A method for determining the carbon footprint of products in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant.

Abstract

This invention provides a computer-based method and system for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant. [Solution] The system includes an input unit 10 that collects process data (i) including information about process steps from raw materials to products, carbon footprint of raw materials (ii), and energy data (iii) including information about energy consumption of process steps; a processing unit 20 that determines the carbon footprint of the product considering the process data, the carbon footprint of each raw material and / or energy data; and an output unit 30 that outputs the carbon footprint of the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Description The present invention relates to the field of computer-implemented methods for determining the carbon footprint of products in a manufacturing process in a manufacturing plant, particularly in an interconnected manufacturing process.

Background Art

[0002] The importance of climate change mitigation is rapidly increasing in the awareness of the general public, regulatory authorities, and financial investors. Large corporations, for example, are announcing ambitious short-term CO2 reduction targets that include emissions related to purchased raw materials, as required by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). As a result, there is an increased demand from customers for transparency regarding the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and options for reducing the PCF.

[0003] According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (WBCSD, WRI, 2011), greenhouse gas emissions are classified into so-called Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 parts. Scope 1 includes all greenhouse gas emissions from the firm's own operations (manufacturing, power plants, and waste incineration). Scope 2 includes emissions from externally supplied energy production. Scope 3 includes all other emissions along the value chain. Specifically, this includes greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials obtained from suppliers. Product-Corporate Factors (PCFs) total greenhouse gas emissions and removals from a series of interconnected processes related to a particular product. Cradle-to-gate PCFs total greenhouse gas emissions based on selected process steps, from resource extraction to the factory gate where the product leaves the firm. Such PCFs are called partial PCFs. To achieve such a total, each company providing any product must provide, as accurately as possible, the Scope 1 and Scope 2 contributions to the PCF for each of its products, and must be able to obtain reliable and consistent data on the PCF of purchased energy (Scope 2) and its raw materials (Scope 3).

[0004] Traditionally, PCF (Periodic Carbon Fill) has been calculated manually using a model of the manufacturing process, statically attributing values ​​to each step. For example, Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 108537434A discloses a method for calculating PCF. While all relevant contributions are considered, only theoretical and / or historical values ​​are used as input to produce the same value for each product, regardless of the actual conditions of the plant at a given point in time. However, in modern manufacturing plants, which represent a complex system of interconnected process steps, different manufacturing processes influence each other, for example, because both use steam generated at the power plant. Depending on the use of such resources, waste, or options for reusing generated heat, the PCF for a particular product may change even if its manufacturing process remains unchanged. For example, reducing the use of a power plant may decrease its efficiency, and therefore, for example, there may be no use for the remaining steam, but the power plant's output cannot be reduced because electricity demand remains unchanged, resulting in the same amount of steam producing more greenhouse gas emissions.

[0005] To calculate the Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of a product, a company must supply and process key data from potentially a very large number of consecutive and interconnected process steps related to a particular product in its manufacturing process. This makes the determination of PCF for a company's products extremely costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, existing criteria for PCF determination leave room for selection and interpretation, and there is no single clear method for assigning Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of a manufacturing plant to individual products. Traditionally, PCF has been calculated only on a case-by-case basis by individual experts, and therefore this carries a high risk of making inconsistent methodological choices. Thus, comparability of the resulting PCF, which originates from different sources and / or is generated at different points in time, is not currently provided. One specific example for methodological selection is the assignment of GHGs to co-products that cannot be obtained individually but can only be obtained together from a single process step, such as different fractions of hydrocarbons obtained from a steam cracking process. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Therefore, the objective was to provide a method for determining the carbon footprint of a product based on the actual state of the manufacturing process in a given manufacturing plant, particularly in a manufacturing plant with interconnected manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the method should be fast enough to allow for frequent updates of the PCF based on actual process data, showing how adjustments in the manufacturing process affect the PCF. The method was intended to facilitate minimizing the carbon footprint of a product in a manufacturing plant. In particular, it should be possible to analyze each contribution to the carbon footprint and monitor any changes therein. Another objective was to ensure that a single methodology is always used to consistently calculate the PCF for all products in a manufacturing plant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] These objectives are computer-aided methods for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant. (a) Collect process data including information on the process steps from necessary raw materials to finished products, and / or (b) Collect the carbon footprint of each raw material, and / or (c) Collect energy data including information on energy consumption at each process step. (d) Determining the carbon footprint of the product by taking into account process data, the carbon footprint and / or energy data of each raw material, (e) Outputting the carbon footprint of the product obtained in step (d), preferably outputting the carbon footprint of the product obtained in step (d) and / or each contribution thereto. This was achieved by computer implementation methods including [specific methods].

[0008] In other words, a computer-based method for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in a manufacturing plant's production process is presented, and the method is: (a) Collecting process data that includes information about one or more process steps from raw materials to finished products, and / or (b) collecting the carbon footprint of one or more raw materials, and / or (c) collecting energy data including information on the energy consumption of one or more process steps, (d) Determining the carbon footprint of the product by taking into account process data, the carbon footprint and / or energy data of each raw material, (e) Output the carbon footprint of the product obtained in step (d). Includes.

[0009] The present invention further relates to the use of carbon footprints obtained by the methods described herein for calculating and / or optimizing the carbon footprint of downstream products. The present invention further relates to the use of carbon footprints obtained by the methods disclosed herein in relation to product identifiers. Such product identifiers may be associated with raw materials in the manufacturing process for downstream products.

[0010] The present invention further relates to an apparatus or method configured to provide a carbon footprint obtained by the method of the present invention in relation to a product identifier. Such a product identifier may be associated with the raw materials of a manufacturing process for a downstream product. The present invention further relates to an apparatus configured for a method of calculating and / or optimizing the carbon footprint of a downstream product based on the carbon footprint obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0011] The present invention further relates to a non-temporary computer-readable data medium for storing a computer program which includes instructions for performing steps of the method according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a computer program product which, when executed, includes instructions for performing steps of the method according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a non-temporary computer-readable data medium for storing instructions which, when executed, perform steps of the method according to the present invention.

[0012] The present invention is a system or apparatus for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in a manufacturing process at a manufacturing plant, (a) an input or input unit configured to receive (i) process data including information about process steps from required raw materials to products, (ii) the carbon footprint of each raw material, and / or (iii) energy data including information about energy consumption of each process step, (b) A processor or processing unit configured to determine the carbon footprint of a product, taking into consideration at least one of the pieces of information collected in step (a), (c) an output or output unit configured to output the carbon footprint of a product obtained from a processor or processing unit, preferably an output unit configured to output the carbon footprint of a product obtained from a processor or processing unit and / or each contribution thereto Further relating to systems or devices including the above.

[0013] In other words, a system is presented for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured at a manufacturing plant, and the system is (a) an input configured to receive (i) process data including information about one or more process steps from raw materials to finished products, (ii) the carbon footprint of one or more raw materials, and / or (iii) energy data including information about the energy consumption of one or more process steps, (b) A processor configured to determine the carbon footprint of a product, considering the information collected in step (a); (c) An output configured to output the carbon footprint of the product determined by the processor comprising.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an example of a more general situation. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing another example that can occur particularly in the chemical industry. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram of the system. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram of a system comparable to the system of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of how the user interface can be configured.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] The method according to the present invention determines the carbon footprint of a product. In the context of the present invention, "carbon footprint" relates to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or removed in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant. The carbon footprint can relate, for example, to the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted or removed in the manufacturing process from the extraction of natural resources until the product leaves the manufacturing plant. In the context of the present invention, the carbon footprint may not include any greenhouse gas emissions later in the life of the product. For example, in the case of a car, in the context of the present invention, the carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to manufacture the car, not the emissions resulting from using the car after it leaves the manufacturing plant. The amount of carbon footprint is typically expressed as the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide, i.e., the amount of carbon dioxide that has the same impact on the global climate as the greenhouse gases actually emitted.

[0016] Greenhouse gases may include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and hydrofluorocarbons. These can be converted into equivalent amounts of carbon dioxide in accordance with the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (see standards such as ISO 14067 on the carbon footprint of products or the Product Standard of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol WRI&WBCSD, 2011).

[0017] The method of the present invention is applicable to a variety of products manufactured from raw materials, such as chemical products or precursor products. The term "product" used in the present invention generally refers to any article that can be sold to others at any point in the value chain. This can include end products for end consumers, such as cars, paints, toys, or medicines. This can typically also include articles sold to other companies for further processing, such as steel parts for machinery, plastic pellets for extrusion, or chemical compounds, such as acrylic acid for manufacturing superabsorbents for diapers. This can also include very early-stage articles in the value chain, such as crude oil fractions, such as naphtha, agricultural products, such as soybeans, or refined sand for glass manufacturing.

[0018] The term "raw material" used in the present invention refers to any article purchased from a supplier and transported to a manufacturing plant. Raw materials can include starting materials used in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant to manufacture products. Raw materials can be at any stage along the value chain like the products described above. This means that the product of one manufacturing plant can be the raw material of another manufacturing plant. Raw materials can also include very basic articles such as air, water, natural gas, or salt.

[0019] As used in this invention, “manufacturing plant” is any facility capable of producing any kind of goods that are sold to end customers or further processed in different manufacturing plants. A manufacturing plant may be located in one place or in multiple places. If a manufacturing plant is located in multiple places, these must typically be under common control, as is the case when they belong to the same company or related companies. Examples of plants include power plants, steel mills, oil manufacturing plants, petroleum refineries, chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, building materials manufacturing plants, machinery manufacturing plants, automobile manufacturing plants, textile manufacturing plants, furniture manufacturing plants, food manufacturing plants, consumer electronics manufacturing plants such as mobile phones, and papermaking and / or paper processing plants such as printing presses.

[0020] The present invention includes (a) the step of collecting process data, which includes information about the process steps from the required raw materials to the finished product. In relation to the present invention, “process steps” are generally a series of operations on raw materials that cannot be appropriately separated in time or space. Typically, all operations of a single process step are carried out in one building using specific dedicated equipment. The manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant may include one or more process steps. The process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of the manufacturing process.

[0021] Process data may include information about what reagents are needed and in what quantities for each process step. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of a manufacturing process, and such representation may include or be associated with information about what reagents are needed and in what quantities for one or more processes. "Reagents" may be raw materials or intermediates of different process steps. "Intermediate" refers to an article such as a substance that is neither a raw material nor a product, but is made from a raw material or an early intermediate, further processed into other intermediates, and finally processed into a product. Each process step may require one or more reagents. The "quantity" of a reagent refers to the mass, volume, or number of parts per intermediate or product, depending on the nature of the reagent, intermediate, and / or product. Mass is typically used for bulk items such as metals. Volume is typically used for liquids such as water or glycerol. The number of parts is typically used for individualized items such as screws or plastic pieces. All of these units are given for each unit of the intermediate or product, for example, 1 unit of reagent equals 0.5 kg per 1 kg of product.

[0022] Process data may include, for example, information about what by-products are obtained and in what quantities for one or more process steps. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of a manufacturing process, and such representation may include or be associated with information about what by-products are obtained and in what quantities for each process step. Some process steps may not produce any by-products, such as the assembly of steel parts. In this case, the process data does not include information about by-products. However, many process steps produce by-products. In relation to the present invention, “by-product” refers to any article that is inevitably obtained in one process step but cannot be used in a different process step. Sometimes, by-products can be recycled to obtain raw materials or intermediates that can be used as reagents in a process step, i.e., they can be taken to another process step or more process steps. However, in some cases, there is no economically viable use for the by-product. In this case, the by-product must be disposed of. It can be burned in an incinerator, for example. If the incinerator is part of the manufacturing plant, preferably, recovered heat and / or electrical energy can be considered.

[0023] Process data may include information on what one or more intermediates are obtained at each process step and in what yield. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of a manufacturing process, and such representation may include or be associated with information on what one or more intermediates are obtained at one or more processes and in what yield. In the context of this invention, “yield” refers to the ratio of the result from a particular process step to a theoretical maximum. If the yield is 100%, for example, when components are mixed during formulation, the process data may not include information on the yield. However, the yield may be less than 100% if there are losses in the process steps. In chemical reactions, the yield is typically less than 100% due to side reactions and losses during purification. In other processes, the yield may be less than 100%, for example, when steel parts are cut or drilled, losses may occur unless the scraps are reused.

[0024] Process data may include information on any direct greenhouse gas emissions from a process step. Such direct greenhouse gas emissions often result from chemical reactions of raw materials that contain greenhouse gases or generate greenhouse gases during a process step, for example, through heating. A typical example is cement production, in which carbon dioxide is released from heating raw materials, particularly limestone. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of a manufacturing process, such representations may include or be associated with information on direct greenhouse gas emissions from each process step. Information on direct greenhouse gas emissions typically includes information on what greenhouse gases are emitted and in what quantities. The quantities may be given in relation to the quantity of raw materials or the quantity of the product or intermediates of each process step. The latter may be derived from the former by multiplying it by the yield of the process step.

[0025] In the simplest cases, one or more raw materials are processed in a single process step to reach a product. For example, certain cables and plugs may be raw materials assembled to form a cable tree as a product sold to an automotive manufacturer. In most cases, however, the manufacturing process is more complex. Multiple raw materials are processed into various intermediates that are processed into various products, one raw material may be used to produce two or more intermediates, and one intermediate may be used to produce two or more products. In such situations, the final carbon footprint of one product will depend on the quantity of other products produced in the manufacturing plant. Thus, typically, process data includes information on what reagents and in what quantities are required for each process step for all products that have at least one reagent or intermediate in common. For many manufacturing plants, process data includes information on what reagents and in what quantities are required for each process step for at least two products that have at least one reagent or intermediate in common. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of one or more manufacturing processes. Such representations may include or be associated with information regarding what reagents and in what quantities are required for one or more process steps with respect to at least two products that share at least one reagent or intermediate. In the case of a combined manufacturing plant, process data may include information regarding what reagents and in what quantities are required for each process step with respect to at least five or at least ten products that share at least one reagent or intermediate. Process data may include digital representations of one or more process steps of one or more manufacturing processes. Such representations may include or be associated with information regarding what reagents and in what quantities are required for each process step with respect to at least five or at least ten products that share at least one reagent or intermediate.

[0026] A more general example is schematically shown in Figure 1. Raw materials are denoted as R1, R2, and R3, products as P1 and P2, intermediates (i.e., all items that are neither raw materials nor products) as I1, I2, and I3, the energy required for each manufacturing process as E1, E2, E3, and E4, and the process steps as PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. Raw materials R1 and R2 are processed in the first process step PS1 to produce intermediate I1 using energy E1. In the next process step PS2, intermediate I1 is processed together with intermediate I2 using energy E3 to reach product P1. Intermediate I2 is also produced in the same manufacturing plant in process step PS3 by processing raw material R3 using energy E2. In process step PS3, another intermediate I3 is obtained, and this other intermediate I3 may be further processed into another product P2 in another process step PS4 using energy E4. It can be readily recognized that raw materials R1, R2, and R3, as well as energy E1, E2, and E3, have an impact on the carbon footprint of P1. However, the use of I3 also has an impact because, if the demand for product P2 changes, the input of I3 cannot be fully utilized because the demand for product P2 is too low, and a higher proportion of the carbon footprint and emissions due to E2 are attributed to I2, and consequently, must be attributed to P1. Therefore, it is usually necessary to provide complete information on all raw materials and all process steps in a manufacturing plant, at least when there is a relationship between different chains of process steps from raw materials to products. Process data may include a digital representation of one or more process steps of one or more manufacturing processes. Such representations may preferably include or be associated with information on raw materials and process steps in one or more manufacturing plants, when there is a relationship between different chains of process steps from raw materials to products.

[0027] Figure 2 illustrates another example that may occur particularly in the chemical industry. Raw materials R1 and R2 are processed in the first process step PS1 to produce intermediate I1 using energy E1. In the next process step PS2, intermediate I1 and raw material R3 are processed using energy E2 to reach product P1, and reagent R2 is also obtained at the same time. R2 can be reused in process step PS1, thus forming a cycle. In this situation, process data may include information on how much of the reagent R2 is used from the supplier and how much of the recycled reagent R2 obtained in process step PS2 is used.

[0028] Process data is typically collected through an interface. Process data may be collected from the manufacturing plant. Process data may be collected through the interface to a local or remote database. Preferably, process data is collected through the interface to any computing system or device, such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage. In this way, process data may be collected from the ERP system or any computing system or device. The ERP system or any computing system or device can obtain information from the manufacturing plant. In this case, process data may be collected from the manufacturing plant via the ERP system or any computing system or device. In this way, process data may be updated or immediately updated when any change occurs in or around the manufacturing plant. Depending on the ERP system or computing system or device, “immediately” may mean within one day, preferably within six hours, and especially within one hour. A typical example of such a change would be the manufacturing plant receiving insufficient reagents from a different plant and having to use external supplies instead. Such external supplies typically have a different product carbon footprint than the internal intermediates and therefore change the carbon footprint of the products manufactured in the manufacturing plant. Another advantage of ERP is that it is a system where data is standardized and validated, meaning the data is reliable and typically does not require further validation.

[0029] In relation to the present invention, "ERP system" shall have its general meaning. A typical ERP system provides an integrated and continuously updated view of core business processes using a common database maintained by a database management system. An ERP system typically tracks business resources such as orders, purchase orders, and payroll, which are typically the status of cash, raw materials, production capacity, and business commitments. The applications that make up the system typically share data across various departments, such as manufacturing, purchasing, sales, and accounting, which provide the data.

[0030] Preferably, especially in the case of more complex manufacturing processes, and especially in the case of interconnected manufacturing processes, the method of the present invention further includes subdividing the manufacturing process into at least two process steps based on process data. Such a process is typically required when the process data is not available in a format that directly attributes all the information to the process steps, but only in a format that allows for derivation.

[0031] For example, process data collected from a manufacturing plant may include materials used as starting materials and products manufactured, but may not include information on which process steps use products from which other process steps as starting materials. Therefore, the method of the present invention preferably further includes determining, for each process step, which process steps precede this process step based on the amount of a specific starting material used in this process step and the amount of the same material manufactured by other process steps. This can be achieved, for each material, by identifying, for example, a material identifier, all process steps that manufacture this material and all process steps that use this material as a starting material. These process steps need to be connected. If a process step uses more of a particular starting material than is manufactured by other process steps, this difference can be identified as a raw material. The result can be verified by comparing the amount of a raw material for a particular material with procurement information for that raw material. Such procurement information can typically be obtained from an ERP system.

[0032] When a manufacturing plant includes multiple entities, such as group companies in different countries, these different entities often use separate ERP systems or any computing systems or devices, such as centralized or distributed computing systems or devices including processing and storage. When an intermediate product manufactured by one entity is transported to another entity that uses this intermediate product in a different process step, any computing system or device, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage, may, for legal reasons, treat such operation as an external transaction. However, for the purposes of the present invention, such data can be integrated to identify intermediate products manufactured by one group company and used by different group companies. Such information may be accessible from the ERP system or may require other data sources, such as a shared database. Therefore, preferably, process data is collected through an interface to the ERP system or any computing systems or devices of different group companies, and the process data is integrated to identify intermediate products manufactured by one group company and used by different group companies. The process data can be collected in different manufacturing plants, preferably in different computing or storage resources that are communicably connected to the different manufacturing plants through an interface. Process data can be collected through an interface into the integrated core business systems of different group companies, and the process data can be integrated to identify intermediate products manufactured by one group company and used by different group companies.

[0033] The present invention includes (b) collecting the carbon footprint of each raw material. For most raw materials, the carbon footprint can be obtained from supplier-provided sources or from public or private databases. Typically, different suppliers will give different carbon footprints to the same raw material due to differences in their manufacturing processes or logistics. Therefore, preferably, the carbon footprint of a raw material is collected for each supplier, along with the supplier identifier. This information can then be used to calculate the carbon footprint of a particular raw material, depending on how much of that raw material is used from which supplier. The results can be considered to determine the carbon footprint using the method of the present invention. In rare cases, the carbon footprint is not available. In this case, the carbon footprint can be estimated, for example, by comparison with very similar products in the market. The carbon footprint of each raw material is typically collected through an interface. The carbon footprint of each raw material can be collected through an interface to any computing system or device, such as a local or remote database or an ERP system, particularly its supply chain module or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage. The carbon footprint of each raw material can therefore be collected from any computing system or device, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage. Typically, the carbon footprint of each raw material is collected into two or more databases through an interface. Therefore, in many cases, it is necessary to convert the information retrieved from different databases into a single format in order to enable further processing. In particular, the carbon footprint obtained from the databases must be attributed to the raw material. That is, the identification of the raw material in the database must be translated into the identification of the raw material in the process data used in the process according to the present invention.

[0034] The present invention includes (c) collecting energy data, which includes information on the energy consumption of each process step. Energy data typically includes the amount of energy consumed, the form of energy, and its origin. The amount is often given as a specific amount of energy per piece or mass of the product or intermediates of each of its process steps. The amount can be positive, i.e., when energy is consumed, or negative, i.e., when a process step produces energy. An example of the latter is the production of sulfuric acid from sulfur. Sulfur reacts with oxygen to release thermal energy that can be used in different process steps. The form of energy includes thermal energy such as electricity, hot water, or steam, cooling, or fossil fuels such as gas or gasoline. In the case of fossil fuels, these are also raw materials, but their carbon footprint refers only to the greenhouse gas emissions for producing them. However, the consumption of carbon dioxide during their combustion can also be considered. The origin of energy refers to the source from which the energy is taken. For example, thermal energy can come from a power plant, another process step, or solar panels. Thus, the origin can have a significant impact on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy consumption. For example, averaging energy data over a specific period, such as three years, can be useful to compensate for seasonal variations. Energy data is typically converted into a carbon footprint by considering the energy source and its inherent greenhouse gas emissions.

[0035] Energy data is typically collected through an interface. Energy data can be collected through the interface into any computing system or device, such as a local or remote database, an ERP system, or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage. Therefore, energy data can be collected from any computing system or device, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device including processing and storage. Typically, energy data is collected into two or more databases through the interface. Therefore, in many cases, it is necessary to convert the information retrieved from different databases into a single format to enable further processing.

[0036] Energy data may also be available directly or indirectly from energy sources, such as power plants where sensors are attached to processing systems that provide the information through interfaces. Manufacturing plants also typically have sensors to determine the amount of energy consumed by or from the power plant. Often, manufacturing plants have multiple sensors that provide data on the energy consumption of specific process steps or specific equipment. Thus, energy data can be collected directly or indirectly from energy sources and / or manufacturing plants. In many manufacturing plants, however, such information, i.e., energy data, is first transferred to any computing system or device, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device that includes a storage device from which processing and energy data can be collected. This means that sensors that determine energy consumption transfer their data to any computing system or device, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or device that includes a storage device from which processing and energy data can be collected.

[0037] Generally, especially in larger manufacturing plants, multiple energy sources are available. For example, a manufacturing plant may be located in a larger location with a power plant such as a gas plant or solar panels, and in addition, it may be able to obtain energy from the public power grid. Depending on the energy source, the contribution to the product carbon footprint can vary considerably; for example, if energy is received from solar panels or wind turbines, the contribution may be essentially negligible, or if energy is received from the public power grid, which provides energy from coal-fired power plants, the contribution may be significant. Therefore, preferably, energy data also includes information about the source from which the energy is received. This information is typically obtained from sensors in the manufacturing plant or central power supply facility. The energy data preferably includes information on the carbon emissions generated by each energy source from which energy is received. In this way, it is possible to calculate the energy contribution to the product carbon footprint.

[0038] Energy data may not be readily available for each process step, but may be available only in a more aggregated form, such as the energy consumption of a plant where multiple process steps are performed. In this case, the energy consumption of each process step must be derived from such aggregated data. This can be achieved by determining the distribution of energy consumption for each process step in the aggregated data. For this purpose, an appropriate criterion can be defined, for example, by a simple method, based on the distribution of production quantities measured in physical quantities such as mass for each process step. A more accurate method for allocating energy consumption is to use data on energy-related manufacturing costs at the product level, for example, obtained from an ERP system.

[0039] Steps (a), (b), and (c) can be performed sequentially or in parallel. It is also possible to perform two steps in parallel and the remaining steps one after the other. If the steps are performed sequentially, they can be performed in any order, such as the first step (a), the second step (b), and the third step (c), or the first step (a), the second step (c), and the third step (b), or the first step (b), the second step (a), and the third step (c), or the first step (c), the second step (c), and the third step (a), or the first step (c), the second step (b), and the third step (a). Preferably, the steps are performed in parallel.

[0040] The process according to the present invention further includes (d) determining the carbon footprint of the product, taking into account process data, the carbon footprint of each raw material, and energy data.

[0041] Determining the carbon footprint of a product involves summing the carbon footprints of each raw material used in a particular process step, as contained in the process data from step (a). If a process step requires intermediates from different process steps, the sum of the carbon footprints of the raw materials from this initial process step is determined and used as input for the later process step. If an initial process step uses intermediates from an even earlier process step again, this may need to be repeated. If one process step produces two or more intermediates, for example, two or three, the carbon footprints of the raw materials must be shared among these intermediates. The allocation for each intermediate should reflect the use of raw materials for each intermediate. In some cases, two intermediates may be formed in equal amounts, and therefore the carbon footprints of the raw materials may be shared equally between them. In other cases, for example, one intermediate may be formed in significantly larger quantities than another, such as 90% for intermediate 1 and 10% for intermediate 2. The carbon footprints should be shared accordingly. Therefore, preferably, in the method of the present invention, determining the carbon footprint involves calculating the carbon footprint of an intermediate manufactured in a preceding process step and using the carbon footprint of the intermediate as input for calculating the carbon footprint of a subsequent process step. In particular, in interconnected manufacturing processes, the calculation of the carbon footprint can be facilitated by subdividing it into similar calculation parts, one for each process step.

[0042] The aforementioned method, which uses the already determined carbon footprint of an intermediate as input for calculating the carbon footprint of a subsequent process step, has the advantage that the same calculation algorithm or formula can be used for calculating the carbon footprint of each process step in a complex manufacturing process involving numerous interconnected process steps. Furthermore, this method enables automated improvements in the carbon footprint calculation underlying the entire manufacturing process or the entire value chain, respectively.

[0043] Alternatively, it is possible to first create a comprehensive materials list for each process step. This means that for each process step, all raw materials used directly in this process step or any preceding process step along the chain of process steps are listed. The amounts of these raw materials are adjusted according to the use of intermediates and their distribution in process steps that produce two or more intermediates. For example, in the case of process step PS2 in Figure 1, the comprehensive materials list includes the total amounts of raw materials R1 and R2, as well as raw material R3 multiplied by the ratio I2 / I3, taking into account the fact that some raw materials are also used in intermediate I3, which is not used in process step PS2. Once this comprehensive materials list is obtained, the carbon footprint of each raw material is summed up to arrive at the carbon footprint contribution of the raw materials for each process step. Therefore, preferably, determining the carbon footprint involves creating a comprehensive materials list for each process step so as to arrive at the carbon footprint contribution of the raw materials for each process step. In particular, in interconnected manufacturing processes, the calculation of the carbon footprint can be facilitated by subdividing it into similar calculation parts, one for each process step.

[0044] Determining a product's carbon footprint may involve adding up the energy contribution required for each process step. For this reason, energy requirements can be attributed to greenhouse gas emissions. Typically, energy is supplied by distributed networks such as electric networks or hot water or steam networks. Such networks are typically powered by different power plants and sometimes other energy sources, such as heat generated by other process steps. In particular, it is not possible to determine which parts actually come from which energy sources, but only average values ​​are accessible. Therefore, typically, information on greenhouse gas emissions is only available as an average of the total energy consumption of the entire manufacturing plant. If all energy is supplied by an external supplier such as a power company, the average greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy are usually accessible from the energy supplier. However, particularly large manufacturing plants often own their own power plants. In this case, the greenhouse gas emissions of this power plant can be determined. The distribution of these total emissions can be attributed to the process step at the time of determination and can be derived from the ratio of the energy consumption of this process step divided by the total energy output or consumption of the power plant. In this way, each process step is assigned an energy carbon footprint, that is, the amount of greenhouse gases generated from the energy use of that process step.

[0045] The energy contribution at each process step can be added to the carbon footprint of the raw materials used in that step, thereby obtaining the total carbon footprint for the intermediates for the first process step along the manufacturing chain, which can then be used as input for the next process step. This calculation can be repeated for each subsequent process step until the final product is reached. However, in the case of complex, interconnected processes, such an approach may not be practical.

[0046] Alternatively, preferably, the energy contribution to a product is determined for the product independently of the raw materials. To achieve this, the energy contribution of each process step is added up according to process data. If a process step yields two or more intermediates, or if intermediates are used in two or more other process steps, the contributions are shared among them, and only the portion of the process step that can thereby be attributed to the product is considered. For example, if one process step yields two intermediates in equal proportions, and only one intermediate is used to manufacture a product, only half of the energy contribution of that process step is used to determine the energy contribution. The contributions of raw materials and energy are added up to reach the total carbon footprint of the product. Therefore, preferably, determining the carbon footprint of a product involves determining the energy contribution at each process step and adding up its distribution according to process data.

[0047] In some cases, a process step generates energy that can be used in other process steps. Typically, such energy is heat that can be supplied to a hot water or steam network. Such energy generation can be considered in terms of carbon footprint by subtracting the value that would have been emitted if the same amount of heat had had to be produced by a power plant. Thus, determining the carbon footprint of each process step further includes subtracting the greenhouse gas emissions for the energy emissions of the process step that are reused in other process steps.

[0048] In the case of process steps that produce by-products, their contribution to the carbon footprint can be considered. Often, by-products are burned in incinerators, thereby emitting greenhouse gases. This amount can often be determined relatively easily, for example, by calculating the carbon content of the by-products that are converted to carbon dioxide in the incinerator. In some cases, by-products may be recycled with further process steps until the results can be used as new raw materials or intermediates. If recycling takes place in the same manufacturing plant, the recycling process step can be subjected to the same analysis as the manufacturing process step that generates a carbon footprint, added to the process step that produces the by-products. However, often the by-products are recycled by recycling companies, so the above analysis is not possible. Instead, recycling companies may provide a carbon footprint for their recycling process. If they do not, a reasonable value can be estimated. Therefore, determining the carbon footprint of each process step may further involve adding the emissions resulting from the disposal or recycling of by-products.

[0049] For process steps that cause direct greenhouse gas emissions, these direct emissions can be added to the carbon footprint of the process step. Therefore, determining the carbon footprint of each process step may further include adding the emissions resulting from direct greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, the contribution of direct emissions for products along the manufacturing chain can be determined and ultimately added to the contributions of raw materials and energy.

[0050] The process according to the present invention further includes (e) outputting the carbon footprint of the product obtained in step (d). Outputting may mean writing the carbon footprint to a non-temporary data storage medium, displaying it on a user interface, providing it to the interface for further processing, or any combination thereof. It is also possible to provide the output to a customer, for example, the customer's supply chain system or ERP system, through the interface. It is also possible to provide the output to the manufacturer's own ERP system through the interface, from where it may be distributed to where this information is needed. When the carbon footprint and each contribution thereto are output on the user interface, the user interface preferably uses graphing technology. In this way, it is possible to analyze the contributions along the manufacturing process in order to optimize the manufacturing process and thereby minimize the carbon footprint of the product. It is also possible to monitor changes in the carbon footprint when the manufacturing process changes. In addition, the output may be used to simulate the impact of changes, for example by manually changing certain values, and to see their impact on the carbon footprint of the product. For example, for each product, the impact of replacing certain raw materials with those having a lower carbon footprint may be analyzed.

[0051] Preferably, the process further includes outputting the carbon footprint of each process step when it contributes to the carbon footprint of a particular product. In this way, it is possible to analyze the contribution of each step, in particular the contribution of raw materials and energy at each step. This makes it possible to identify the potential for reducing the carbon footprint of the product.

[0052] The method according to the present invention is particularly useful for manufacturing plants that perform interconnected process steps. In relation to the present invention, the term “interconnected” means that at least one process step uses two intermediates of different other process steps, or each uses one intermediate of different other process steps that manufacture this intermediate, or results in two intermediates used in two different other process steps. Preferably, the manufacturing plant performs interconnected process steps. More preferably, the manufacturing plant is a chemical manufacturing plant that performs interconnected process steps. Often, the interconnected process steps are performed in different plants, possibly in different locations, and operated by potentially different groups of companies.

[0053] The present invention further relates to the use of carbon footprints obtained by the method of the present invention for calculating and / or optimizing the carbon footprints of downstream products. In this context, downstream products mean any products that use any one or more products on which the method of the present invention is performed. For example, the carbon footprint of plastic granules is determined by the method of the present invention. These plastic granules are sent to a toy manufacturer. This manufacturer uses the plastic granules to extrude-molde toys. The toys are, in this example, downstream products. The toy manufacturer may want to determine the carbon footprint of the toys themselves. For this purpose, the manufacturer may obtain the carbon footprint of the plastic granules as determined by the method of the present invention and use it to calculate the carbon footprint of the toys. The manufacturer may use the method of the present invention themselves, but may also use different methods.

[0054] The carbon footprint obtained by the method of the present invention can also be used to optimize the carbon footprint of downstream products. The carbon footprint may be entered into a database along with other product information, such as manufacturer, specifications, price, or availability. In this way, manufacturers of downstream products can search for products with a low carbon footprint that contribute little to the carbon footprint of their downstream products and therefore optimize the carbon footprint of their downstream products.

[0055] The present invention further relates to a non-temporary computer-readable data medium for storing a computer program containing instructions for performing steps of a method according to the present invention. The computer-readable data medium includes, for example, a hard drive on a server, a USB storage device, a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. The computer program may contain all the functionality and data necessary for performing the method according to the present invention and may provide an interface for processing a portion of the method on a remote system, such as a cloud system.

[0056] The present invention further relates to a system or apparatus for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in a manufacturing process at a manufacturing plant. Unless otherwise expressly stated below, descriptions of the method, including preferred embodiments, also apply to the system or apparatus. The system or apparatus may be a computing device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or an apparatus such as a distributed computing system or apparatus or a cloud system. Often, the computing device has network connectivity to communicate with other computing devices, such as servers or cloud networks.

[0057] The system or apparatus according to the present invention includes (a) an input or input unit configured to receive (i) process data including information about process steps from required raw materials to products, (ii) the carbon footprint of each raw material, and (iii) energy data including information about energy consumption at each process step. Preferably, the input or input unit has an interface to any computing system or apparatus, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or apparatus including processing and storage, in order to obtain the information. Preferably, the input or input unit is configured to receive (i), (ii), and (iii) in parallel. In complex manufacturing plants, particularly manufacturing plants involving multiple group companies, data may not be available from a single data system but from various data systems. Depending on the compatibility of different data systems, the input may need to include an interface to a system that collects data from different sources and converts them into a common data format. In particular, the input includes an interface to an integrated system that collects process data from two or more ERP systems or computing systems or devices, such as centralized or distributed computing systems or devices including processing and storage devices, and the integrated system integrates the process data to identify intermediates manufactured by one group of companies and used by different group of companies. The input or input unit may include an interface to an integrated system that collects process data from different manufacturing plants. The integrated system integrates the process data to identify intermediates manufactured by different manufacturing plants.

[0058] The system or apparatus according to the present invention includes a processor or processing unit configured to determine the carbon footprint of each process step, taking into account the information collected in step (a), and to integrate the obtained carbon footprints to arrive at the carbon footprint of the product. The processor or processing unit may be a local processor including a central processing unit (CPU), and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU), and / or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or a tensor processing unit (TPU), and / or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor or processing unit may also be an interface to a remote computer system such as a cloud service.

[0059] The system or apparatus according to the present invention includes (c) an output or output unit configured to output the carbon footprint of a product, preferably the carbon footprint of a product obtained from a processor or processing unit and each contribution thereto. Preferably, the output or output unit has an interface to a computing system or apparatus, such as an ERP system or a centralized or distributed computing system or apparatus including processing and storage. Preferably, the output or output unit includes a user interface, in particular a graphical user interface. Preferably, the user interface is configured to display the carbon footprint of a product and each contribution, preferably including the contribution of raw materials, the contribution of energy and the contribution of direct emissions for each process step. Preferably, the user interface is configured to use graph technology. The user interface may be configured to provide an overview of each process step, its raw materials and required energy, and connections to other process steps. The user interface may also provide the carbon footprint of each process step, in particular it may be configured to display the carbon footprint resulting from raw materials, energy consumption and directly aggregated forms of greenhouse gas emissions. Figure 5 schematically shows an example of how the user interface may be configured. Raw materials and intermediates for a product are displayed according to a chain of interconnected process steps. Arrows represent process steps. The width of the arrows reflects the amount of greenhouse gases that each process step contributes to the product's carbon footprint. Hovering the mouse pointer over a box or arrow may display further information, such as details about the raw materials, intermediates, or product, or the exact values ​​of greenhouse gas emissions. Preferably, the carbon footprint is displayed in an aggregated form showing the contributions of raw materials, energy use, and direct greenhouse gas emissions.

[0060] Preferably, the system is adapted to receive updated data at any given time and can update the output or carbon footprint and / or its contribution in real time. Real time typically means within a few minutes, preferably within one minute, for example, within 1 to 30 seconds.

[0061] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the system. The input or input unit 10 is configured to receive (i) process data including information about the process steps from the required raw materials to the product, (ii) the carbon footprint of each raw material, and (iii) energy data including information about the energy consumption of each process step. The processor or processing unit 20 is configured to determine the carbon footprint of each process step, taking into account the information obtained from the input unit 10, and to integrate the obtained carbon footprints to arrive at the carbon footprint of the product. The output or output unit 30 is configured to output the carbon footprint of the product obtained from the processing unit and each contribution to it.

[0062] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a system comparable to the system in Figure 3, but the manufacturing plant involves two group companies C1 and C2. Each group company provides process data 101, 201, the carbon footprint of each raw material 102, 202, and energy data 103, 203 to integrated systems 11, 12, and 13 through an interface. Integrated system 11 integrates the process data to identify intermediates manufactured by one group company and used by different group companies. Integrated system 12 integrates the carbon footprint of each raw material 102, 202 to arrive at a single list of raw materials with the relevant carbon footprint. Integrated system 13 integrates the energy data 103, 203 to arrive at a uniform dataset of energy data.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured in the manufacturing process of a manufacturing plant, (a) Collecting process data that includes information about one or more process steps from raw materials to the product, (b) Collecting the carbon footprint of one or more raw materials, (c) Collecting energy data including information on the energy consumption of one or more process steps, (d) Determining the carbon footprint of the product by taking into consideration the process data, the carbon footprint of each raw material and / or the energy data, (e) Outputting the carbon footprint of the product obtained in step (d) A computer implementation method including

2. The computer implementation method according to claim 1, further comprising subdividing the manufacturing process into at least two process steps based on the process data.

3. The computer implementation method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein determining the carbon footprint involves calculating the carbon footprint of an intermediate product manufactured in a preceding process step and using the carbon footprint of the intermediate product as input for calculating the carbon footprint of a subsequent process step.

4. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining the carbon footprint involves creating a comprehensive materials list for each process step, the materials list enumerating all raw materials directly used in either the process step or any preceding process step, and the amounts of the raw materials are adjusted according to the use of the intermediates manufactured in the preceding process step.

5. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising determining which process step precedes each process step based on the amount of a specific starting material used in the process step and the amount of the same material produced by other process steps.

6. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the process data is collected from the manufacturing plant via a centralized or distributed computing device.

7. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the energy data is collected from an energy source or the manufacturing plant via a centralized or distributed computing device.

8. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carbon footprint of the raw materials is collected for each supplier along with the supplier identifier, and determining the carbon footprint takes into account the amount of raw materials from a particular supplier and its associated carbon footprint.

9. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the manufacturing plant performs interconnected process steps.

10. The aforementioned process data shows, for each process step, what reagents were used and in what quantities. A computer-aided method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising information on what is required, what by-products are obtained and in what quantities, what one or more intermediates are obtained at each process step and in what yield, information on any direct greenhouse gas emissions by the process steps, or any combination thereof.

11. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein determining the carbon footprint includes creating a comprehensive materials list for each process step so as to arrive at the carbon footprint contribution of the raw materials for each process step.

12. A computer-aided method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein determining the carbon footprint of the product includes determining the energy contribution at each process step and adding up the distribution according to the process data.

13. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the process data is collected through an interface to different computing or storage resources, preferably different computing or storage resources that are communicably connected to the different manufacturing plants.

14. Use of a carbon footprint obtained by the method of any one of the preceding claims for calculating and / or optimizing the carbon footprint of a downstream product, and / or relating to a product identifier.

15. A non-temporary computer-readable data medium for storing a computer program which includes instructions for performing steps of the method described in any one of the prior claims.

16. A system for determining the carbon footprint of products manufactured at a manufacturing plant, (a) an input configured to receive (i) process data including information relating to one or more process steps from raw materials to the product, (ii) the carbon footprint of one or more raw materials, and / or (iii) energy data including information relating to the energy consumption of one or more process steps, (b) A processor configured to determine the carbon footprint of the product, taking into consideration the information collected in step (a), (c) an output configured to output the carbon footprint of the product determined by the processor and A system that includes this.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the input includes an interface to an integration system that collects process data from different manufacturing plants, and the integration system integrates the process data to identify intermediates produced by different manufacturing plants.

18. The system according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the output includes a user interface configured to display the carbon footprint of the product and one or more contributions, including the contribution of the raw materials, the contribution of energy, and / or the contribution of direct emissions of each process step.

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