Management device, management method, and program

Abstract

Appropriately manage product information of business entities in the supply chain. [Solution] The management device 10 is a management device that manages information regarding products P of multiple business entities 100 belonging to a supply chain SP, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires product information, which is information regarding the sustainability of the product P, and a predetermined identifier, a registration unit that registers the product information in association with the identifier, and an output control unit that, upon receiving information indicating the identifier, outputs the product information associated with the identifier.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A method for transmitting and receiving information about products manufactured in a supply chain is known. Patent Document 1 describes a management method including a first step of acquiring a first metallic resource to be recycled, a second step of acquiring a second metallic resource derived from minerals, a third step of manufacturing a metallic material from the first metallic resource and the second metallic resource, a fourth step of receiving, by a terminal, information about a first shipping slot that is treated as having been manufactured from the first metallic resource having a specific attribute according to a mass balance approach, a fifth step of shipping the metallic material that has been determined to have the specific attribute as a recycled product, and a sixth step of transmitting, by a terminal, information about the shipping in the fifth step. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7675918 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A supply chain includes multiple business entities that manufacture products, and downstream business entities manufacture products using products manufactured by upstream business entities. As multiple business entities are involved in a product, it can be difficult to properly manage product information for each business entity.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management device, a management method, and a program that are capable of appropriately managing information about products of business entities that belong to a supply chain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The management device disclosed herein is a management device that manages information regarding products of multiple business entities belonging to a supply chain, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires product information, which is information regarding the sustainability of the product, and a specified identifier, a registration unit that registers the product information in association with the identifier, and an output control unit that, upon receiving information indicating the identifier, outputs the product information associated with the identifier.

[0007] The management method disclosed herein is a management method for managing information regarding products of multiple business entities belonging to a supply chain, and includes the steps of acquiring product information, which is information regarding the sustainability of the product, and a predetermined identifier, registering the product information in association with the identifier, and, upon receiving information indicating the identifier, outputting the product information associated with the identifier.

[0008] The program disclosed herein is a program that causes a computer to execute a management method for managing information about products of multiple business entities belonging to a supply chain, and causes the computer to execute the following steps: acquiring product information, which is information about the sustainability of the product, and a specified identifier; registering the product information in association with the identifier; and, upon receiving information indicating the identifier, outputting the product information associated with the identifier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, information on products of business entities belonging to a supply chain can be appropriately managed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a supply chain and management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of registered product information. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the product information registration process. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the output process of product information. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a supply chain. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments). Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range.

[0012] (supply chain) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a supply chain and management system according to this embodiment. The term "supply chain" refers to the entire manufacturing process from the procurement of raw materials to the production of final products (products sold to consumers), and in this embodiment, refers to a group of business entities involved in the production of final products. In other words, the supply chain according to this embodiment refers to a group of business entities including business entities that manufacture final products and business entities that manufacture intermediate products used in the production of those final products. Here, a business entity refers to an organization or group that manufactures products, and may be a company or a facility (factory) belonging to a company.

[0013] In the example of FIG. 1, business entity 100A that manufactures product PA, business entity 100B that manufactures product PB, business entity 100C that manufactures product PC, and business entity 100D that manufactures product PD belong to a supply chain SP that manufactures product PD, which is a final product. Business entity 100A manufactures product PA, which is an intermediate product. Business entity 100B uses product PA to manufacture product PB, which is an intermediate product. Business entity 100C uses product PB to manufacture product PC, which is an intermediate product. Business entity 100D uses product PC to manufacture product PD, which is a final product. In other words, business entities 100A to 100D can be said to manufacture different types of products from each other.

[0014] Hereinafter, the business entities will be referred to as upstream business entity 100 and downstream business entity 100 as appropriate. The upstream side refers to the upstream side in the distribution flow of product P within the supply chain SP, and the downstream side refers to the downstream side in that distribution flow. For example, business entity 100A is the business entity 100 upstream of business entities 100B, 100C, and 100D; business entity 100B is the business entity downstream of business entity 100A and upstream of business entities 100C and 100D; business entity 100C is the business entity downstream of business entities 100A and 100B and upstream of business entity 100D; and business entity 100D is the business entity 100 downstream of business entities 100A, 100B, and 100C.

[0015] In this embodiment, the most upstream business entity 100A uses used products (scrap) as at least part of the raw materials to manufacture the most upstream product PA. Therefore, the product PA is at least partially made from recycled materials, and the other products PB-PD manufactured using the product PA can also be said to be at least partially made from recycled materials. However, the products PA-PD are not limited to being manufactured using used products (scrap) as at least part of the raw materials, and do not necessarily include products made from recycled materials.

[0016] In this embodiment, the products PA to PD are products containing metal. For example, the product PA may be a metal material (e.g., electrolytic copper) produced from scrap containing metal, the product PB may be a metal processed body (e.g., copper wire) obtained by processing the product PA into a predetermined shape, the product PC may be a device (e.g., a motor) manufactured using the product PB, and the product PD may be a device (e.g., an automobile) equipped with the product PC. However, the products PA to PD are not limited to this and may be any product. For example, the products PA to PD may be products containing resin or products containing inorganic materials. Furthermore, the number of business entities included in the supply chain SP in FIG. 1 and the number of types of products manufactured are merely examples.

[0017] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between business entities belonging to the supply chain SP, they will be referred to as business entities 100 as appropriate. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between products manufactured by each business entity 100 (final products and intermediate products used in manufacturing the final products), they will be referred to as products P as appropriate.

[0018] As described above, a supply chain SP includes multiple business entities 100, and each business entity 100 manufactures a product P using a product P manufactured by a business entity 100 upstream of the business entity 100. Therefore, multiple business entities 100 are involved in the product P, and the characteristics of the product P may depend on the characteristics of the product P manufactured by the business entities 100 upstream or downstream of the business entity 100. Therefore, in order to properly manage information about the product P, it is necessary to grasp information about the product P of each business entity 100 in the supply chain SP, which can be difficult. In recent years, there has been a demand for grasping information about the sustainability of the product P, making it particularly important to manage such information in the supply chain SP. In response to this, in this embodiment, the management system 1 enables proper management of information about the product P. The management system 1 will now be described in detail.

[0019] (Management system) The management system 1 according to this embodiment includes a management device 10 and a terminal 20. The management device 10 is a device that manages information about the product P. The terminal 20 is a device that communicates with the management device 10. In this embodiment, the terminal 20 belongs to a business entity 100 that manufactures the product P. That is, the terminal 20 is operated and managed by a user belonging to the business entity 100. In this embodiment, a terminal 20 is provided for each business entity 100, and a terminal 20A belongs to the business entity 100A, a terminal 20B belongs to the business entity 100B, a terminal 20C belongs to the business entity 100C, and a terminal 20D belongs to the business entity 100D. However, the present invention is not limited to providing a terminal 20 for each business entity 100, and multiple terminals 20 may belong to one business entity 100. Furthermore, a terminal 20 that does not belong to the business entity 100 may also be provided. For example, a terminal 20 managed by an entity other than the business entity 100 may also be provided. Examples of entities other than the business entity 100 include an entity (requirements setter) that monitors information management of the product P in the supply chain SP, and an entity (consumer) that purchases the product PD, which is the final product.

[0020] (Management device) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a management device according to this embodiment. The management device 10 is, for example, a computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a communication unit 12, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 16. The management device 10 may be configured as a standalone device, integrated with other devices, or configured as a system combining various devices such as a computing device and a data server, and is not particularly limited. The management device 10 may also include an input unit that accepts user input and an output unit that outputs information. In this case, the input unit and output unit may have the same configuration as the input unit 22 and output unit 24 of the terminal 20, which will be described later.

[0021] The communication unit 12 is a communication module that communicates with an external device such as the terminal 20, and is, for example, an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit, a communication processing circuit such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card, etc. The communication unit 12 communicates with the external device via wireless communication, but the communication method may be arbitrary.

[0022] The storage unit 14 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 16, and may include at least one of a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The program for the control unit 16 stored in the storage unit 14 may be stored in a recording medium that can be read by the management device 10.

[0023] The control unit 16 is a computing device and includes, for example, computing circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The control unit 16 reads and executes programs (software) from the storage unit 14 to perform processing.

[0024] The control unit 16 includes an acquisition unit 16A, a registration unit 16B, and an output control unit 16C. The control unit 16 reads and executes a program (software) from the storage unit 14, thereby realizing the acquisition unit 16A, the registration unit 16B, and the output control unit 16C and executing the processes. The control unit 16 may execute these processes using a single arithmetic circuit, or may be provided with multiple arithmetic circuits and execute the processes using the multiple arithmetic circuits. At least a part of the processes performed by the acquisition unit 16A, the registration unit 16B, and the output control unit 16C may be implemented using a hardware circuit.

[0025] The processing performed by the management device 10 will be described later.

[0026] In this embodiment, the management device 10 is a device (server) separate from the terminal 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the management device 10 and the terminal 20 may be an integrated device. In other words, at least one terminal 20 may have the functions of the management device 10, and in this case, it can be said that the terminal 20 constitutes the management device 10.

[0027] (Terminal) Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal according to this embodiment. The terminal 20 is, for example, a computer, and as shown in Fig. 3, has an input unit 22, an output unit 24, a communication unit 26, a storage unit 28, and a control unit 29. The terminal 20 may be configured as a standalone device, may be configured integrally with other devices, or may be configured as a system combining various devices such as a computing device and a data server, and is not particularly limited.

[0028] The input unit 22 is a mechanism that accepts input from a user operating the terminal 20. The input unit 22 may be configured with, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The input unit 22 may also have a camera into which image information is input. The output unit 24 is a mechanism that outputs information. The output unit 24 has a display device that displays images. The output unit 24 may also have a speaker that outputs sound.

[0029] The communication unit 26 is a communication module that communicates with external devices such as the management device 10, and is, for example, an antenna, an RF circuit, a communication processing circuit such as a wireless LAN card, etc. The communication unit 26 communicates with external devices via wireless communication, but the communication method may be arbitrary.

[0030] The storage unit 28 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 29, and may include, for example, at least one of a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and an external storage device such as a HDD. The program for the control unit 29 stored in the storage unit 28 may be stored in a recording medium that can be read by the terminal 20.

[0031] The control unit 29 is a computing device, and includes, for example, a computing circuit such as a CPU, a GPU, etc. The control unit 29 reads out a program (software) from the storage unit 28 and executes it to perform processing.

[0032] The control unit 29 includes an acquisition unit 29A and an output control unit 29B. The control unit 29 realizes the acquisition unit 29A and the output control unit 29B by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 28. The control unit 29 executes these processes using a single arithmetic circuit, or may be provided with multiple arithmetic circuits and execute the processes using the multiple arithmetic circuits. At least a part of the processes performed by the acquisition unit 29A and the output control unit 29B may be implemented using a hardware circuit.

[0033] The processing performed by the terminal 20 will be described later.

[0034] (Processing of management system) Next, the processing contents of the management system 1 will be described.

[0035] (Get product information) The acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 acquires product information, which is information about the product P. The product P here refers to a product manufactured by a business entity 100 belonging to the supply chain SP to be managed. The product information is set for the product P shipped from the business entity 100. The product information may be set for each type of product P, or for each lot of the same type of product P. The product information is information about the sustainability of the product P. Manufacturing the product P impacts environmental sustainability due to the extraction of raw materials from the global environment and the energy consumption during manufacturing. Furthermore, using fair-trade raw materials to manufacture the product P improves the sustainability of transactions related to the product P. In other words, sustainability here includes environmental sustainability and transactional sustainability. The product information can be said to be information about the degree of sustainability of the product P.

[0036] It is more preferable that the product information is information about the environmental load required for the production of product P (information about the environmental sustainability of product P). In other words, it can be said that it is more preferable that the product information is information about the degree of environmental load required for the production of product P.

[0037] Acquisition unit 16A may acquire product information by any method, but in this embodiment, acquires product information input to terminal 20. That is, for example, an administrator belonging to business entity 100 inputs product information into terminal 20 belonging to that business entity 100 via input unit 22. Acquisition unit 29A of terminal 20 acquires the input product information. Then, output control unit 29B of terminal 20 transmits the product information acquired by acquisition unit 29A to management device 10 via communication unit 26. Acquisition unit 16A of management device 10 acquires (receives) the product information from terminal 20 via communication unit 12.

[0038] The product information may be any information relating to the sustainability of the product P, but in this embodiment includes mass balance information.

[0039] Mass balance information is information about product P in the mass balance method (mass balance model) (information indicating the characteristics of product P in the mass balance method). The mass balance method (mass balance model) is a method for allocating characteristics to a portion of a product based on the amount of raw material input when raw materials with certain characteristics are mixed with other raw materials during the processing and distribution process from raw materials to the product. For example, suppose a certain amount of product is manufactured using 25 tons of recycled raw materials (or intermediate products manufactured exclusively from recycled raw materials) and 75 tons of ore-derived raw materials (or intermediate products manufactured exclusively from ore-derived raw materials). In this case, under the mass balance method, 25% of the total manufactured product (25 / (25 + 75) × 100) can be treated as a 100% recycled product (a product manufactured exclusively from recycled raw materials), and 50% of the total manufactured product can be treated as a 50% recycled product. Hereinafter, products containing any proportion of recycled raw materials will be referred to simply as recycled products, as appropriate.

[0040] In this way, the mass balance approach determines whether product P is a recycled product. Recycled products are more environmentally sustainable than those made from raw materials extracted from the global environment, such as ores. Therefore, mass balance information as product information can be said to be information about the sustainability of product P, and also information about the environmental impact required to manufacture product P.

[0041] The mass balance information may be any information indicating the characteristics of product P in the mass balance method. In this embodiment, however, it includes one of the following: "product name," "product unique number," "material managed by mass balance," "characteristics managed by mass balance," "shipping weight," "material weight," and "characteristic quantity." It is preferable to include at least one of these, and more preferably all of these. "Product name" is a name indicating the type of product P to be managed (product P to be shipped), such as product PA. "Product unique number" is a unique number for the product P to be managed (product P to be shipped), such as a lot number. "Material managed by mass balance" is the type of material whose characteristics are managed by the mass balance method, such as copper. "Characteristics managed by mass balance" is the type of characteristic specified in the mass balance method, such as copper derived from recycled materials. "Shipping weight" is the weight of the product P to be managed (product P to be shipped), and "material weight" is the weight of the material managed by mass balance within the weight of the product P to be managed. The "characteristic amount" refers to the amount of the weight of the product P to be managed that is assigned a specified characteristic. In addition to the information listed above, the mass balance information may also include a "management model." The "management model" refers to the type of CoC (Chain of Custody) model used to manage the product P in the supply chain SP, and in this embodiment refers to the mass balance model. In addition to the information listed above, the mass balance information may include one of the following: "manufacturer," "manufacturing site," "recipient," "receiving site," "allocation range," "site name included in the allocation range," "possibility of physical presence," "physical link," "evaluation period," "type of mass balance management," "allocation method," "inter-site credit transfer," and "certification used." The term "manufacturer" refers to the entity 100 that manufactured the product P to be managed (the product P to be shipped). For example, the manufacturer of product PA refers to entity 100A. The term "manufacturing site" refers to the name of the site that manufactures the product P to be managed (the product P to be shipped). The term "recipient" refers to the entity 100 that receives the product P to be managed (the product P to be shipped). For example, the recipient of product PA refers to entity 100B. The term "receiving site" refers to the name of the site that receives the product P to be managed (the product P to be shipped). "Allocation scope" refers to the scope of mass balance management, which defines the input (the amount of the characteristic contained in the intermediate product or raw material used to manufacture product P) and output (the amount of the characteristic contained in the manufactured product P). For example, it can be a process, site, multi-site, transportation process, or not applicable. "Name of facility included in allocation scope" refers to the names of all facilities included in the allocation scope when multiple geographically separated facilities are included in the same allocation scope. "Possibility of physical existence" refers to whether the characteristic is physically present in product P. "Physical link" refers to whether the input process of raw materials with the characteristic is physically connected to the manufacturing process of product P. "Evaluation period" refers to the period during which the balance of the input and output of the characteristic is confirmed. During the evaluation period, the input of the characteristic quantity must be greater than or equal to the output of the characteristic quantity. "Type of mass balance management" refers to the method of mass balance management, for example, the rolling average method, the credit method, or not applicable. "Allocation method" refers to the rule for allocating credits to product P when the credit method is used as the type of mass balance management. For example, it can be proportional allocation, non-proportional allocation, or not applicable.Pro rata allocation refers to credits being allocated according to the amount of product P produced, non-pro rata allocation refers to credits not being allocated according to the amount of product P produced, and not applicable refers to cases where the credit method is not used. "Inter-site credit transfer" refers to whether or not credits are exchanged between multiple sites. Furthermore, "certification used" refers to the name of the verification or certification, if any, of a third party regarding mass balance management.

[0042] The above example shows that a material is derived from recycled materials. However, the "characteristics" in mass balance information can also be the source of recycled materials (the business entity or facility that produced the material), the origin of recycled materials (information on the product or process from which the material was obtained, such as from an electric vehicle, a manufacturing process, a scrapped vehicle, or a lithium-ion battery), the place of production of the material (information on whether the material was produced using renewable energy), transaction characteristics (information on whether the material was obtained through fair wages or fair trade), or the transaction or environmental value of the material (information on whether the material was produced from organic materials, biomaterials, reused materials, etc.).

[0043] The product information is not limited to the mass balance information described above, and may be information relating to non-fossil certificates, for example.

[0044] (Getting the identifier) The acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 acquires an identifier along with the product information of the product P. That is, the acquisition unit 16A acquires the product information and the identifier in a state where the product information and the identifier are associated with each other. The identifier here is an identifier for identifying the supply chain SP to which the business entity 100 that manufactured the product P corresponding to the product information belongs. The identifier may be a code of any type, such as a letter, a symbol, a number, or a combination thereof.

[0045] In this embodiment, when a supply chain SP is planned (set), a common identifier is assigned to the products P belonging to the supply chain SP. That is, a common identifier is assigned to intermediate products and final products manufactured in the same supply chain SP. In the example of FIG. 1, a common identifier is assigned to products PA to PD. If other supply chains exist, products belonging to those supply chains are assigned identifiers that are not shared with the products PA to PD. That is, each supply chain is assigned an identifier that can identify it as being different from other supply chains. Note that a common identifier refers to a code whose content can identify it as belonging to the same supply chain SP. For example, the common identification codes may be the same in their entirety, or may be the same in part with other parts different. Identifiers may be assigned in any manner, for example, by a requirements setter.

[0046] The acquiring unit 16A may acquire the identifier by any method, but in this embodiment, it acquires the identifier input to the terminal 20. That is, for example, an administrator belonging to the business entity 100 inputs product information and an identifier to the terminal 20 belonging to the business entity 100. The terminal 20 acquires the input product information and identifier by the acquiring unit 29A, and transmits the acquired product information and identifier to the management device 10 in a state where they are linked to each other by the output control unit 29B. The acquiring unit 16A of the management device 10 acquires (receives) the product information and identifier transmitted from the terminal 20.

[0047] (Getting related information) The acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 may acquire related information, which is information other than product information about the product P, together with the product information and the identifier (associated with the product information and the identifier). For example, the acquisition unit 16A may acquire, as the related information, information indicating an information lot number for managing the product information itself about the product P. The information lot number is information for distinguishing and managing each shipment when the business entity 100 divides the product P to be managed into multiple shipments in the same supply chain SP. In other words, while the "product unique number" in the above-mentioned product information is an identification code or identification number associated with one type of product P, the information lot number is set in association with each shipping lot of one type of product P.

[0048] For example, the acquisition unit 16A may acquire, as related information, the management method for the product P and the raw materials used to manufacture the product P. Examples of management methods include lot management and mass balance management. For example, the acquisition unit 16A may acquire, as related information, special notes that the business entity 100 wishes to communicate to other business entities 100 in the supply chain SP, an entity (requirements setter) that monitors information management for the product P, or an entity (consumer) that purchases the final product, the product PD. Special notes are not predefined items, but are freely set by, for example, a business entity. For example, special notes include text indicating the weight ratio of a characteristic contained in the product P. The method of acquiring this related information may be the same as the method of acquiring product information and identifiers, and may be acquired from, for example, the terminal 20.

[0049] The acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 may acquire the product information and identifier (and related information) at any timing. For example, when shipping a product P, the business entity 100 may input the product information and identifier into the terminal 20 and cause the terminal 20 to transmit the product information and identifier to the management device 10. In other words, in this case, every time a product P is shipped from the business entity 100, the acquisition unit 16A acquires the product information (and related information) set for the shipped product P in a state linked to the identifier. It can also be said that the acquisition unit 16A acquires the product information (and related information) set for the product P in a state linked to the identifier for each business entity 100, i.e., for each type of product P.

[0050] (Product information registration) 4 is a table showing an example of product information registration. The registration unit 16B of the management device 10 registers the product information acquired by the acquisition unit 16A in association with an identifier. That is, the registration unit 16B registers the product information acquired by the acquisition unit 16A and the identifier linked to the product information in an associated state. Note that registering in association (linking) means registering in a state in which when one piece of information is input, the other piece of information can be extracted. Therefore, for example, when an identifier is input, the product information associated with the identifier can be extracted (read out).

[0051] The registration unit 16B may register the product information and the identifier by storing them in the storage unit 14 of the management device 10, or may register them by transmitting them to another device (such as a server) and storing them in that device. Note that, if the acquisition unit 16A has also acquired related information, the related information is also registered in association with the identifier.

[0052] Each time the acquisition unit 16A acquires product information, the registration unit 16B registers the product information. Therefore, for example, when product information about each product P is acquired from each terminal 20 belonging to multiple business entities 100, the registration unit 16B registers the product information for each product P in association with each identifier. Also, for example, when product information about products P in different lots of the business entity 100 is acquired from terminals 20 belonging to the same business entity 100, the registration unit 16B registers the product information for each lot in association with the identifier linked to the product information.

[0053] Here, a common identifier is assigned to products P that belong to the same supply chain SP. When the identifiers acquired from different business entities 100 (terminals 20) are common (i.e., when the identifiers assigned to different products P are common), the registration unit 16B registers the product information from those business entities 100 (the product information of those products P) in association with the common identifier. In other words, when the identifiers of the product information for different products P are common, the registration unit 16B determines that the product information is product information for products P that belong to the same supply chain SP, and registers the product information in association with each other using the common identifier. This allows the product information of products P that belong to the same supply chain SP to be associated with each other, thereby enabling the product information of products P that belong to the same supply chain SP to be managed appropriately.

[0054] In the example of FIG. 4, a common identifier 1234 is assigned to product PA (product of business entity 100A), product PB (product of business entity 100B), product PC (product of business entity 100C), and product PD (product of business entity 100D). Therefore, in the example of FIG. 4, the registration unit 16B registers the product information of products PA to PD in association with each other using the identifier 1234. Note that in the example of FIG. 4, in addition to the product information of products PA to PD, management methods and special notes as related information are also registered in association with each other. Note that the registration unit 16B does not need to register the information lot number set for each shipping lot of product P, which is part of the related information, in association with the identifier 1234. Furthermore, it is preferable that the registration unit 16B registers the shipping weight, material weight, and characteristic amount in the product information as values ​​for each product P, rather than values ​​for each shipping lot. For example, if there are three shipping lots corresponding to information lot numbers 001, 002, and 003 for product P, the registration unit 16B registers the total values ​​of the shipping weight, material weight, and characteristic amount for these three lots. This allows the product information to be managed appropriately for each product P.

[0055] In the above description, the management device 10 receives and registers product information from the terminal 20. However, the management device 10 does not receive product information from all terminals 20, and preferably receives and registers product information only from terminals 20 managed by the business entity 100. Receiving product information only from terminals 20 managed by the business entity 100 can be achieved by any method, but may be achieved, for example, by setting up a dedicated application for registration.

[0056] Furthermore, it is preferable that once at least some of the product information has been registered, management device 10 retains the registered product information without changing it. That is, for example, after product information is registered at the time of shipping product P, management device 10 preferably does not update the product information even if an input is made to update the product information after shipping. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the accuracy of the product information. However, depending on the type of product information, the management device 10 may change (update) the content of the product information. That is, for example, the management device 10 may update the content of at least some of the product information when an input to update the product information is made after the product information is registered at the time of shipping the product P.

[0057] (Determination process) Preferably, registration unit 16B determines whether the product information acquired by acquisition unit 16A is appropriate, and if it is determined to be appropriate, registers the product information. Registration unit 16B may determine whether the product information is appropriate using any method, for example, based on the content of the product information. Examples of determination methods are described below.

[0058] A related product is a product that belongs to the same supply chain SP as the product P to be registered this time but is manufactured by a different business entity 100 than the product P (i.e., a different type of product that belongs to the same supply chain SP). In other words, a related product refers to a product P to which an identifier that is common to the identifier associated with the product information of the product P to be registered this time (the product information currently acquired by the acquisition unit 16A) is assigned. In this case, when the acquisition unit 16A acquires the product information, the registration unit 16B extracts registered product information about related products of the product P to which the product information is set (the product P to be registered). In other words, the registration unit 16B extracts product information about related products (other products in the same supply chain SP) of the product P to be registered from the registered product information. Specifically, the registration unit 16B extracts product information associated with an identifier that is common to the identifier of the product P to be registered from the registered product information as the product information of the related products.

[0059] Based on the extracted product information of the related products, registration unit 16B determines whether the product information to be registered (the product information currently acquired by acquisition unit 16A) is appropriate. For example, registration unit 16B determines whether the product information of the related products and the product information to be registered satisfy a preset relationship, and if the relationship is satisfied, determines that the product information to be registered is appropriate, and if the relationship is not satisfied, determines that the product information to be registered is inappropriate.

[0060] The relationship here may be set according to the type of product information. For example, with respect to product information called "management model," if the product information to be registered is the same as or has a lower physical presence than the model indicated by the product information of an upstream related product (a product manufactured by business entity 100 upstream of product P to be registered), registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is satisfied and that the product information to be registered is appropriate. On the other hand, with respect to product information called "management model," if the product information to be registered is a model with a higher physical presence than the model indicated by the product information of an upstream related product (a product manufactured by business entity 100 upstream of product P to be registered), registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is not satisfied and that the product information to be registered is inappropriate. For example, if the product information to be registered for the product information "characteristics managed by mass balance" matches the product information of the related product, the registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is satisfied and that the product information to be registered is appropriate. On the other hand, if the product information to be registered for the product information "characteristics managed by mass balance" does not match the product information of the related product, the registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is not satisfied and that the product information to be registered is inappropriate. Furthermore, for example, when the quantity indicated by the product information to be registered, such as "material weight" or "characteristic amount," is equal to or less than the quantity indicated by the product information of an upstream related product (a product manufactured by business entity 100 upstream of product P to be registered), registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is satisfied and that the product information to be registered is appropriate. On the other hand, when the quantity indicated by the product information, such as "material weight" or "characteristic amount," is greater than the quantity indicated by the product information of an upstream related product, registration unit 16B may determine that the relationship is not satisfied and that the product information to be registered is inappropriate.

[0061] Note that the related products here include both those manufactured by a business entity 100 downstream of the product P to be registered and those manufactured by a business entity 100 upstream of the product P to be registered. However, a product manufactured by a business entity 100 upstream of the product P to be registered may also be treated as a related product. This makes it possible to more accurately determine the accuracy of the product information to be registered using the product information of the upstream product P that belongs to the same supply chain SP.

[0062] As described above, when registration unit 16B determines that the product information to be registered is appropriate, it registers the product information. On the other hand, when registration unit 16B determines that the product information to be registered is inappropriate, it does not register the product information. For example, when registration unit 16B determines that the product information to be registered is inappropriate, it may output a notification indicating that the product information is inappropriate. In this case, for example, registration unit 16B transmits information indicating that the product information is inappropriate via communication unit 12 to terminal 20 (terminal 20 that transmitted the product information to be registered). Upon receiving the information indicating that the product information is inappropriate, output control unit 29B of terminal 20 causes output unit 24 to output a notification indicating that the product information is inappropriate. For example, output control unit 29B may display an image indicating that the product information is inappropriate, or may output a sound indicating that the product information is inappropriate.

[0063] Furthermore, terminal 20 or management device 10 may be configured so that, when a user inputs product information, content that registration unit 16B determines to be inappropriate cannot be input. That is, for example, terminal 20 or management device 10 may display a screen for inputting product information that accepts product information content in a selectable manner, and display content that registration unit 16B determines to be inappropriate in a manner that does not allow selection. That is, for example, a screen for accepting selection of "characteristics to be managed by mass balance" may accept only the characteristics entered for upstream related products, and other characteristics may not be displayed.

[0064] As described above, by registering product information only when it is determined to be appropriate, it is possible to prevent inappropriate product information (inaccurate product information) from being registered. Furthermore, if product information is inappropriate, a notification to that effect can be sent to prompt the user to correct the product information, thereby preventing inappropriate product information from being registered.

[0065] (Automatic generation of product information) In the above description, registration unit 16B registers product information transmitted from terminal 20, but at least a portion of the product information may be automatically generated and registered. For example, registration unit 16B may set and register product information for product P to be registered based on registered product information for related products (preferably related products upstream from product P to be registered). For example, registration unit 16B may set and register product information for product P based on registered product information for related products (preferably related products upstream from product P to be registered) when specific information is transmitted from terminal 20, when product information for product P to be registered is not transmitted from terminal 20 (when product information is not acquired by acquisition unit 16A), or when the product information is determined to be inappropriate. For example, when the registration unit 16B receives information indicating "lot management" for the "management method" of the product P to be registered from the terminal 20, the registration unit 16B may set the "allocation range" of the product P to be registered to "process," the "possibility of physical existence" and "physical link" to "present," and the "evaluation period," "type of mass balance management," "allocation method," and "inter-site credit transfer" to "not applicable," and register the information. That is, when the registration unit 16B receives specific product information, it may automatically generate and register other product information related to the product information. For example, when the registration unit 16B receives product information such as the "management model" or "characteristics managed by mass balance" that is not received from the terminal 20 or is determined to be inappropriate, it may set the same content as the product information of the related product as the product information of the product P to be registered and register it. Furthermore, for example, if the product information such as "management model" or "characteristics managed by mass balance" is not sent from the terminal 20 or is determined to be inappropriate, the registration unit 16B may set and register the same content as the product information of the related product as the product information of the product P to be registered.

[0066] By automatically generating and registering at least one type of product information in this way, it is possible to prevent inappropriate product information from being registered, and it is also possible to reduce the burden on the user for registering product information and the communication load with terminal 20 when communicating product information.

[0067] (Product information output) The output control unit 16C of the management device 10 outputs the product information registered by the registration unit 16B. Specifically, when the output control unit 16C receives information indicating an identifier (identifier information), it outputs the product information associated with the identifier. In this embodiment, the identifier information is the identifier itself assigned to the product P, but is not limited to this and may be information corresponding to the identifier assigned to the product P. For example, a QR code (registered trademark) including identifier information may be used as the identifier information.

[0068] The output control unit 16C may acquire the identifier information by any method, but in this embodiment, it acquires the identifier information input to the terminal 20. That is, for example, an administrator of the terminal 20 inputs the identifier information to the terminal 20. In this case, for example, the administrator may directly input the identifier information to the input unit 22 of the terminal 20, or may have the terminal 20 read a QR code. The acquisition unit 29A of the terminal 20 acquires the input identifier information. Then, the output control unit 29B of the terminal 20 transmits the identifier information acquired by the acquisition unit 29A to the management device 10 via the communication unit 26. The output control unit 16C of the management device 10 acquires (receives) the identifier information from the terminal 20 via the communication unit 12.

[0069] When the output control unit 16C acquires the identifier information, it extracts the product information associated with the identifier indicated in the identifier information from the product information registered by the registration unit 16B. If related information (such as information lot number, special notes, etc.) is also registered, the output control unit 16C also extracts the related information associated with the identifier indicated in the identifier information.

[0070] The output control unit 16C outputs the extracted product information. If related information is also extracted, the output control unit 16C outputs the related information along with the product information. The output control unit 16C may output the product information (and related information) by any method, but in this embodiment, it transmits the product information to the terminal 20 that transmitted the identifier information. The output control unit 29B of the terminal 20 causes the output unit 24 to output the product information transmitted from the output control unit 16C of the management device 10, i.e., the product information registered in association with the identifier indicated in the identifier information. For example, the output control unit 29B causes the output unit 24 to display an image indicating the product information. Furthermore, for example, if the management device 10 has an output unit, the output control unit 16C of the management device 10 may cause the output unit of the management device 10 to display the product information.

[0071] As described above, products P belonging to the same supply chain SP are assigned a common identifier, and the product information of those products P is registered in association with each other via the common identifier. Therefore, when the output control unit 16C receives input of identifier information, it extracts and outputs product information about the multiple products P associated with the identifier (common identifier) ​​indicated by the identifier information. That is, in the example of Fig. 4, if the identifier indicated in the identifier information is identifier 1234, the output control unit 16C extracts and outputs the registered product information and special notes about products PA to PD shown in Fig. 4.

[0072] In this way, when the output control unit 16C acquires identifier information, it extracts and outputs the product information registered in association with the identifier. Therefore, according to this embodiment, by inputting identifier information, it is possible to check product information for multiple products P belonging to the supply chain SP, and information on products P of business entities 100 belonging to the supply chain SP can be appropriately managed. For example, this reduces the burden required to check product information for products P belonging to the supply chain SP. Furthermore, for example, the management device 10 can extract product information for products P belonging to the same supply chain SP in a lump, eliminating the need to search for product information individually and reducing the computational load.

[0073] It is preferable that the identifier information be made public, such as by being attached to the product P. This allows not only the business entity 100 but also consumers who have purchased the product P and requirement setters to check the product information using the identifier information.

[0074] (Output destination restriction processing) In the above description, the output control unit 16C of the management device 10 outputs product information associated with an identifier, and therefore the product information of all products P associated with that identifier is made public. However, the output control unit 16C may limit the output destination (publication destination) of the product information. This will be specifically described below.

[0075] (Registering disclosure destination information) For example, in this case, the acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 acquires the disclosure destination information together with the product information and the identifier (associated with the product information and the identifier). The disclosure destination information is information indicating the target parties to whom the disclosure of the product information is permitted, and can also be said to be information specifying the destinations to which the product information is permitted to be sent. If there are multiple types of product information, the disclosure destination information may be set for each type of product information. For example, the "type of CoC model used" among the product information may be set so that the disclosure destinations are not limited (it can be output to all destinations), while the "manufacturer" and "manufacturing base" among the product information may be set so that the disclosure destinations are limited. The disclosure destination information may also include information indicating the target persons who are permitted to disclose the related information (information specifying the destinations to which the related information is permitted to be sent). Even if there are multiple types of related information, the disclosure destination information may be set for each type of related information. This makes it possible to prevent related information indicating the business entity 100, etc. from being disclosed to undesired targets.

[0076] The method for acquiring the disclosure destination information may be the same as the method for acquiring the product information and the identifier. That is, for example, the administrator of the business entity 100 inputs the disclosure destination information into the terminal 20. Then, the output control unit 29B of the terminal 20 transmits the disclosure destination information to the management device 10. The management device 10 acquires (receives) the disclosure destination information from the terminal 20.

[0077] The registration unit 16B of the management device 10 registers the disclosure destination information in association with the identifier linked to the disclosure destination information.

[0078] (Output destination restrictions) The output control unit 16C of the management device 10 acquires output destination information indicating the output destination of the product information along with identifier information. In this case, the output control unit 16C may acquire, as the output destination information, information indicating the managing entity of the terminal 20 from the terminal 20 that is the sender of the product information. The output control unit 16C extracts the disclosure destination information registered in association with the identifier indicated in the identifier information. Then, based on the extracted disclosure destination information and the acquired output destination information, the output control unit 16C determines whether the output destination indicated in the output destination information (i.e., the managing entity of the terminal 20) matches the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information (the target person who allows disclosure). If the output destination indicated in the output destination information matches the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information, the output control unit 16C transmits the product information and related information to the output destination indicated in the output destination information, i.e., to the terminal 20 that sent the identifier information. On the other hand, if the output destination indicated in the output destination information does not match the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information, the output control unit 16C will not send the product information or related information to the output destination indicated in the output destination information (the terminal 20 that sent the identifier information).

[0079] Note that, when disclosure destination information is set for each type of product information, the output control unit 16C may select product information to be output for each type of product information. The output control unit 16C selects product information for which the disclosure destination information and the output destination information match as product information to be output, and outputs the selected product information to the output destination. On the other hand, the output control unit 16C does not output product information for which the disclosure destination information and the output destination information do not match. Also, when disclosure destination information is set for related information, the output control unit 16C may also determine whether to output the related information based on the disclosure destination information and the output destination information. In this case, the output control unit 16C selects related information for which the disclosure destination information and the output destination information match as related information to be output, and outputs the related information to the output destination. On the other hand, the output control unit 16C does not output related information for which the disclosure destination information and the output destination information do not match.

[0080] Furthermore, when the disclosure destination information associated with multiple products P (business entities) associated with one identifier is different, i.e., when the targets permitted for disclosure are different, it is preferable to prioritize the product P (business entity) designated as non-disclosure in the disclosure destination information of at least one of the products P (business entities). That is, the acquisition unit 16A of the management device 10 does not transmit product information corresponding to an identifier to a target person who is not designated as a target person permitted for disclosure in at least one of the multiple disclosure destination information associated with one identifier. For example, suppose that the disclosure destination information associated with product PA of identifier 1234 designates subject X as a target person (a target person permitted for disclosure), but the disclosure destination information associated with product PB of identifier 1234 does not designate subject X as a target person (a target person permitted for disclosure). In this case, when the output control unit 16C receives identifier 1234 as identifier information and subject X as output destination information from the terminal of subject X, it determines that they do not match the disclosure destination information and does not transmit the product information of products PA to PD associated with identifier 1234.

[0081] In this way, product information and related information are output only when the output destination indicated in the output destination information matches the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information, thereby preventing product information and related information from being disclosed to undesired targets.

[0082] Note that management device 10 may automatically set the disclosure destination information. For example, when management device 10 acquires information that business entity 100 declares compliance with an international standard for mass balance information, management device 10 may set the disclosure destination information of that business entity 100 to a predetermined disclosure destination that has been set in advance, or may not limit the disclosure destination. The information declaring compliance with an international standard may be acquired arbitrarily; for example, management device 10 may acquire information input by a user together with product information.

[0083] Furthermore, the management device 10 may vary the content of the product information and related information to be output depending on the output destination indicated in the output destination information. That is, the management device 10 selects information to be output from the registered product information and related information based on the output destination indicated in the output destination information, and outputs only the selected information. This selection method may be arbitrary. For example, a correspondence between the output destination and the information to be output may be set in advance, and the management device 10 may select information associated with the output destination indicated in the output destination information as the information to be output. For example, if the output destination indicated in the output destination information is a general consumer, the management device 10 may output only special notes in the related information. This allows appropriate content to be output depending on the output destination.

[0084] (Processing flow) Next, a description will be given of the processing flow of the above-described processing of the management device 10. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the product information registration processing, and Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the product information output processing.

[0085] In the product information registration process, for example, a common identifier is assigned in advance to products in a common supply chain and notified to the entity of the business entity 100. The business entity 100 manufactures the product P and inputs product information about the product P into the terminal 20 to register the product information. As shown in FIG. 5, in the product information registration process, the management device 10 acquires product information and an identifier through the acquisition unit 16A (step S10). The management device 10 determines whether the acquired product information is appropriate through the registration unit 16B (step S12). If appropriate (step S12; Yes), the acquired product information and the identifier are associated and registered (step S14). Then, the business entity 10 ships the manufactured product P. On the other hand, if the acquired product information is inappropriate (step S12; No), the management device 10 outputs a notification that the product information is inappropriate through the registration unit 16B (step S16).

[0086] 6, in the product information output process, the management device 10 receives (obtains) identifier information through the output control unit 16C (step S20) and extracts product information registered in association with the identifier indicated by the identifier information (step S22). The management device 10 outputs the extracted product information through the output control unit 16C (step S24). Note that, if disclosure destination information is set, the output control unit 16C determines whether the disclosure destination information matches the output destination information. If the disclosure destination information matches the output destination information, the output control unit 16C outputs the product information; if they do not match, the output control unit 16C does not output the product information.

[0087] (Another example of a supply chain) FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a supply chain. In the example of FIG. 1, the supply chain SP includes only one business entity 100 that manufactures the same type of product P, but this is not limited to this. For example, there may be multiple business entities 100 that manufacture the same type of product P, and business entities 100 downstream of these business entities 100 may manufacture their own products P using the products P manufactured by these business entities 100. In the example of FIG. 7, in addition to business entities 100A to 100D, the supply chain also includes business entity 100A1 that manufactures product PA and business entity 100B1 that manufactures product PB. Business entity 100A1 may manufacture product PA as a recycled product or as a non-recycled product. Business entity 100B1 manufactures product PB using product PA manufactured by business entity 100A1. Business entity 100C manufactures product PC using both product PB manufactured by business entity 100B and product PB manufactured by business entity 100B1. However, the configuration of the supply chain SP in FIG. 7 is also an example.

[0088] (effect) As described above, the management device 10 according to the present disclosure manages information related to products P of multiple business entities 100 belonging to a supply chain SP. The management device 10 includes an acquisition unit 16A that acquires product information, which is information related to the sustainability required for manufacturing the product P, and a predetermined identifier; a registration unit 16B that registers the product information in association with the identifier; and an output control unit 16C that, upon receiving information indicating the identifier (identifier information), outputs the product information associated with the identifier. According to the present disclosure, by inputting the identifier information, it is possible to check the product information of multiple products P belonging to the supply chain SP, and the information on the products P of the business entities 100 belonging to the supply chain SP can be appropriately managed.

[0089] When identifiers acquired from different business entities 100 are common, the registration unit 16B registers the product information from those business entities 100 in association with the common identifier, and when the output control unit 16C receives input of identifier information, it outputs product information about the products P of the multiple business entities 100 associated with the identifier. According to the present disclosure, product information about multiple business entities 100 belonging to the same supply chain SP can be extracted collectively using one type of identifier information. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, information about the products P of the business entities 100 belonging to the supply chain SP can be appropriately managed.

[0090] Registration unit 16B extracts registered product information for related products that are associated with a common identifier and the identifier to be registered and that are products manufactured by a different business entity 100. Registration unit 16B determines whether the content of the product information to be registered is appropriate based on the registered product information of the related products, and registers the product information if it determines that the content of the product information is appropriate. According to the present disclosure, the registration of inaccurate product information can be appropriately prevented, thereby enabling more appropriate management of information about product P.

[0091] When the registration unit 16B determines that the content of the product information is inappropriate, the registration unit 16B outputs a notification indicating that the content of the product information is inappropriate. According to the present disclosure, the registration of inaccurate product information can be appropriately suppressed, and therefore the information of the product P can be more appropriately managed.

[0092] The registration unit 16B registers, in association with the product information, disclosure destination information indicating the target person to whom the product information can be disclosed. The output control unit 16C outputs the product information when the output destination of the product information matches the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the product information from being disclosed to an undesired target person.

[0093] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the contents of these embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalents. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10 Management device 16A Acquisition Department 16B Registration Department 16C Output control section 20 terminals 100 Business Entities P product SP Supply Chain

Claims

1. A management device for managing information about products of a plurality of business entities belonging to a supply chain, an acquisition unit that acquires product information including information on the sustainability of the product and information indicating the type of the product, in a state in which the product information is associated with a predetermined identifier; a registration unit that registers the product information in association with the identifier; an output control unit that, upon receiving information indicating the identifier, outputs the product information associated with the identifier; Including, the registration unit, even if the types of products indicated in the product information are different, if the identifiers associated with the product information are common, registers the product information as product information about products from different business entities belonging to the same supply chain in association with the common identifier; When the output control unit receives input of information indicating the identifier, it outputs the product information about products of the plurality of business entities associated with the identifier. Management device.

2. The registration unit extracting the registered product information for related products that are associated with the identifier common to the identifier to be registered and are manufactured by a different business entity; If the product information includes information on a management model that indicates a model that manages the product, and if the product information to be registered is the same as or a model with a lower physical presence than the model indicated in the registered product information of the related product, the product information to be registered is determined to be appropriate, and if the product information to be registered is a model with a higher physical presence than the model indicated in the registered product information of the related product, the product information to be registered is determined to be inappropriate; Alternatively, if the product information includes information on the type of characteristics specified in the mass balance method, and the type of characteristics specified in the mass balance method indicated by the product information to be registered matches the type of characteristics specified in the mass balance method indicated by the registered product information of the related product, the product information to be registered is determined to be appropriate, and if the type of characteristics specified in the mass balance method indicated by the product information to be registered does not match the type of characteristics specified in the mass balance method indicated by the registered product information of the related product, the product information to be registered is determined to be inappropriate, Alternatively, if the product information includes information on a material weight, which is the weight of a material managed by mass balance among the weight of a product to be managed, or a characteristic quantity, which is the quantity of a product to be managed to which a specified characteristic is assigned, and the quantity indicated by the product information to be registered is equal to or less than the quantity indicated by the registered product information of the related product that is located upstream of the product to be registered in the supply chain, the product information to be registered is determined to be appropriate, and if the quantity indicated by the product information to be registered is greater than the quantity indicated by the registered product information of the related product that is located upstream of the product to be registered in the supply chain, the product information to be registered is determined to be inappropriate, If the content of the product information is determined to be appropriate, the product information is registered. The management device according to claim 1 .

3. When the registration unit determines that the content of the product information is inappropriate, the registration unit outputs a notification indicating that the content of the product information is inappropriate. The management device according to claim 2 .

4. the registration unit registers disclosure destination information indicating a target party to whom the product information can be disclosed in association with the product information; the output control unit outputs the product information when the output destination of the product information matches the target person indicated in the disclosure destination information. The management device according to claim 1 .

5. The product information includes mass balance information, which is information about the product in a mass balance method. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A management method for managing information about products of multiple business entities belonging to a supply chain, comprising: acquiring product information including information on the sustainability of the product and information indicating the type of the product, in association with a predetermined identifier; registering the product information in association with the identifier; When receiving information indicating the identifier, outputting the product information associated with the identifier; Including, In the registering step, even if the types of products indicated in the product information are different, if the identifiers associated with the product information are common, the product information is registered in association with the common identifier as product information about products from different business entities belonging to the same supply chain; In the outputting step, when an input of information indicating the identifier is accepted, the product information regarding the products of the plurality of business entities associated with the identifier is output. Management method.

7. A program that causes a computer to execute a management method for managing information about products of multiple business entities belonging to a supply chain, acquiring product information including information on the sustainability of the product and information indicating the type of the product, in association with a predetermined identifier; registering the product information in association with the identifier; When receiving information indicating the identifier, outputting the product information associated with the identifier; causing the computer to execute In the registering step, even if the types of products indicated in the product information are different, if the identifiers associated with the product information are common, the product information is registered in association with the common identifier as product information about products from different business entities belonging to the same supply chain; In the outputting step, when an input of information indicating the identifier is accepted, the product information regarding the products of the plurality of business entities associated with the identifier is output. program.

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