How to manage data related to a business's ESG evaluation.

Abstract

The objective is to provide a method for improving the efficiency of answering questions for ESG evaluation. [Solution] A method for managing data related to an ESG evaluation of a business operator, which is performed by a management terminal, wherein the control unit of the management terminal determines a question item for one of a plurality of initiatives related to ESG evaluation, refers to past response data of the business operator to other of the plurality of initiatives that correspond to the question item, and displays the past response data on the business operator's terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing data related to the ESG evaluation of businesses.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding the greenhouse gas emissions of businesses associated with the use of fuels, electricity, etc., reporting systems targeting SCOPE1 emissions (direct emissions of the company itself) and SCOPE2 emissions (indirect emissions of the company itself) have 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, suggestions have been made regarding the calculation of SCOPE3 emissions, that is, the emissions of the supply chain (the entire series of flows such as raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, waste disposal, etc.) 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 the workload involved in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions by businesses, by utilizing advanced technologies. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently managing ESG data by businesses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method for managing data relating to an ESG evaluation of a business operator, performed by a management terminal, according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the control unit of the management terminal determines a question item for one of a plurality of initiatives relating to ESG evaluation, refers to past response data of the business operator to other of the plurality of initiatives that correspond to the question item, and displays the past response data on the business operator terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for efficiently supporting businesses in inputting data for ESG evaluations. [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 supporting answers to questions for ESG evaluation according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This flowchart illustrates the answer matrix data for supporting answers to questions for ESG evaluation according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The ESG 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 managing data related to a business operator's ESG evaluation, which is performed by a management terminal, The control unit of the management terminal is Determine the question items for one initiative among a plurality of initiatives regarding ESG evaluation, Refer to the past response data of the other initiatives among the plurality of initiatives performed by the operator corresponding to the question items, A method of causing the past response data to be displayed on the operator terminal. [Item 2] The method according to item 1, wherein the control unit generates a response sentence for the question item for the one initiative based on the past response data. [Item 3] The method according to item 1, wherein the control unit stores, in the storage unit of the management terminal, a response sentence corresponding to a question item common to the plurality of initiatives in association with information for identifying the plurality of initiatives. [Item 4] The method according to item 2, wherein the control unit transmits an alert to the operator terminal when there is a contradiction between the generated response sentence and the response sentences included in the past response data of the other initiatives among the plurality of initiatives. [Item 5] The method according to item 2, wherein the control unit weights the generated response sentence so as to be positive as the response sentence for the latest initiative.

[0011] <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 management terminal 100 and a plurality of operator terminals 200A and 200B are mutually connected 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 information (e.g., document data such as IR information and personnel information), industry, contact information, email address, business 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 processing 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-saving 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 answers to questions for ESG evaluation according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As background, there are various disclosure initiatives for non-financial disclosure (e.g., CDP, TNFD, ISSB, CSRD, etc.). These initiatives are international standards for information and evaluation of climate change measures undertaken by companies. They encourage companies to actively engage in ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) to build a sustainable society, rather than simply pursuing short-term profits, and to make efforts toward solving environmental problems. These initiatives serve as indicators for this purpose. Businesses answer each item of multiple questions provided by these initiatives, and each initiative scores the business activities of the business from an ESG evaluation perspective based on these answers. However, when businesses answer a particular initiative, they are often unaware of inconsistencies in their answers across different initiatives. Even though their answers to previously answered initiatives should address similar questions, they are forced to create new answers from scratch, which is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, the objective of this embodiment is to enable businesses to create appropriate responses to ESG evaluation questionnaires as non-financial disclosures. This will allow businesses to improve the efficiency of their ESG management. The following will be explained in detail using Figure 11.

[0054] First, as a preprocessing step for step S401, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 associates the similar answers that the business operator has previously given to common question items across multiple initiatives, along with information identifying the corresponding initiative's question, and stores this as answer matrix data in the business operator data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. At the request of the business operator, the report generation unit 135 displays the generated answer matrix data on the business operator's business terminal 200's answer setting screen for initiative-related questions, as shown in Figure 12. As shown in Figure 12, the business operator can refer to the answers they have given for each initiative, corresponding to common question items across initiatives, along with the source name (initiative name, question number, etc.). Furthermore, the business operator receives question data for a single initiative from the management terminal 100 or the initiative's webpage, etc., via the business operator terminal 200, and refers to each question item. Here, the question data includes multiple question items (question sentences) and answer items for each of the multiple question sentences. The content of the question sentences may include items such as "existence of an environmental policy," "existence of environmental training," "SBT certification," "existence of a human rights policy," "existence of human rights training," "existence of an occupational safety and health policy," "existence of occupational safety and health training," and "existence of child and forced labor."

[0055] Next, as part of the process in step S401, the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 determines the question items that the business operator intends to answer. When the business operator accesses the management terminal 100 from the business operator terminal 200 to refer to the question data and accesses a question item further, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 120 of the management terminal 100 determines the question items that the business operator will answer.

[0056] Next, as part of step S402, the report generation unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 refers to the stored answer matrix data for the determined question items and sends information that can be used as candidate answers to the question items to the business terminal 100. The report generation unit 135 can display the candidate answer information along with the question items displayed on the business terminal 200 via a pop-up, slider, or chat communication interface such as AI chat. The report generation unit 135 can also display a message to the business terminal 200 along with the candidate answer information, such as "Can this be reused from another answered initiative?".

[0057] When a business operator selects a desired initiative from the candidate response information displayed on the business operator terminal 200 and selects an answer indicating that they will reuse the answer, the report generation unit 13 generates a response text based on the selected answer as the process in step S403. The report generation unit 135 associates the response text with the question items and stores it as response data in the business operator data 2000 of the storage unit 120. Here, the report generation unit 135 can send and display an alert to the business terminal 200 stating "There is a contradiction with the response to another initiative" if there is a contradiction between the generated response and the response to another initiative. Furthermore, even if the response from the main business operator is valid, if it contradicts the response received from the supplier operator or the response made by the supplier operator to the initiative (for example, if the supplier's actual situation differs from the head office's response that there is no overtime work throughout the entire supply chain), the report generation unit 135 can send and display an alert to the business operator terminal 200 stating that "there is a contradiction with the supplier operator's response." Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the management terminal 100 can, for example, acquire the latest response to the business operator's initiative using the generated response text and store it as business operator data 2000. The report generation unit 135 can also assign weights to the latest response text and the response texts of each initiative (similar to the latest response) so that the latest response text is considered correct. Furthermore, via the response matrix setting screen shown in Figure 12 above, if a business operator wants to exclude response data corresponding to a particular initiative from the matrix data for a single question item (intentionally change the response range), they can select the item corresponding to that response data and submit a deletion request to the management terminal 100 to remove that response data from the matrix. As a result, the report generation unit 135 can generate a response based on the remaining response data by referring to the remaining response data without referring to the response data excluded from the matrix.

[0058] In this way, businesses can improve the efficiency of their responses to ESG evaluation questions and generate high-rated ESG responses for their initiatives. This, in turn, can improve the overall efficiency of ESG evaluation management.

[0059] 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]

[0060] 100 Management terminals 200 carrier terminals

Claims

1. A method for managing data related to the ESG evaluation of a business operator, which is performed by a management terminal, The control unit of the management terminal is Determine the questions for one of several initiatives related to ESG evaluation. Referencing past response data for other initiatives among the multiple initiatives conducted by the said business operator that correspond to the aforementioned question items, A method for displaying the aforementioned past response data on the business operator's terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates response sentences for the question items for the first initiative based on the past response data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores answer sentences corresponding to question items common to the plurality of initiatives in the storage unit of the management terminal, associating them with information that identifies the plurality of initiatives.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sends an alert to the operator terminal if there is a discrepancy between the generated response and a response included in past response data for other initiatives among the plurality of initiatives.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the control unit weights the generated response sentences so that they are positive as response sentences to the latest initiative.

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