according to claim 5.

7. The directed graph representation is a representation that allows for a cycle of transactions between two or more of the aforementioned firms, The effect of the cycle on the supply chain load is eliminated through the iteration of the calculation. The system according to claim 1.

8. The construction means reconstructs the directed graph representation when the transaction ratio information is updated. The number of nodes in the directed graph representation is variable. The system according to claim 1.

9. The aforementioned first company is a company that is obligated to report the supply chain load information in order to supply products to further downstream companies, The generation means generates the supply chain load information in accordance with the requirements for reporting the supply chain load information. The system according to claim 1.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the generation means generates the supply chain load information in a manner that conceals information of other companies other than the first company that contribute to the supply chain load.

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