Environmental load information management device and environmental load information management method

Abstract

To provide an environmental load information management device and an environmental load information management method for appropriately managing environmental load information according to a status of an enterprise providing a product.SOLUTION: An environmental load information management device 1 for managing environmental load information 171 in enterprise activity of an enterprise includes: a storage unit 17 for storing environmental load information 171; an input unit 11 for receiving status information indicating change in a status of the enterprise; a disclosure range setting unit 13 for changing a disclosure range of the environmental load information on a product related to the status information out of the environmental load information 171; and an environmental load information calculation unit 14 for calculating the environmental load information 171 based on an environment BOM and public information managed by an in-house system of the enterprise.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for managing environmental load information in organizational activities of enterprises and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, environmental issues have drawn attention, such as aiming for a decarbonized society that achieves carbon neutrality. In organizational activities of enterprises such as production and distribution (hereinafter referred to as enterprise activities), they may affect the environment in some way, such as discharging CO2. Therefore, in order to address environmental issues, it is necessary to manage environmental load information regarding the environmental loads generated in enterprise activities.

[0003] In addition, as enterprise activities, organizations of multiple enterprises (hereinafter simply referred to as enterprises) may cooperate. For example, a supply chain is constructed among multiple enterprises, and exchanges of parts and the like, production and sales of products using them are carried out. Such multiple enterprises are also called supply chain enterprises, and they do not share environmental load information. Thus, when sharing environmental load information among supply chain enterprises, it is conceivable to share detailed information of their own products based on inter-enterprise contracts for the purpose of decarbonization activities through inter-enterprise cooperation. However, when changes occur in the supply chain, such as changes in the cooperative relationships among enterprises due to corporate splits or mergers, it is necessary to change the sharing of the detailed information shared in the past.

[0004] To this end, Patent Document 1 states that the objective is to "provide a system that can aggregate and analyze environmental load information at various organizational hierarchies and various aspect hierarchies, and to provide a system that can aggregate and analyze one aspect into multiple aspects corresponding to different management purposes." To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 describes that "a server computer 100 connected to a network connecting all organizations is equipped with an aspect hierarchy definition database 101, an aspect hierarchy definition interface 102, an organizational hierarchy definition database 103, an organizational hierarchy definition interface 104, an aspect database 105, an aggregation processing unit 106, an aspect hierarchy data display interface 107, and an organizational hierarchy data display interface 108." [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-62471 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Here, Patent Document 1 discloses the problem that environmental aspects such as heavy oil volume and PFC emissions are managed individually for each department of the company being absorbed (paragraph 0006). Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses that when multiple companies (organizations) use different methods for managing environmental load information as described above, it is necessary to integrate them into a common calculation method.

[0007] However, environmental impact information includes information that should be kept confidential by the company in question. Furthermore, the management methods, such as setting the scope of disclosure and determining whether information should be kept confidential, can change dynamically depending on the company's situation and social conditions. In particular, changes in cooperative relationships, such as corporate divisions or mergers, must be considered.

[0008] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to appropriately manage environmental impact information in accordance with changes in the company's circumstances and social conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention modifies the scope of disclosure of environmental impact information in corporate activities, which is shared among multiple companies, according to changes in the activity status. More specifically, in an environmental impact information management device that manages environmental impact information in a company's corporate activities, the environmental impact information includes the company's deliverables, products having a hierarchical relationship, the SCOPE and category of said products, and the environmental impact indicators for each of them. 、 and , including disclosure levels that indicate the scope of disclosure for each item of the environmental impact information. A storage unit that stores environmental impact information indicating the scope of disclosure; an input unit that receives status information indicating a change in the company's situation; and a disclosure scope setting unit that changes the scope of disclosure of environmental impact information for products having the hierarchical relationship if the status information meets the change criteria stored in advance. The disclosure scope setting unit identifies companies related to the situation information as items in the environmental impact information for which the scope of disclosure needs to be changed, identifies items corresponding to the products and parts of those companies, identifies higher-level items from the environmental impact information to the items for which the change needs to be changed, and changes the disclosure level of the items for which the change needs to be changed and the higher-level items based on the situation information, thereby changing the scope of disclosure. Then, the environmental load of the SCOPE is calculated from the sum of the environmental load indices of the category which are changed in accordance with the change in the situation information, the environmental load indices of the product are calculated from the sum of the environmental load indices of the SCOPE, and the environmental load information is calculated based on the changed disclosure scope and the calculated environmental load indices of the product. Of these, environmental impact information for companies that can disclose the aforementioned disclosure level. It has an environmental load information calculation unit that updates the environmental load information. In accordance with the revised scope of disclosure, updated environmental impact information will be disclosed. This is an environmental impact information management device. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a method for managing environmental load information using an environmental load information management device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to manage environmental load information appropriately according to the situation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the management of environmental management information in a supply chain company according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a system configuration diagram of an environmental load information management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of an environmental load information management device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows environmental impact information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows the disclosure scope definition information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows company information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of an implementation of an environmental load information management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the processing flow in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9A] This diagram illustrates the framework for closing a corporate group in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9B] This is a diagram illustrating a semi-open (semi-closed) framework in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9C] This is a diagram illustrating the fully open framework in one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as multiple companies that share environmental management information, supply chain companies will be used as an example for explanation. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the management of environmental management information in the supply chain companies of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, as supply chain companies, a set manufacturer, a supplier (Tier1), and a supplier (Tier2) are presented. A set manufacturer is a company that manufactures products using materials or parts (deliveries) provided by suppliers (Tier2 and Tier1). Also, a supplier (Tier1) produces deliveries to the set manufacturer based on materials and parts from a supplier (Tier2). Furthermore, a supplier (Tier2) delivers parts and the like to a supplier (Tier1). Note that the set manufacturer, a supplier (Tier1), and a supplier (Tier2) may form a so-called corporate group or may be separate groups. These examples will be described later. Furthermore, there may be multiple corporate groups.

[0013] Also, although not shown in FIG. 1, supply chain companies may include OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) manufacturers that manufacture products of a set manufacturer brand. As described above, supply chain companies include companies related to the life cycle from the upstream to the downstream of products. That is, it may include raw material acquisition companies, distribution companies, waste disposal companies, and the like.

[0014] Here, in FIG. 1, when a supplier (Tier2) conducts its own corporate activities, various types of information related to corporate activities are handled in the in-house system. For example, the energy consumption indicating the activity volume of corporate activities and the manufacturing BOM (Bills Of Materials) for the management of deliveries are updated. Also, based on the energy consumption, environmental load information in corporate activities is created. Also, an emission factor DB that comprehensively shows environmental load information such as CO2 associated with the products of corporate activities may also be used.

[0015] Then, the supplier (Tier 2) uses its own in-house system to generate an item-by-item environmental BOM that shows information about the environment of each delivered item based on this information. Then, the environmental load information for each item of the supplier (Tier 2) that constitutes the item-by-item environmental BOM is registered in a shared database. When registering this, the disclosure range is specified for each disclosure content of the environmental load information. Here, the disclosure content refers to the environmental load information itself, and the disclosure range refers to which companies the environmental load information is disclosed to.

[0016] As a result, the supplier (Tier 1) will refer to the environmental load information for each item of the supplier (Tier 2) using its own in-house system. In this reference, it is a condition that the supplier (Tier 1) is included in the disclosure range specified by the supplier (Tier 2). Also, the supplier (Tier 1) reflects the result of the reference in its own item-by-item environmental BOM. This is because in the supplier (Tier 1), the items of the supplier (Tier 1) are manufactured using the items of the supplier (Tier 2). That is, it is necessary to consider that the environmental load information of the items of the supplier (Tier 1) includes the components, constituents, etc. of the items of the supplier (Tier 2). Although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the supplier (Tier 1) and the set manufacturer also handle in-house systems and various information in the same way as the supplier (Tier 1).

[0017] Then, the supplier (Tier 1) uses its own in-house system to register the environmental load information for each of its own items in a shared database. At this time, similar to the supplier (Tier 2), the disclosure content and the disclosure range are specified.

[0018] As a result, set manufacturers will use their internal systems to access environmental impact information for each deliverable from their suppliers (Tier 1). This access is contingent on the set manufacturer being included in the disclosure scope specified by the supplier (Tier 1). Furthermore, set manufacturers will reflect the results of this access in their own environmental BOMs (Bill of Materials) for each deliverable (product). This is because set manufacturers use the supplier's (Tier 1) deliverables to manufacture their own products. Therefore, the environmental impact information for the set manufacturer's products will include the components and materials of the supplier's (Tier 1) deliverables.

[0019] Then, the set manufacturer uses its own internal system to register environmental impact information for each of its deliverables (products) in a shared database. In this process, the content and scope of disclosure are specified, just as with suppliers (Tier 2).

[0020] As described above, the shared database will register the environmental impact information of each supply chain company. The scope of disclosure of this environmental impact information will then be managed. However, mergers and acquisitions (including withdrawal from a corporate group) of supply chain companies may necessitate changes to the scope of disclosure. For example, initially, because a company is part of the same corporate group, its environmental impact information may be within the scope of disclosure. However, if that company leaves the corporate group, it becomes necessary to restrict the disclosure of that environmental impact information. Thus, it is necessary to dynamically change the scope of disclosure according to the circumstances of the companies. This embodiment discloses the process for doing so. Furthermore, if the circumstances of the supply chain change, it becomes necessary to update (recalculate) the environmental impact information. For example, if a company changes its trading partners, the delivered goods may also change. Therefore, this embodiment also describes a more desirable approach: updating the environmental impact information when the circumstances of the company change. In the following sections, this implementation will be described in terms of <Configuration / Information>, <Processing Flow>, and <Application Examples (Modifications)>. Note that environmental impact information can also be calculated based on the amount of activity of the company in its business activities.

[0021] <Structure / Information> First, the configuration of this embodiment will be explained. Figure 2 is a system configuration diagram of the environmental load information management system in this embodiment. In Figure 2, each company 2 is connected via network 3. That is, the in-house systems 22 of supplier (Tier 2) 2-1, supplier (Tier 1) 2-2, set manufacturer 2-3, and OEM manufacturer 2-4 are connected to each other via network 3.

[0022] Furthermore, an environmental impact information management device 1, which manages environmental impact information, is also connected to network 3. The environmental impact information management device 1 receives the content of the environmental impact information to be disclosed and the scope of its disclosure from the internal systems 22 of each company 2 via network 3, and manages the environmental impact information. Specifically, the environmental impact information management device 1 stores the environmental impact information in a shared database 10, receives disclosure requests from the internal systems 22, and controls access to the environmental impact information according to the set disclosure scope. The environmental impact information management device 1 may also be implemented as a transaction support device that assists transactions between each company 2.

[0023] Here, the environmental load information management device 1 and the internal system 22 can be implemented using so-called computers. The configuration of the environmental load information management device 1 will be described in detail later using Figures 3 and 4. The internal system 22 can be implemented using so-called servers, each connecting to a group of employee terminal devices 21 used by employees, etc., via the internal network. The internal system 22 then performs information processing for various tasks, such as transaction support and acquisition of information related to corporate activities, in response to instructions from the group of employee terminal devices 21. In addition, as explained using Figure 1, the internal system 22 also specifies the content to be disclosed and the scope of disclosure to the environmental load information management device 1. In response, the environmental load information management device 1 registers these in the shared database 10. Note that the registration of the content to be disclosed and the scope of disclosure may also be performed by the internal system 22. Furthermore, the environmental load information management device 1 and the shared database 10 may be implemented as the same device or as separate devices.

[0024] Next, the configuration of the environmental load information management device 1, which performs the main processing in this embodiment, will be described. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the environmental load information management device 1 in this embodiment. In Figure 3, the environmental load information management device 1 has an input unit 11, an environmental load information management unit 12, a transaction support unit 15, an output unit 16, and a storage unit 17. Each of these units will be described below.

[0025] First, the input unit 11 receives information and various instructions to be used by the environmental load information management device 1. The environmental load information management unit 12 manages the environmental load information handled by the environmental load information management device 1. More specifically, the environmental load information management unit 12 sets the disclosure scope of the environmental load information and calculates the environmental load information. For this purpose, the environmental load information management unit 12 has a disclosure scope setting unit 13 and an environmental load information calculation unit 14.

[0026] Furthermore, the transaction support unit 15 performs processing to support transactions, such as mediating transactions between each company 2. The transaction support unit 15 may be provided in a separate transaction support device from the environmental load information management device 1. The output unit 16 outputs the processing results of the environmental load information management device 1. The input unit 11 and output unit 16 will be connected to the network 3 shown in Figure 2.

[0027] Furthermore, the storage unit 17 stores information groups 171-174, including environmental load information 171, disclosure scope definition information 172, company information 173, and transaction information 174. Thus, the storage unit 17 corresponds to the shared database 10 in Figure 2. For this reason, the storage unit 17 may be installed outside the environmental load information management device 1. The information groups 171-174 will be described below.

[0028] Figure 4 shows the environmental impact information 171 used in this embodiment. The environmental impact information 171 is information that shows the environmental impact of corporate activities for each product category. In other words, it is information that shows indicators that may become environmental impacts that may occur in the manufacturing, distribution, etc. of the relevant product. For this reason, the indicators that may become environmental impacts include the emission of environmentally harmful substances such as CO2 emissions.

[0029] Here, product classification refers to items used to classify products, such as product, SCOPE (supply chain emissions), category, and materials. Products include delivered items such as parts supplied by suppliers. SCOPE indicates the amount of environmentally hazardous substances emitted for each product. SCOPE 1 to 3 then allow for the breakdown of emissions for each product into the relevant company, upstream companies (suppliers, etc.), and downstream companies (distributors, waste disposal companies, etc.).

[0030] A category is an item that classifies SCOPE3 from the perspective of materials, components, etc. Categories can use the type of component, such as solder or circuit board, or they can use the component's identification number (product number) or product name.

[0031] In this embodiment, CO2 emissions, CN ratio, and RE ratio are used as indicators that can represent environmental burden (environmental burden indicators). CO2 emissions represent the amount of CO2 emitted by corporate activities such as manufacturing of the relevant product category. The CN ratio represents the degree to which carbon neutrality is promoted in corporate activities such as manufacturing of the relevant product category. The RE ratio represents the utilization rate of renewable energy (electricity) in corporate activities such as manufacturing of the relevant product category. These are examples, and other indicators may be added, or at least some of them may be omitted.

[0032] Furthermore, the environmental impact information 171 of this embodiment also records the disclosure level for each item. The disclosure level is determined according to the specified disclosure range and is used for access control to the relevant item. In this embodiment, disclosure levels 0-3 are used, and the lower the number, the stricter the restrictions, meaning the scope of disclosure is limited. This will be explained later with reference to Figure 5. In this embodiment, the disclosure level is set in the environmental impact information 171, but it may also be managed as separate information. For example, the disclosure level may be defined for the environmental impact index for each product category in the disclosure range definition information 172 described later.

[0033] Furthermore, the environmental load information 171 in this embodiment manages environmental load indicators for each product classification hierarchically. In other words, the sum of the environmental load indicators for each category becomes the environmental load indicator for the higher-level SCOPE. Also, the sum of the environmental load indicators for each SCOPE represents the environmental load indicator for the higher-level product. Thus, the environmental load information 171 in this embodiment can be understood as hierarchical environmental load information. Moreover, as mentioned above, the environmental load information 171 in this embodiment is information regarding the environmental load of corporate activities and can also be composed of the environmental BOM and publicly available information on the environment from each company, as explained in Figure 1. For this reason, the environmental load information calculation unit 14 calculates the environmental load information 171 from the environmental BOM and publicly available information from the in-house system 22.

[0034] Next, Figure 5 shows the disclosure scope definition information 172 used in this embodiment. In Figure 5, the disclosure scope definition information 172 is associated with each disclosure level. In this embodiment, the lower the numerical value of the disclosure level, the more restricted the disclosure scope. That is, if the disclosure level is 0, it indicates that the environmental impact information, including the relevant environmental impact indicator, cannot be disclosed to any company other than the company in question. If the disclosure level is 1 or 2, it indicates that disclosure is possible only to companies in the same group as the company in question or to the company in question. And, in the case of disclosure level 3, which is the most relaxed, it indicates that disclosure is possible to each company without restriction. As a result, depending on the company, the relevant items and information may change from "disclosed" to "not disclosed" or from "not disclosed" to "disclosed" when the disclosure level is changed. Note that these disclosure scopes are merely examples and are not limited to the contents of Figure 5.

[0035] Here, we will explain the relationship between the disclosure level (scope of disclosure) and the hierarchical structure of the environmental impact information 171. In the environmental impact information 171, the disclosure level of higher-level items (environmental impact indicators) is lower than or equal to the value of lower-level items, that is, the disclosure scope is more restricted. This is because disclosing higher-level items will also disclose the lower-level items associated with them. In other words, there may be cases where we want to disclose Category 1 (lower level) included in Product A (higher level), but do not want to disclose Category 2 (lower level). In such cases, if we allow disclosure of Product A, there is a risk of disclosing Category 2 as well. For this reason, in this embodiment, a constraint is set on the disclosure level of the environmental impact information 171: higher level ≤ lower level.

[0036] Next, Figure 6 shows the company information 173 used in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the company information 173 is information about each company. Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, the company information 173 has the following items for each company: products / parts handled, affiliated group, and trading partners. Products / parts handled refer to the products and parts (delivered items) that the company manufactures, delivers, etc.

[0037] The "affiliated group" indicates the corporate group to which the company in question belongs. The affiliated group may also include shareholder companies such as parent companies. Conversely, it may also include companies that can exert influence, such as equity-accounted affiliates. Transactional companies are companies that the company does business with, such as customers and suppliers. Transactional companies may also include shareholders and borrowers such as banks. If any company requests access (disclosure) to the environmental impact information 171, access control will be implemented using the disclosure scope definition information 172 and this company information 173. The company information 173 may also be managed by other devices such as a company information provision device. Furthermore, the company information 173 may include information such as each company's management status and the volume of products and parts shipped.

[0038] Furthermore, transaction information 174 is information used when the environmental load information management device 1 functions as a transaction support device, and records transaction history and the management status of each company. This transaction information 174 may also be managed by other devices such as a company information provision device.

[0039] This concludes the explanation of information group 171-174. Next, we will discuss the environmental load information management device 1. one Let's explain an implementation example. The environmental load information management device 1 is as described above. program This can be implemented using a computer that functions accordingly. For example, it can be implemented as a server system or a cloud system. An example of such a computer implementation (hardware configuration) is described below. Figure 7 shows an example of the implementation of the environmental load information management device 1 in this embodiment. In Figure 7, the environmental load information management device 1 has a CPU 110, RAM 120, ROM 130, communication device 140, and auxiliary storage device 150. Each of these configurations will be described below.

[0040] First, the CPU 110 (Central Processing Unit) is a unit that can be implemented as a so-called processor and performs various calculations. The CPU 110 performs various processes by executing the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163, which are loaded from the auxiliary storage device 150 into the RAM 120. These various processes correspond to the processes of the environmental load information management unit 12 and the transaction support unit 15 in Figure 3, and their details will be described later using a flowchart.

[0041] Furthermore, RAM120 (Random Access Memory) is a memory that stores programs executed by the CPU110, such as the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163, as well as information necessary for program execution. ROM130 (Read Only Memory) is a memory that stores programs necessary for starting the environmental load information management device 1, which is a computer.

[0042] Furthermore, the communication device 140 is a device that transmits and receives data with external devices. For this purpose, the communication device 140 is connected to the terminal device group 100 and the network 3, and corresponds to the input unit 11 and output unit 16 in Figure 3. The terminal device group 100 can be implemented as a computer for operating the environmental load information management device 1. However, the terminal device group 100 may be omitted.

[0043] Furthermore, the auxiliary storage device 150 can be implemented as, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and is a device that stores data and programs for executing various processes. The auxiliary storage device 150 may also be implemented as an SSD (Solid State Drive) using flash memory or the like.

[0044] The auxiliary storage device 150 stores information groups 171-174, the environmental load information management program 160, and the transaction support program 163. While the contents of information groups 171-174 have already been explained, at least some of these may be stored in a database with a different configuration than the environmental load information management device 1. The auxiliary storage device 150, RAM 120, and ROM 130 all correspond to the storage unit 17.

[0045] Furthermore, the environmental load information management program 160 is a program for executing the processing in the environmental load information management unit 12 shown in Figure 3 on the CPU 110. The environmental load information management program 160 includes a disclosure scope setting module 161 and an environmental load information calculation module 162. The processing in these corresponds to the processing in the disclosure scope setting unit 13 and the environmental load information calculation unit 14. In other words, the processing in the environmental load information management program 160 corresponds to the processing in the environmental load information management unit 12. Note that the disclosure scope setting module 161 and the environmental load information calculation module 162 may be implemented as independent programs. Also, the transaction support program 163 is a program for executing the processing in the transaction support unit 15.

[0046] Here, the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163 are, for example, application programs that can be executed on an OS (Operating System) program. Furthermore, the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163 may be installed on the auxiliary storage device 150 from, for example, a portable storage medium, or they may be distributed via the network 3. Therefore, the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163 can be stored on a storage medium. Note that the CPU 110 may also execute processing according to programs other than the environmental load information management program 160 and the transaction support program 163. In this case, it is desirable to store these programs in the auxiliary storage device 150.

[0047] Furthermore, the environmental load information management device 1 may be equipped with an input device such as a mouse or keyboard corresponding to the input unit 11. In addition, a display device such as a display corresponding to the output unit 16 may be provided. Furthermore, the input device and the display device may be implemented as a single device, such as a touch panel. This concludes the explanation of the configuration and information in this embodiment, and next, the processing flow will be described.

[0048] <Processing Flow> Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in this embodiment. The processing content will be explained below according to this flowchart, using the configuration shown in Figures 2 and 3 as the processing entity. Prior to the following processing, it is assumed that a group of information, such as environmental load information 171, has been pre-recorded in the storage unit 17.

[0049] First, in step S1, the input unit 11 receives situational information that may affect the environmental impact information 171, such as the company's situation and social conditions. This situational information is received from various internal systems 22 and terminal devices 100. If this situational information is received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S2. If this situational information is not received (No), the reception process in step S1 continues.

[0050] Furthermore, in step S2, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 of the environmental load information management unit 12 determines whether a change in the disclosure scope is necessary based on the situation information. As an example of this determination, it can be determined whether the received situation information satisfies the change criteria that have been stored in the storage unit 17 in advance. For example, in the case of a corporate acquisition or merger, it can be determined that a change in the disclosure scope is necessary. In addition, the conclusion or modification of contracts regarding transactions of deliverables (products) between companies is also included in the situation information.

[0051] Furthermore, in step S3, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 identifies the items of the environmental impact information 171 that need to be changed. To this end, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 identifies the company related to the received situation information and identifies the items corresponding to the company's products and parts from the environmental impact information 171. For this purpose, it may further refer to the company information 173. If the result of the above determination indicates that a change is necessary (Yes), the process proceeds to step S3. If no change is necessary (No), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0052] Furthermore, in step S3, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 propagates from the item requiring change identified in step S3 upwards, and identifies the higher-level items for the required item from the environmental load information 171 in a propagatory manner. In the example in Figure 4, the higher-level items for material 1 are category 1, SCOPE 3 (total), and product A (total), respectively.

[0053] Next, in step S4, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 determines whether a change is necessary for the higher-level item identified in step S4. In this step, the determination is made by checking whether changing the disclosure scope of the item identified in step S3 would cause the constraint of higher-level ≤ lower-level to no longer be satisfied. If a change is necessary (Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. If a change is not necessary (No), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0054] Furthermore, in step S5, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 changes the disclosure scope of the higher-level items identified in step S4 and the items identified in step S3, that is, the disclosure level of the environmental impact information 171. Here, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 changes the disclosure level of the items identified in step S3 according to the received situation information. For example, if the company in question leaves the corporate group, the disclosure level "1" for disclosure only to group companies is changed to "0" or the like. This change may be made according to a pre-stored rule corresponding to the situation information, or according to a specification from the terminal device group 100.

[0055] Then, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 changes the disclosure level of the higher-level item so that the constraint of higher level ≤ lower-level item is satisfied in accordance with the above change. Typically, the disclosure level of the higher-level item is reduced by a predetermined number, such as -1, that is, changed to a more restrictive number.

[0056] Furthermore, in step S6, the disclosure scope setting unit 13 changes the disclosure level of the relevant item, similar to step S5.

[0057] Furthermore, in step S7, the environmental load information calculation unit 14 determines whether it is necessary to calculate the environmental load information 171 based on the received status information. As an example of this determination, it can be determined by whether the received status information satisfies the change criteria that have been previously stored in the storage unit 17. For example, if the logistics route, materials, or manufacturing process of delivered goods are changed, it can be determined that a calculation is necessary to change the environmental load information 171. Also, if a new product (part) is developed and manufacturing begins, it can be determined that a calculation is necessary to add items to the environmental load information 171. If it is determined that a calculation is necessary (Yes), the process proceeds to step S8. If it is determined that a calculation is not necessary (No), this process flow ends.

[0058] Then, in step S8, the environmental load information calculation unit 14 calculates the environmental load information 171 according to the situation information. For example, based on actual information such as materials (components) included in the situation information and unit consumption, the unit consumption information 171, in particular its environmental load index, is calculated, and the environmental load information 171 in the storage unit 17 is updated. In one example, if the disclosure level changes and the relevant item changes from disclosed to non-disclosed, the unit consumption information can be used for the calculation, and if it changes from non-disclosed to disclosed, the actual information can be used for the calculation.

[0059] Here, we will explain examples of (1) and (2) of the calculation in this step. (1) If the disclosure level decreases in step S5 or step S6, especially if it becomes non-disclosed, the environmental load information calculation unit 14 identifies the unit consumption of the product from the actual information and calculates the environmental load information based on this. (2) If the disclosure level increases in step S5 or step S6, especially if it changes from non-disclosed to disclosed, the environmental load information calculation unit 14 identifies the actual information from the unit consumption of the product and calculates the environmental load information based on this. Furthermore, for products that have been delivered (including shipped), it is desirable to suppress the calculation of environmental load information in step S8. In other words, in step S7, it is desirable for the environmental load information calculation unit 14 to determine whether the product has been shipped. This concludes the processing flow, although steps S7 and S8 may be omitted.

[0060] <Example of application (modified)> Next, an example of application (modified version) of this embodiment will be explained using Figures 9A to 9C. This example of application shows the framework of the environmental load information management system, which defines the scope of access to the environmental load information 171.

[0061] First, Figure 9A is a diagram illustrating the closed framework of the corporate group in this embodiment. In Figure 9A, the corporate groups are shown as group a, group b, and group c. Group a is the corporate group of focus in this embodiment, and includes companies A and AA. Group b includes companies B and BB. Group c includes companies C and CC. There is also company D, which does not belong to any corporate group. The same applies to Figures 9B and 9C, which will be described later. In Figure 9A, the environmental load information 171 is managed in a closed manner within the corporate group, and access is restricted to companies other than group a. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the internal systems of each company and the environmental load information management device 1 are connected by a dedicated line within group a.

[0062] Furthermore, Figure 9B is a diagram illustrating the semi-open (semi-closed) framework in this embodiment. In Figure 9B, a portion of the environmental impact information 171 is managed within a corporate group, allowing access from companies other than group c. In Figure 9B, access may also be restricted for company D.

[0063] Furthermore, Figure 9C is a diagram illustrating the fully open framework in this embodiment. Here, in Figures 9A and 9B, the environmental load information management device 1 is managed by the corporate group a of interest, but in Figure 9C, it is assumed that a third party, such as a public institution, manages the environmental load information management device 1. In Figure 9C, the environmental load information 171 is made available to each company, regardless of the corporate group, and access is made possible.

[0064] Figures 9A to 9C are diagrams that simply illustrate the framework, and the disclosure level of environmental impact information 171 can be set for each individual company, allowing for management separate from the corporate group.

[0065] This concludes the description of this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, if the environmental load information management device 1 is implemented as a cloud system, the cloud side (environmental load information management device 1) may be limited in holding non-public data, that is, environmental load information 171 with restrictions on disclosure, and may not hold public data. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 1...Environmental load information management device, 10...Shared database, 11...Input unit, 12...Environmental load information management unit, 13...Disclosure scope setting unit, 14...Environmental load information calculation unit, 15...Transaction support unit, 16...Output unit, 17...Storage unit, 171...Environmental load information, 172...Disclosure scope definition information, 173...Company information, 174...Transaction information, 2...Company, 21...Employee terminal device group, 22...Internal system

Claims

1. In an environmental impact information management device that manages information on the environmental impact of a company's business activities, The aforementioned environmental impact information includes a storage unit that stores environmental impact information including the environmental impact index for each of the following: products that are deliverables of the company and have a hierarchical relationship, the SCOPE and category of the product, and the disclosure scope, which includes the disclosure level indicating the scope of disclosure for each item of the environmental impact information. An input unit that receives status information indicating a change in the status of the aforementioned company, A disclosure scope setting unit that changes the scope of disclosure of environmental load information for products having the hierarchical relationship if the status information among the environmental load information satisfies the change criteria stored in advance, Of the aforementioned environmental impact information, the items for which the scope of disclosure needs to be changed include identifying companies related to the aforementioned situation information, and identifying items corresponding to the products and components of those companies. Propagationally, higher-level items are identified from the environmental load information for the items that need to be changed, A disclosure scope setting unit that changes the disclosure scope by changing the disclosure level of the items that need to be changed and the higher-level items based on the aforementioned situation information, The system includes an environmental load information calculation unit that calculates the environmental load of SCOPE from the sum of the environmental load indices of the category which are changed in accordance with the change in the situation indicated by the situation information, calculates the environmental load indices of the product from the sum of the environmental load indices of SCOPE, and updates the environmental load information of companies whose disclosure level is disclosable among the environmental load information, based on the changed disclosure scope and the calculated environmental load indices of the product. An environmental impact information management device that discloses updated environmental impact information in accordance with the changed scope of disclosure.

2. In the environmental load information management device according to claim 1, The disclosure scope setting unit is an environmental load information management device that changes the disclosure scope in accordance with the conclusion or modification of a contract regarding the transaction of the product.

3. In the environmental load information management device according to claim 1, The disclosure scope setting unit is an environmental load information management device that changes the disclosure scope in accordance with the acquisition or merger of the company.

4. In an environmental load information management method that uses an environmental load information management device to manage environmental load information in a company's business activities, The aforementioned environmental impact information includes products that are deliverables of the company and have a hierarchical relationship, the SCOPE and category of each product, the environmental impact index, and the disclosure scope information including the disclosure level indicating the scope of disclosure for each item of the environmental impact information, which is stored in the storage unit. We accept status information indicating changes in the situation of the aforementioned companies. If the aforementioned environmental impact information satisfies the pre-stored change criteria for the status information, the scope of disclosure of the environmental impact information for the products having the aforementioned hierarchical relationship will be changed. The change in the scope of disclosure is, The disclosure scope is changed by identifying companies related to the situation information as items in the aforementioned environmental impact information for which the scope of disclosure needs to be changed, identifying items corresponding to the products and parts of those companies, identifying higher-level items from the environmental impact information to the items for which the change needs to be changed in a propagatory manner, and changing the disclosure level of the identified items for which the change needs to be changed and the higher-level items based on the situation information. The environmental load of SCOPE is calculated from the sum of the environmental load indices of the category which are changed in accordance with the changes in the situation information, the environmental load indices of the product are calculated from the sum of the environmental load indices of SCOPE, and the environmental load information for companies whose disclosure level is disclosable is updated from the environmental load information with the changed disclosure scope and the calculated environmental load indices of the product. An environmental impact information management method in which updated environmental impact information is disclosed in accordance with the changed scope of disclosure.

5. In the environmental load information management method described in claim 4, An environmental impact information management method that modifies the scope of disclosure in accordance with the conclusion or modification of a contract concerning the transaction of the aforementioned product.

6. In the environmental load information management method described in claim 4, A method for managing environmental impact information that modifies the scope of disclosure in accordance with the acquisition or merger of the aforementioned company.

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