Greenhouse gas emission management methods

Abstract

The objective is to provide a method for efficiently implementing waste audits conducted by businesses. [Solution] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for supporting an audit by an auditing firm of a business operator's waste discharge data, which is performed by a management terminal, wherein the control unit of the management terminal generates report data based on the business operator's waste discharge data, and together with the report data generates question data that includes points to be raised regarding anomalies determined based on a comparison with the business operator's past waste discharge data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing greenhouse gas emissions.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding the greenhouse gas emissions of businesses associated with the use of fuel, electricity, etc., a reporting system targeting SCOPE1 emissions (direct emissions of the company itself) and SCOPE2 emissions (indirect emissions of the company itself) has become widespread, and the calculation and reduction efforts of emissions in SCOPE1 and SCOPE2 have been progressing.

[0003] In Non-Patent Document 1, in order to further reduce the greenhouse gas emissions discharged by businesses, as emissions other than SCOPE1 and SCOPE2, proposals have been made regarding the calculation of SCOPE3 emissions, that is, the emissions of the supply chain (the entire series of processes such as raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, and waste disposal) of other related businesses, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, while the technology disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 provides information on methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions related to SCOPE 3, businesses, especially corporations and local governments, spend a great deal of time and effort collecting and inputting vast amounts of data for emission calculations, calculating emissions, and managing the calculation results. In particular, in the field of GHG emission management, the scope of emissions subject to calculation is expanding, the data that forms the basis for emission calculations varies widely for each SCOPE, and data management methods differ from business to business, all of which have hindered the improvement of operational efficiency through the introduction of advanced technologies.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for efficiently managing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing workload in the area of ​​GHG emission management, such as the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions by businesses, by utilizing advanced technology. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently performing waste audit and assurance operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for supporting an audit by an auditing firm of a business operator's waste generation data, which is performed by a management terminal, wherein the control unit of the management terminal generates report data based on the business operator's waste generation data, and together with the report data generates questionnaire data that includes findings regarding anomalies determined based on a comparison with the business operator's past waste generation data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for efficiently realizing waste auditing and assurance operations by businesses. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating a greenhouse gas emission management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This is a functional block diagram of the management terminals that make up the greenhouse gas emissions management system. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the business terminals that make up the greenhouse gas emissions management system. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates the details of the business operator data according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the details of invoice information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates an example of transaction information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates another example of transaction information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of the greenhouse gas emission calculation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of a process for predicting the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of transaction processing for greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of a method for performing waste audit support according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This figure illustrates the details of the audit firm data according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This figure illustrates the details of the business operator data according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described by listing them. The waste management system according to the embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as the "system") has the following configuration. [Item 1] A method for assisting an audit by an auditing corporation of waste emission data of a business operator, which is executed by a management terminal, comprising: The control unit of the management terminal: Generates document data based on the waste emission data of the business operator; Generates questionnaire data including matters to be pointed out for abnormal values determined based on comparison with past waste emission data of the business operator, together with the document data. A method. [Item 2] In the method described in Item 1, the control unit receives response data for the questionnaire data from the business operator terminal of the business operator. [Item 3] The control unit: Based on the received response data, stores, as a log, in the storage unit of the management terminal that corrections have been made to the matters to be pointed out. The method described in Item 2. [Item 4] The control unit: Based on the received response data, when it is determined that the abnormal value is a normal value, turns off the highlighted display notifying the abnormal value. The method described in Item 2. [Item 5] The control unit: Based on the received response data, when it is determined that the abnormal value is a normal value, stores in the storage unit of the management terminal the fact that the value is a normal value. The method described in Item 2.

[0011] <The First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a greenhouse gas emission management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, in the emission management system 1 in the present embodiment, a manager terminal 100 and a plurality of business operator terminals 200A and 200B are interconnected via a communication network NW.

[0014] For example, the management terminal 100 receives basic information about the business operator and input information for calculating greenhouse gas (e.g., CO2) emissions (e.g., image data of invoice information) from the business operator terminals 200A and 200B.

[0015] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 analyzes the received invoice information image data using machine learning, extracts the necessary items of the invoice information contained in the image data, and calculates the greenhouse gas emissions. The management terminal 100 also analyzes the calculated changes in greenhouse gas emissions over time (e.g., increase or decrease) using machine learning and predicts the cause of the changes.

[0016] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 has a wallet and connects to the public blockchain network NW. Based on the greenhouse gas emission information for each predetermined period, the management terminal 100 generates a single hash value using SHA256 or another hash function and records it on the blockchain network as transaction information. On the blockchain network, a block is generated based on the transaction information, the hash value recorded in the previous block, and the nonce value mined by the node, and is recorded following the previous block, thus forming the blockchain. Here, the hash generation and / or recording of transaction information to the blockchain can also be performed via another terminal instead of the management terminal 100. In this case, the management terminal 100 transmits the greenhouse gas emission calculated in the matching process to the other terminal. Furthermore, the management terminal 100 can record the greenhouse gas emission information as a smart contract on the blockchain network. By using smart contracts, based on the emission information, contracts regarding emission trading with other businesses can be automatically generated, approved, and executed without the need for a third party. Furthermore, smart contracts enable each service provider to access transaction information without needing to use a management terminal, thereby improving service convenience and reducing operational costs.

[0017] Here, as mentioned above, in a public blockchain, transaction approval is performed not by a specific administrator but by an unspecified number of nodes and miners. Therefore, compared to a private blockchain, it can guarantee higher data immutability and fault tolerance, thus ensuring the security of transactions. For this reason, in this embodiment, a public blockchain is preferable as the destination for recording electricity transactions. Representative public blockchains include Bitcoin and Ethereum, but Ethereum, for example, has higher immutability and reliability among public blockchains.

[0018] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 can associate information regarding greenhouse gas emissions with identifiers and record it on the blockchain network as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is, for example, a token issued under the "ERC721" standard of Ethereum, a blockchain network platform, and is a unit of data recorded on the blockchain network, possessing the characteristic of being non-fungible. Since NFTs are recorded on the blockchain along with smart contracts and are traceable, they can prove transaction information including details and history of business information that manages greenhouse gas emissions.

[0019] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the management terminals that make up the emissions management system.

[0020] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with external terminals via a network NW, and communication is performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

[0021] The memory unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 130, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The memory unit 120 also has a business data storage unit 121 for storing various data related to the business operator, and an AI model storage unit 122 for storing learning data and a learning model that the AI ​​(artificial intelligence) has learned from the learning data. A database (not shown) containing various data may be built outside of the memory unit 120 or the management terminal 100.

[0022] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the management terminal 100 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The functions of the control unit 130 include an information receiving unit 131 that receives information from external terminals such as the business terminal 200, an image analysis unit 132 that analyzes image data such as invoice information received from the business terminal and calculates greenhouse gas emissions, a cause analysis unit 133 that analyzes the image data and analyzes the causes of time-series changes in greenhouse gas emissions calculated based on the information contained in the extracted invoice information, a transaction processing unit 134 that aggregates information on greenhouse gas emissions for a predetermined period, generates a hash value, and records it as transaction information on the blockchain network, and a report generation unit 135 that generates and transmits report data to the business operator at predetermined intervals to output greenhouse gas emissions and the results of the cause analysis of changes in emissions.

[0023] Although not shown in the figures, the control unit 130 also includes an image generation unit that generates screen information to be displayed via the user interface of an external terminal such as the operator terminal 200. For example, using image and text data stored in the storage unit 120 as source material, it generates information to be displayed on the user interface by arranging various images and text in predetermined areas of the user interface according to predetermined layout rules. Processing related to the image generation unit can also be performed by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0024] Furthermore, the management terminal 100 also has a wallet (not shown) necessary for recording transaction information to the blockchain network. This wallet may also be located outside the management terminal 100.

[0025] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the business terminals that make up the emissions management system.

[0026] The carrier terminal 200 comprises a communication unit 210, a display and operation unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a control unit 240.

[0027] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the management terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0028] The display operation unit 220 is a user interface used by the operator to input instructions and display text, images, etc., in accordance with the input data from the control unit 240. If the operator terminal 200 is a personal computer, it consists of a display and a keyboard or mouse, and if the operator terminal 200 is a smartphone or tablet, it consists of a touch panel, etc. This display operation unit 220 is activated by a control program stored in the storage unit 230 and executed by the operator terminal 200, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0029] The memory unit 230 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 240, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM, ROM, etc. The memory unit 230 also temporarily stores the contents of communications with the management terminal 100.

[0030] The control unit 240 controls the overall operation of the operator terminal 200 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 230, and is composed of a CPU, GPU, and the like.

[0031] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the details of the business operator data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The business data 1000 shown in Figure 4 stores various data related to a business obtained from the business via the business terminal 200. In Figure 4, for the sake of explanation, an example of one business (a business identified by business ID "10001") is shown, but information for multiple businesses can be stored. Various data related to a business can include, for example, basic business information (e.g., the business's corporate name, username, business location information (e.g., address information for each business location), network name (e.g., SSID, IP address), image information (e.g., background image of the business location, person image, etc.), industry, contact information, email address, business location name, affiliate company name, names of related businesses in the supply chain, etc.), input information (e.g., image data of invoice information, etc.), analysis information (e.g., information on invoices extracted from image data, greenhouse gas emissions, predictions of the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions, etc.), customer information (e.g., customer ID, blockchain address, etc.), and offset report information (e.g., TXID, NFTID, etc.).

[0033] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the greenhouse gas emission calculation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] First, as part of step S101, the information acquisition unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 acquires image data, including invoice information, collected by the business operator via the network NW from the business operator terminal 200. The business operator uploads invoices, receipts, slips, etc. (collectively referred to as "invoices" in this embodiment) to the management terminal 100 via the business operator terminal 200 in file formats such as PDF, Excel, and JPG (collectively referred to as "image data" in this embodiment). The image data acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 is stored as input information in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0035] Next, as part of step S102, the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 analyzes the image data acquired in the previous step using machine learning. Here, the image analysis uses a technique known as OCR, and the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 recognizes text from the image data and extracts items included in the invoice information as structured string data, using a learning model that was generated in advance by learning from image data of various types of invoices stored in the AI ​​model storage unit 122 of the memory unit 120. Here, for image analysis, it is also possible to use an image analysis engine (OCR engine, etc.) provided by a business other than the management terminal 100, which is linked via API.

[0036] Image analysis is performed, for example, by recognizing and extracting text from image data containing invoice information, as shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, invoice information can include various items contained in an invoice, such as the name of the breakdown of electricity charges, the amount for each breakdown (yen), contracted power (kW), electricity usage for each breakdown (kWh), total amount (yen), and date (year and month). In this example, an invoice breakdown for electricity charges is used as an example, but it could also be an invoice for charges related to the use of other energy, including gas and fuel, or an invoice breakdown for other items, such as a receipt for travel expenses for business trips, a receipt for employee commuting expenses, an invoice related to a transaction with a freight carrier, or an invoice related to a transaction with a waste disposal company. The image analysis unit 132 can extract monetary information, activity level information, etc., contained in the invoice information as text by analyzing the image data of this invoice information. The extracted invoice information is stored as analysis information in the business data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. In this way, machine learning-based image analysis allows businesses to acquire a vast amount of necessary information for calculating greenhouse gas emissions as image data without having to manually input invoice information. Furthermore, highly accurate image recognition enables the precise extraction of information necessary for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of greenhouse gas emission calculations.

[0037] Next, in step S103, the image analysis unit 132 of the control unit 130 calculates greenhouse gas emissions based on the invoice information extracted from the image data. Here, greenhouse gas emissions are classified into SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3. SCOPE1 is direct emissions of greenhouse gases by the business operator itself (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion and industrial processes), SCOPE2 is indirect emissions associated with the use of electricity, heat, gas, etc. supplied to the business operator by other companies, and SCOPE3 is the calculation standard for emissions across an organization's entire supply chain issued by the GHG Protocol, and refers to emissions from the business operator's supply chain (the entire flow including raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, disposal, etc.). SCOPE3 is further classified into 15 categories: (1) Products / Services Purchased, (2) Capital Goods, (3) Fuel and Energy-Related Activities Not Included in SCOPE1 and SCOPE2, (4) Transportation and Distribution (Upstream), (5) Business Waste, (6) Business Travel, (7) Employee Commuting, (8) Leased Assets (Upstream), (9) Transportation and Distribution (Downstream), (10) Processing of Products Sold, (11) Use of Products Sold, (12) Disposal of Products Sold, (13) Leased Assets (Downstream), (14) Franchises, and (15) Investments. Here, greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), but in this embodiment, CO2 will be used as an example.

[0038] Furthermore, greenhouse gas emissions are calculated by defining activity levels as the amount of electricity used by a business operator, the amount of goods transported, the amount of waste processed, and the value of various transactions, and multiplying these activity levels by emission intensity, which is the amount of CO2 emissions per 1 kWh of electricity used, the amount of CO2 emissions per ton of goods transported, and the amount of CO2 emissions per ton of waste incinerated. Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated separately for SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3 (SCOPE3 is further divided into 15 categories), and the total emissions are calculated as supply chain emissions.

[0039] In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 132 extracts relevant invoice information separately for SCOPE1, SCOPE2, and SCOPE3 (and further for SCOPE3, by category), and calculates emissions based on the above calculation method, for example, based on the amount of electricity used in kWh from the invoice information. The calculated emissions are stored as analysis information in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0040] Next, as part of the process in step S104, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 generates a visualized report showing the breakdown of emissions over time, categorized by SCOPE (and further by category for SCOPE 3), based on the calculated emissions information.

[0041] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for predicting the causes of changes in greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] First, as part of step S201, the cause analysis unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the information on the operator's greenhouse gas emissions calculated in step S103 of Figure 8. Here, the greenhouse gas emissions refer to emissions by SCOPE (and further by category for SCOPE 3). The cause analysis unit 133 can also check changes (increases or decreases) in emissions by referring to past emission data of the same operator. As described above, the emissions are stored as analysis information in the operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0043] Next, as part of step S202, the cause analysis unit 133 analyzes and predicts the causes of changes in emissions using machine learning based on the emission information referenced above. Here, in the cause analysis, the cause analysis unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 predicts the causes of changes in emissions for each SCOPE (and further for each category in the case of SCOPE 3) using the emission information referenced above, factors that affect changes (increases and decreases) in emissions, and a learning model that was generated by learning data on factors that affect changes (increases and decreases) in emissions stored in the AI ​​model storage unit 122 of the memory unit 120 in advance.

[0044] Here, factors that influence changes (increases or decreases) in emissions include, for example, weather, temperature, product demand and / or factory operations, store or factory business hours or operating hours, changes in equipment or facilities, software measures, energy-saving activities, fuel switching, energy menu changes, changes in business or commuting volume, and the amount of electricity generated by private power generation. Each of these factors affects the emissions of one of the SCOPEs. For example, the weather factor affects precipitation, wind speed, sunshine hours, and temperature. Precipitation affects small-scale hydroelectric power generation, wind speed affects wind power generation, sunshine hours affect solar power generation, and temperature affects air conditioning. Furthermore, electricity generation affects private power generation, which affects CO2 emissions from electricity, thereby influencing changes in SCOPE2 emissions. Meanwhile, air conditioning affects gas consumption, which affects CO2 emissions from gas combustion, thereby influencing changes in SCOPE1 emissions. In addition, energy-saving activities, factory operations due to product demand, and business hours affect electricity consumption and thus affect SCOPE2. Furthermore, EMS, replacement of refrigeration equipment, introduction of energy-saving equipment, and vehicle usage also affect electricity usage and thus influence SCOPE2. In addition, vehicle usage, fuel efficiency, boiler usage, and boiler efficiency affect fuel usage, which in turn affect CO2 emissions from fuel and thus influence SCOPE1.

[0045] Furthermore, the number of products sold influences categories 1, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of SCOPE3, while capital investment influences category 2, renewable energy ratio and procured energy volume influence category 3, the number of deliveries and changes in delivery routes influence categories 4 and 9, product loss rate influences category 5, business travelers and office workers influence category 6, commuters and office employees influence category 7, power consumption influences category 8, processing reduction through product improvements influences category 10, improvements to energy-efficient products influence category 11, increased recycling rates influence category 12, tenant office electricity influences category 13, franchise emissions influence category 14, and investment destination emissions influence category 15.

[0046] In this way, by using machine learning to learn which factors affect which SCOPE or category, and by obtaining emission information and information on each factor from businesses, it is possible to predict the causes of changes in emissions. Here, by performing emission cause prediction using machine learning, it is possible to efficiently and accurately predict the factors that affect changes in greenhouse gas emissions for each business and each SCOPE.

[0047] Next, as part of the processing in step S203, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 generates a visualized report on the causes of changes in emissions, categorized by SCOPE (and further categorized for SCOPE 3), based on the information on the predicted causes of changes in emissions that has been analyzed above.

[0048] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of transaction processing for greenhouse gas emissions according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] First, as part of step S301, the transaction processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the business operator data stored in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. The business operator data referred to here includes business operator analysis information (greenhouse gas emissions for each SCOPE), etc.

[0050] Next, as part of step S302, the transaction processing unit 134 generates a hash value based on the business data referenced in step S301. That is, the transaction processing unit 134 generates a hash value for one row using a hash function for greenhouse gas emissions over a predetermined period, and records the hash value as transaction information on the public blockchain. On the blockchain network, this block is generated based on the transaction information, the hash value recorded in the previous block, and the nonce value mined by the node, and is recorded following the previous block, thus forming the blockchain. In this example, in order to reduce the cost of blockchain recording, the data is recorded on a Layer 2 (e.g., a sidechain) that is different from the main blockchain (so-called Layer 1).

[0051] Furthermore, the transaction processing unit 134 can assign and manage NFTIDs in conjunction with the blockchain record of the business operator's greenhouse gas emissions. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the business operator data 1000 can be assigned the business operator's customer ID as customer information, store the blockchain address to be referenced, and assign NFTIDs and TXIDs as offset report information.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, on the blockchain network, each NFTID is associated with a blockchain address, and the NFTID and customer ID are managed on the management terminal 100. For example, information on greenhouse gas emissions for a business corresponding to customer ID "2" can be accessed by referring to the blockchain address for each NFTID, such as NFTID "13" and "14," and as shown in Figure 7, detailed emission information can be retrieved. Figure 7 shows information on an offset report associated with NFTID "14," where a TXID is assigned, and the offset report includes CO2 emissions by SCOPE, the target year and month, and the report issuance date. In addition to the CO2 emissions for the target year and month in this example, it is also possible to create NFTs of CO2 emissions for the most recent year, reduced CO2 emissions, and offset CO2 emissions. By managing CO2 emissions as NFTs in this way, businesses can trade NFT certificates while ensuring non-tampering and transaction reliability, and can also provide proof of emissions to third parties.

[0053] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for supporting waste audit operations according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the waste management system of the business operator in this embodiment is basically the same as the configuration of the emission management system in the first embodiment, so its explanation is omitted.

[0054] Traditionally, the auditing and assurance of waste management by businesses was carried out through human intervention. The auditing and assurance process involved the following steps: 1) Comprehensiveness of organizational scope: verification of the business's subsidiary and branch lists; 2) Comprehensiveness of accuracy: verification of aggregated data and branch-specific data from the business; 3) Creation of reports: processing of aggregated data; 4) Creation of questionnaires: compiling analysis notes and sending questionnaires; 5) Confirmation and exchange; and 6) repetition of the above steps. In the report creation process, the aggregated data received from the business is processed to create a report (analysis file), and the amount of waste generated by branch / waste type is compared with the previous year and monthly to identify anomalies, but this process is time-consuming. Furthermore, the format of the aggregated data differs from business to business (CSV / Excel / Word files, etc.), and it is necessary to comprehensively convert this into monthly / annual aggregated data by branch or by the axis to be analyzed. In addition, it was necessary to check this data by adding past data from the previous year, etc., and having it checked by human eyes.

[0055] In order to reduce such burdens and to further ensure accuracy, this embodiment aims to support the efficient implementation of waste audit and assurance operations.

[0056] First, as a preprocessing step for step S401, an audit firm representative inputs information identifying the business operator to be audited (such as a business ID) via an audit firm terminal 300 connected to the management terminal 100 via a network, and sends an audit request to the management terminal 100. When the information acquisition unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 receives the audit request from the audit firm terminal 300, it notifies the business operator terminal 200 of the fact that an audit request has been made by the audit firm terminal 300. In response, the business operator terminal 200 either accepts the audit request and grants audit authority (only the ability to view all data), or the business operator terminal 200 sends an invitation notification regarding the said authority to the audit firm terminal 300, and when the audit firm terminal 300 accepts this, the audit firm terminal 300 can access the waste discharge data related to the business operator stored in the storage unit 120 of the management terminal 100. Next, the audit firm representative sends a request to the management terminal 100 to create a working paper. Here, the audit firm representative inputs the working paper format (format data in a file format such as a CSV / Excel / Word file, specifying the items that should be included in the working paper data) to be used when creating the working paper, and sends it to the management terminal 100 via the audit firm terminal 300. When the information acquisition unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 receives the working paper creation request from the audit firm terminal 300, as part of the processing in step S401, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 determines the working paper format input by the audit firm terminal as the working paper format. Alternatively, the report generation unit 135 can also determine the working paper format based on working paper data previously created by the audit firm or business operator, which is stored in the storage unit 120. The report creation unit 135 stores the determined report format in the audit firm data storage unit 123 of the memory unit 120 as audit firm data 3000 as shown in Figure 12.

[0057] Next, as part of the processing in step S402, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 refers to the business data of the business specified by the auditing firm, as shown in Figure 13, in the business data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120, and then refers to the greenhouse gas emission data of the target business stored in the business data storage unit 121, and calculates the "waste emission amount" based on input data such as "target month," "location," "emission intensity," and "activity level," or refers to already calculated emission data.

[0058] Next, as part of the processing in step S403, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 generates report data based on the calculated waste discharge amount, the items that form the basis for its calculation, and the report format, and transmits it to the audit firm terminal 300, where the audit firm terminal 300 outputs each item in a tabular or other format. Here, the report generation unit 135 can also display, along with the report data, the target business operator's past waste discharge amount, for example, last year's discharge data, and comparative data, for example, year-on-year comparison data. The report generation unit 135 stores the generated report data for each business operator as audit firm data 3000 in the audit firm data storage unit 123 in Figure 12. Here, the report generation unit 135 can also send an alert to the audit firm terminal 300 if it determines that an abnormal value exists, such as when the data for a display item included in the report data is blank, or when the emissions for the target year exceed an arbitrarily set threshold compared to past emissions. As an alert, the report generation unit 135 can identify the item in the report data displayed on the audit firm terminal 300 by changing its color, or by highlighting the text. Furthermore, since the reporting format differs for each audit firm, in addition to specifying the investigation format in advance, the audit firm's staff can also change the format by configuring items (adding, deleting, rearranging items, etc.) for the investigation data displayed on the audit firm's terminal 300. The reporting data can also be displayed or downloaded in any file format, such as CSV or Excel, and the audit firm's staff can edit it manually, allowing for flexible operation. Furthermore, the management terminal 100 can receive feedback information such as comments from the audit firm's representative, who can input comments such as suspected abnormal values ​​in the report data displayed on the audit firm's terminal 300. In addition, if there are doubts about the input data regarding emissions data (such as the suspected abnormal values ​​mentioned above), the report generation unit 135 can send an alert to the business operator's terminal 200 in advance, thereby eliminating the need for mutual confirmation between the business operator and the audit firm.

[0059] Next, as part of step S404, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 creates questionnaire data for questions to the business operator, including the detected abnormal values. The audit firm representative selects a button displayed on the audit firm terminal 300, such as "Automatically generate a questionnaire in tabular format such as Excel or CSV," and the report generation unit 135 generates the tabular questionnaire data. Here, if the detected abnormal values ​​are within an acceptable range (dealt with year-on-year comparisons or memorandum comments, and judged not to warrant a report), the audit firm representative judges them as normal values ​​and selects a button such as "Treat as normal value (remove from abnormal value)," and the report generation unit 135 can store this as a "Treat as normal value" flag in the report data of the audit firm data storage unit 123 of the storage unit 120 as a log. On the other hand, when the audit firm staff member confirms a series of abnormal values ​​(and confirms corrections if any are to be treated as normal values), the questionnaire data is generated by performing the "automatic generation of questionnaire data" operation on the audit firm terminal 300, as described above. For example, regarding issues such as outliers, the report generation unit 135 can automatically generate appropriate text, such as, "(Emissions) have increased by more than double (an arbitrary multiplier) compared to the previous year," or "There is no data that existed last year. Please explain why." The report generation unit 135 stores the automatically generated questionnaire data in the audit firm data 3000 of the audit firm data storage unit 123 of the storage unit 120, as shown in Figure 12, and transmits it to the business terminal 200.

[0060] Next, as part of step S405, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 receives response data to the questionnaire data from the business operator terminal 200. Specifically, the business operator responds to the received questionnaire data by making corrections to any items that need correction. If the questionnaire data is in tabular format, the business operator completes the response by entering information such as whether the data (e.g., emissions) has been corrected or a memo into the corresponding question item in the table displayed on the business operator terminal 200. At this point, by displaying a button such as "Response completed, notify audit firm" on the business operator terminal 200, the business operator can enter the answer to the question and send the response to the audit firm terminal 300 via the management terminal 100 with a single click, and the audit firm can automatically recognize the content of the response through the display on the audit firm terminal 300 and notifications.

[0061] Next, as part of the process in step S406, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 updates the report data and questionnaire data based on the received response data. Specifically, if the business operator provides a corrected response to the questionnaire, the report generation unit 135 adds the same content to the report data (for example, a comment such as "The value has been corrected. The previous data for XX has become YY (it is no longer an abnormal value).") and stores it in the audit firm data 3000. Furthermore, if the business operator and the audit firm exchange questionnaire data outside the system managed by the management terminal 100, the audit firm representative can upload the received questionnaire data (and the corresponding response data) to the management terminal 100 via the audit firm terminal 300, allowing the management terminal 100 to acquire the data, and the report generation unit 135 can reflect the corrected content included in the response data in the report data. Furthermore, if an item that was initially an abnormal value is corrected by the business operator and determined to be outside the range of abnormal values, the report generation unit 135 stores it in the audit firm data storage unit 123 as part of the questionnaire data in order to record it as a log in the questionnaire data. At the same time, in the documentation data, the value can be displayed as a normal value without any emphasis or highlighting, by turning off identification displays and highlighting expressions so that it is not recognized as an abnormal value. Furthermore, even if a business operator modifies the values ​​on the waste discharge management system itself, the report generation unit 135 can log the fact that the data has been modified as part of the questionnaire data and response data, as described above, while also displaying it in the report data without identifying or emphasizing it. Furthermore, even if the value remains abnormal, if the audit firm's representative recognizes that there is "no problem" based on the "remarks" entered by the business operator, they will send a message to the management terminal 100 via the audit firm's terminal 300, and the report generation unit 135 will store a "treat as normal value" flag as part of the report data, as described above.

[0062] Thus, whereas previously audit firms had to go back and forth between emissions data, report data, questionnaire data, etc., and repeat the same checks several times, this can now be simplified by checking for the presence or absence of identifying or highlighted expressions on the report data, and by leaving a log that treats them as normal values. Furthermore, by confirming that all items in the questionnaire have been resolved, the report generation unit 135 can set the status of the series of audit and assurance operations as "assurance completed".

[0063] By generating interim data of waste generation data from businesses in advance for audit firms, audit firm personnel can conduct audits more efficiently and accurately, and businesses can also ensure the reliability of their waste generation data management.

[0064] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 100 Management terminals 200 carrier terminals 300 Audit firm terminals

Claims

1. A method to support audits by audit firms of waste generation data of businesses, which are performed by management terminals, The control unit of the aforementioned management terminal is: Based on the waste generation data of the aforementioned business operator, report data is generated. A method for generating questionnaire data that includes, along with the aforementioned report data, points to be raised regarding anomalies determined based on a comparison with the business operator's past waste generation data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives response data to the questionnaire data from the business operator's terminal.

3. The control unit, The method according to claim 2, wherein the fact that corrections have been made to the points raised based on the received response data is stored as a log in the storage unit of the management terminal.

4. The control unit, The method according to claim 2, wherein if it is determined that the abnormal value is a normal value based on the received response data, the highlighting of the abnormal value is turned off.

5. The control unit, The method according to claim 2, wherein, based on the received response data, if it is determined that the abnormal value is a normal value, the fact that it is a normal value is stored in the storage unit of the management terminal.

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