Product carbon emission calculation system

Abstract

A product carbon emission calculation system includes a monitoring module and a server. The monitoring module generates activity data corresponding to a plurality of activities and transmits the activity data to the server. The activities include the manufacturing and transportation of one or more products. The server receives the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, calculates the carbon emissions corresponding to each activity data point, and then allocates the carbon emissions to the corresponding products, generating a carbon footprint for each product.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] A carbon emission calculation system, particularly a carbon emission allocation and calculation system for a product. [Previous Technology]

[0002] With increasing global attention to climate change, the public and society have high expectations for companies' commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection. Carbon inventory and disclosure have become important means for modern enterprises to respond to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrating their commitment to environmental sustainability. At the same time, many countries and regions have enacted regulations requiring companies to responsibly assess and disclose their carbon footprint. Therefore, corporate social responsibility is increasingly becoming a key element of business operations, and carbon emission inventory and disclosure have become an indispensable part of fulfilling corporate social responsibility. Many companies have begun to actively build and operate related systems. Among these, the disclosure of product carbon footprints is crucial because it allows buyers to directly understand the environmental impact of products, helping them make greener consumption choices. By disclosing carbon footprints, consumers can better understand the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production, transportation, and use of products, and thus choose products with lower environmental impact. This not only helps reduce carbon emissions but also increases consumer awareness of corporate social responsibility, promoting the development of green consumption.

[0003] However, in the prior art, the calculation of product carbon emissions is often too fragmented and incomplete. In many enterprises, the recording and calculation of product carbon emissions are usually limited to some production processes, while carbon emissions in other production stages are often ignored or not accurately recorded. This one-sided recording leads to incomplete and inaccurate information, making it impossible for the product carbon footprint to reflect the true carbon emissions of the product. In addition, in the prior art, different products on the same production line or using the same transportation method have uneven carbon emission distribution among products. Some products may bear the majority of carbon emissions, while other products bear only a small amount of carbon emissions, resulting in biased and inaccurate calculation results of product carbon emissions.

[0004] In view of this, developing a system that can comprehensively, completely and accurately record and allocate product carbon emissions has become a key technology that urgently needs to be developed. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] In order to record carbon emissions completely and accurately and to reasonably allocate the carbon footprint of products, the present invention provides a product carbon emission calculation system, which includes a monitoring module and a server, wherein: the monitoring module generates multiple activity data corresponding to multiple activities and transmits the activity data to the server, wherein the activities include the manufacturing and transportation of more than one product; and the server receives the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, calculates the carbon emission amount corresponding to the activity data, and then allocates the carbon emission amount to each corresponding product to generate a corresponding product carbon footprint.

[0006] The server includes a database, an inventory module, and an allocation calculation module, wherein: the database stores the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module and a plurality of carbon emission coefficients and a plurality of global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data; the inventory module performs an inventory based on the activity data and the carbon emission coefficients and global warming potential data stored in the database corresponding to the activity data and calculates the carbon emissions; and the allocation calculation module allocates the carbon emissions according to the proportion of one attribute of each product to generate the carbon footprint of the product, wherein the attribute includes the raw material mass and raw material volume of one raw material of the product, the semi-finished product mass and semi-finished product volume of one semi-finished product of the product, the product quantity, product mass, and product volume of one product, and the attribute also includes the transportation time, transportation mileage, and processing and manufacturing time of one of the raw materials and semi-finished products of the product.

[0007] The monitoring module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments, each of which is used to record and monitor the plurality of activities and generate corresponding data of the plurality of activities, and each of the monitoring instruments measures a device parameter and an environmental parameter.

[0008] The checking module checks and confirms the correctness of the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, and confirms and finds the carbon emission coefficient and global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data, and selects the latest or best emission coefficient and global warming potential data.

[0009] The server is connected to an enterprise resource planning system to obtain information related to each product.

[0010] The server is connected in series with a product structure unit of the enterprise resource planning system. The product structure unit provides the server with a product structure for the product. The product structure includes a plurality of bills of materials for each product.

[0011] The monitoring module includes a transportation module, a raw material module, and a manufacturing module, wherein: the transportation module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of transportation of each of the products, each of the raw materials, and each of the semi-finished products; the raw material module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of mining or obtaining the raw materials or obtaining the carbon emissions of a raw material provided by a raw material supplier; and the manufacturing module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of manufacturing of the products and the semi-finished products.

[0012] The plurality of monitoring instruments in the transportation module include monitoring and recording a mileage, a load, a fuel consumption, a speed and a landmark position of a transportation vehicle, and generating activity data corresponding to the transportation vehicle, wherein the load includes the raw material mass, the raw material volume, the semi-finished product mass, the semi-finished product volume, the product mass and the product volume; and the plurality of monitoring instruments in the manufacturing module include monitoring and recording the equipment parameters of the manufacturing process, including input voltage, current, water consumption, exhaust volume, drainage volume, energy, usage time, real-time output status, real-time carbon emission status, etc., and also including the production efficiency and utilization rate of the manufacturing of the product or the semi-finished product.

[0013] Among them, the plurality of monitoring devices in the transportation module include a video recorder that records real-time video and audio.

[0014] The monitoring module transmits the activity data, the equipment parameters, and the environmental parameters in real time.

[0015] As can be seen from the above description, the present invention has the following characteristics:

[0016] 1. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can accurately calculate and allocate carbon emissions to each product, present the carbon emission situation of a single product, thereby providing objective and true product carbon footprint information. The carbon emissions of each product are calculated and allocated fairly, accurately reflecting the true carbon footprint of the product.

[0017] 2. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can comprehensively record all carbon emission data of product manufacturing, including emissions generated at each stage from raw material production and manufacturing process to transportation and various related activities. Through the comprehensive recording of the product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention, carbon leakage caused by carbon emissions not being calculated and hidden in certain processes can be avoided, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of carbon footprint calculation.

[0018] 3. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can generate accurate product carbon footprint, assist enterprises in analyzing the carbon footprint of their products and thinking deeply about how to reduce carbon emissions, thereby improving product design, production process and supply chain management, formulating more effective carbon emission reduction strategies, improving enterprise competitiveness, meeting consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, and enhancing market competitiveness.

[0019] 4. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can generate an accurate product carbon footprint, avoid human error in the investigation and calculation, and can flexibly set different boundaries to comply with relevant regulations and regulatory requirements, thereby reducing potential legal risks.

Implementation Method

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of each embodiment are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some examples or embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative effort. Unless obvious from the linguistic context or otherwise specified, the same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same structures or operations.

[0022] As shown in this invention and the claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a," "an," "an," or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate that explicitly identified steps and elements are included, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0023] Flowcharts are used in this invention to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to embodiments of the invention. It should be understood that the preceding or following operations are not necessarily performed precisely in sequence. Instead, the steps can be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. Furthermore, other operations can be added to these processes, or one or more steps can be removed from them.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of a preferred embodiment of the product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention. The product carbon emission calculation system includes a monitoring module 10, a server 20, and a product carbon footprint unit 30. The monitoring module 10 includes a plurality of monitoring instruments, each of which is used to record and monitor a plurality of activities and generate corresponding activity data. The monitoring module 10 then transmits the activity data to the server 20. The activities include the manufacturing and transportation of a product. Each monitoring instrument of the monitoring module 10 can be a measuring device for measuring a device parameter, which includes input voltage, current, power consumption, water consumption, exhaust volume, drainage volume, energy, usage time, real-time output status, real-time carbon emission status, etc.; the monitoring instrument can also be a sensor for measuring an environmental parameter, which includes sensors for temperature, humidity, pressure, coordinate position, movement speed, etc.; or the monitoring instrument includes a camera, a video recorder, or a radio for recording real-time images and audio.

[0025] The monitoring module 10 includes a transportation module 11, a raw material module 12 and a manufacturing module 13, depending on the different monitoring and inspection attributes.

[0026] The transportation module 11 monitors and records the movement and transportation of one or more products and one or more raw materials or one or more semi-finished products required for those products. The plurality of monitors in the transportation module 11 monitor and record a mileage, a load capacity, a fuel consumption, a speed, and a coordinate position of one of the transport vehicles, and generate activity data corresponding to the transport vehicle. The load capacity includes the quantity, mass, and volume of each product, each raw material, or each semi-finished product. The monitor also includes a video recorder that records real-time video and audio to confirm that the transport vehicle is operating along a designated route, and can be used to check and confirm whether the mileage, load capacity, fuel consumption, speed, and coordinate position data of the transport vehicle monitored and recorded by the monitor match.

[0027] The raw material module 12 monitors and records the data of the mining or acquisition of the raw material or the carbon emissions of the raw material provided by a raw material provider.

[0028] Wherein, the raw material refers to the various materials or parts required to manufacture the product obtained from the raw material supplier. Furthermore, the raw material may include all materials or parts required to manufacture or transport the product, such as multiple cartons or bags used to assemble or package the product. In many cases, the distinction between the raw material and the semi-finished product lies in the scope of a company's manufacture of the product. For example, if a first company obtains iron ore as a raw material to manufacture steel, then for that first company, the iron ore is the raw material, and the steel is the product. If a second company purchases the steel from the first company to manufacture a steel pipe, then for that second company, the steel is the raw material, and the steel pipe is the product.

[0029] The manufacturing module 13 monitors and records the manufacturing of the product and the semi-finished product. The plurality of monitoring instruments in the manufacturing module 13 monitor and record the parameters of the manufactured equipment, including input voltage, current, water consumption, exhaust volume, drainage volume, energy, usage time, real-time output status, and real-time carbon emission status, as well as the production status of the factory and production line where the product or semi-finished product is manufactured, such as production efficiency and utilization rate. The manufacturing module 13 generates activity data corresponding to the monitoring instruments.

[0030] The monitoring module 10 is signal-connected to the server 20, and the server 20 receives the activity data, device parameters, and environmental parameters transmitted by the monitoring module 10. Preferably, the monitoring module 10 transmits the activity data, device parameters, and environmental parameters in real time.

[0031] The server 20 includes a database 22, an inventory module 21, and an allocation calculation module 23. The database 22 stores the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module 10. The database 22 also includes a plurality of carbon emission coefficients and a plurality of global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data. The emission coefficient can be an international emission coefficient, a national emission coefficient, a regional emission coefficient, a manufacturer-provided coefficient, a process or equipment-based empirical coefficient, a measurement-derived coefficient, a mass-energy equivalence-derived coefficient, or a mass balance-derived coefficient. Preferably, the emission coefficient is the measurement-derived coefficient, the mass-energy equivalence-derived coefficient, or the mass balance-derived coefficient. For example, the monitoring instrument includes one or more carbon dioxide monitors that directly measure carbon dioxide emissions and then convert them into the measurement-derived coefficient. Preferably, the database 22 regularly obtains the latest global warming potential data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

[0032] The query module 21 queries and calculates a carbon emission amount using the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module 10 and the carbon emission coefficient and global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data stored in the database 22. Specifically, the query module 21 queries and confirms the correctness of the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module 10, and confirms and searches for the carbon emission coefficient and global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data, selecting the latest or best emission coefficient and global warming potential data. For example, in one embodiment, the query module 21 uses the video recorder to confirm that the activity data of the device parameters transmitted by the measuring device is reasonable and correct, and verifies that the carbon emission coefficient corresponding to the database 22 is reasonable and correct. If the query module 21 finds a newer or more correct emission coefficient, it automatically updates the emission coefficient stored in the database 22 corresponding to the activity data.

[0033] Preferably, after the carbon emission calculation module 21 completes the calculation, the carbon emission amount is transmitted to a third-party verification agency for verification to confirm the carbon emission result. The third-party verification agency is an organization with carbon verification capabilities, which may be a company's verification organization, an external legal entity's verification organization, or a government agency's verification organization. Preferably, the third-party verification agency is an ISO 14065 and ISO / IEC 17029 certification and verification agency certified by the National Certification Foundation, or an inspection agency authorized by the Environmental Protection Administration, or a confirmation agency authorized by the Financial Supervisory Commission.

[0034] After completing the calculation of the carbon emissions, the inventory module 21 transmits the carbon emissions information to the allocation calculation module 23. The allocation calculation module 23 obtains the activity data and carbon emissions information from the inventory module 21 and the database 22, and allocates the carbon emissions to each product to generate a product carbon footprint for each product, which is then transmitted to a product carbon footprint unit 30. The product carbon footprint unit 30 can be a display interface for showing the product carbon footprint, or it can be connected to an enterprise resource planning system (ERP system) to record the product carbon footprint and integrate it into the ERP system.

[0035] Preferably, the server 20 is connected in series with the enterprise resource planning system to obtain information related to the product in order to more accurately determine the product's carbon footprint. In a preferred embodiment, referring to FIG1, the server 20 is signal-connected to a product structure unit 40 of the enterprise resource planning system. The product structure unit 40 provides the allocation calculation module 23 of the server 20 with the product structure, such as a bill of materials (BOM), so that the allocation calculation module 23 can determine the composition of the raw materials and semi-finished products of the product and the corresponding activity data.

[0036] Preferably, the allocation calculation module 23 calculates and allocates the carbon footprint of each product based on the proportion of the same attribute among the plurality of attributes of each product. The attribute includes the raw material mass and volume of one of the raw materials corresponding to the product, the semi-finished product mass and volume of one of the semi-finished products corresponding to the product, the product quantity, product mass, and product volume corresponding to the product, and also includes the transportation time, transportation distance, and processing time of the product, the raw materials, and the semi-finished products corresponding to the product.

[0037] Preferably, the allocation calculation module 23 obtains the product carbon footprint in the raw material portion based on the proportion of the raw material used by each product. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the plurality of products are a first product and a second product, the raw material is three metric tons of iron ore, and the carbon emissions from mining the iron ore are six metric tons. The number of the first product is one thousand, and the number of the second product is four thousand. The first product consumes one metric ton of iron ore, i.e., one metric ton of raw material mass, and the second product consumes two metric tons of iron ore, i.e., two metric tons of raw material mass. Then, the carbon emissions allocated to the first product in the raw material portion are two metric tons, and the carbon emissions allocated to the second product in the raw material portion are four metric tons. The carbon footprint of each first product in the raw material portion is two kilograms, and the carbon footprint of each second product in the raw material portion is one kilogram.

[0038] Preferably, the allocation calculation module 23 allocates the carbon emissions according to the proportion of each product's attribute to generate the product's carbon footprint. The allocation calculation module 23 can calculate and allocate the carbon footprint of each product when a transportation vehicle simultaneously transports multiple different types of products, semi-finished products, or raw materials, and each product, semi-finished product, or raw material has different transportation origins and destinations or undergoes multiple different transfers, based on the activity data of the transportation module 11. In a preferred embodiment, the allocation calculation module 23 allocates the carbon emissions generated by all transportation vehicles according to the proportion of each product and the corresponding semi-finished product and raw material's attribute to each product to obtain the product's carbon footprint in the transportation portion. The attribute preferably includes the raw material mass, raw material volume, transportation time, and transportation mileage when transporting raw materials; the semi-finished product mass, semi-finished product volume, transportation time, and transportation mileage when transporting semi-finished products; and the product mass, product volume, transportation time, and transportation mileage when transporting products.

[0039] Preferably, the allocation calculation module 23 allocates the carbon emissions generated by all the processing and manufacturing processes to each product based on the proportion of the attributes of each product and the corresponding semi-finished product and raw material, to obtain the product's carbon footprint in the processing and manufacturing portion. The attributes preferably include the raw material quality, raw material volume, and processing time when processing the raw material; the semi-finished product quality, semi-finished product volume, and processing time when processing the semi-finished product; and the product quality, product volume, and processing time when processing the product.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the system operation of a preferred embodiment of the carbon emission calculation system for the product of the present invention. Taking the carbon footprint of a first commodity as an example, one of the transportation vehicles, a first truck 111, transports a first raw material for making the first product to a first processing plant 131 at a raw material end 121. The first processing plant 131 processes the first raw material into a first semi-finished product, and then transports it to a second processing plant 132 for further processing to produce the first product. The first product is then transported to a client 50 by a second truck 112. Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, where the monitoring module 10 transmits the corresponding activity data to the server 20 in real time. For example, the raw material module 12 transmits the activity data of the raw material terminal 12 back to the server 20, the transportation module 11 transmits the activity data of the first truck 111 and the second truck 112 back to the server 20, and the manufacturing module 13 transmits the activity data of the first processing plant 131 and the second processing plant 132 back to the server 20, so that the overall carbon emissions of the first product from manufacturing to distribution are completely recorded. The server 20 then allocates the carbon emissions to each of the first products to obtain the product carbon footprint of each first product. The first product, its corresponding semi-finished product, and its raw materials may use at least partially the same source of raw materials, be transported using at least partially the same means of transportation, or be processed and manufactured at least partially in the same first processing plant 131 and second processing plant 132 as other products and their corresponding semi-finished products and raw materials. However, the allocation calculation module 23 of the server 20 can allocate the product carbon footprint of the first product according to the preferred embodiment described above.

[0041] As can be seen from the foregoing description, the present invention achieves the following effects:

[0042] 1. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can accurately calculate and allocate carbon emissions to each product, present the carbon emission situation of a single product, thereby providing objective and true product carbon footprint information. The carbon emissions of each product are calculated and allocated fairly, accurately reflecting the true carbon footprint of the product.

[0043] 2. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can comprehensively record all carbon emission data of product manufacturing, including emissions generated at each stage from raw material production, manufacturing process to transportation, and various related activities. Through the comprehensive recording of the product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention, carbon leakage caused by carbon emissions not being calculated and hidden in certain processes can be avoided, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of carbon footprint calculation.

[0044] 3. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can generate accurate product carbon footprint, assist enterprises in analyzing the carbon footprint of their products and thinking deeply about how to reduce carbon emissions, thereby improving product design, production process and supply chain management, formulating more effective carbon emission reduction strategies, improving enterprise competitiveness, meeting consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, and enhancing market competitiveness.

[0045] 4. The product carbon emission calculation system of the present invention can generate accurate product carbon footprint, avoid human error in inventory and calculation, and can flexibly set different boundaries to comply with relevant laws and regulations and reduce potential legal risks.

[0046] It should be noted that, based on the explanations and descriptions in the above specification, those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can make changes and modifications to the above embodiments. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and described above, and some equivalent modifications and changes to this disclosure should also be within the scope of protection of the claims of this disclosure. Furthermore, although this specification uses some specific terms, these terms are only for convenience of explanation and do not constitute any limitation on the invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0020] Figure 1 is a system architecture block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of system operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A product carbon emission calculation system, comprising a monitoring module and a server, wherein: The monitoring module generates multiple activity data corresponding to multiple activities and transmits the activity data to the server. The activities include the manufacturing and transportation of one or more products. The server receives the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, calculates the carbon emissions corresponding to the activity data, and then allocates the carbon emissions to each corresponding product to generate the carbon footprint of the corresponding product. The carbon emissions are allocated to each corresponding product according to the proportion of an attribute of each product to generate the carbon footprint of the product. The attribute includes the raw material mass and volume of a raw material corresponding to the product, the semi-finished product mass and volume of a semi-finished product corresponding to the product, the product quantity, product mass and product volume, and the transportation time, transportation distance and processing time of the product, the raw material and the semi-finished product corresponding to the product.

2. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 1, wherein the server includes a database, an inventory module, and an allocation calculation module, wherein: The database stores the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, as well as multiple carbon emission coefficients and multiple global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data; the inventory module inventories and calculates the carbon emissions based on the activity data and the carbon emission coefficients and global warming potential data stored in the database corresponding to the activity data; and the allocation calculation module allocates the carbon emissions according to the proportion of each product's attribute to generate the product's carbon footprint.

3. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 2, wherein the monitoring module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments, each of which is used to record and monitor the plurality of activities and generate corresponding data for the plurality of activities, and each of the monitoring instruments measures a device parameter and an environmental parameter.

4. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 3, wherein the checking module checks and confirms the correctness of the activity data transmitted by the monitoring module, and confirms and finds the carbon emission coefficient and global warming potential data corresponding to the activity data, and selects the latest or best emission coefficient and global warming potential data.

5. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein the monitoring module comprises a transportation module, a raw material module, and a manufacturing module, wherein: The transportation module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of transportation of each of the products, raw materials and semi-finished products; the raw material module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of mining or obtaining the raw materials or obtaining the carbon emissions of a raw material supplied by a raw material supplier; and the manufacturing module includes a plurality of monitoring instruments that monitor and record the activity data of manufacturing of the products and semi-finished products.

6. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 5, wherein: The multiple monitoring devices of the transportation module include monitoring and recording a mileage, a load, a fuel consumption, a speed, and a coordinate position of a transportation vehicle, and generating activity data corresponding to the transportation vehicle, wherein the load includes the raw material mass, the raw material volume, the semi-finished product mass, the semi-finished product volume, the product mass, and the product volume; and the multiple monitoring devices of the manufacturing module include monitoring and recording the equipment parameters of the manufacturing process, including input voltage, current, water consumption, exhaust volume, drainage volume, energy, usage time, real-time output status, real-time carbon emission status, etc., and also the production efficiency and utilization rate of the manufacturing process of the product or the semi-finished product.

7. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of monitors in the transportation module includes a video recorder that records real-time video and audio.

8. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module transmits the activity data, the equipment parameters, and the environmental parameters in real time.

9. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 8, wherein the server is connected in series with an enterprise resource planning system to obtain information related to each of the products.

10. The product carbon emission calculation system as described in claim 9, wherein the server is signal-connected to a product structure unit in series with the enterprise resource planning system, the product structure unit providing the server with a product structure for the product, the product structure including a plurality of bills of materials for each product.

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