Method for managing and processing carbon credit

Description

[0001] CARBON CREDIT MANAGEMENT AND PROCESSING METHOD

[0002] FIELD OF APPLICATION

[0003] 001 The present invention relates to a method for managing and processing carbon credits, particularly those obtained through the conscious use of less polluting products, such as biofuels used to power motor vehicles or charge electric or hybrid cars. The concept of conscious product use or purchase can be applied more broadly, as it goes beyond fuels. Thus, citizens and businesses are given the autonomy to decide whether or not they prefer a product that is part of a production chain with low greenhouse gas emissions.

[0004] STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

[0005] 002 It is known from the state of the art that climate change is one of the most complex and challenging environmental problems, since its effects are already being felt and may intensify in the coming years, compromising the well-being and lives of future generations.

[0006] 003 It is known that since the Industrial Revolution, there has been a 30% increase in the concentration of CO2 in our planet's atmosphere, and that the average temperature has increased between 0.3 and 0.6°C in the 20th century. This warming has caused effects such as: rising sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps; changes in wind and rainfall dynamics; increased intensity of tropical cyclones; decreased biodiversity due to the extinction of species due to desertification or flooding of areas; food insecurity; displacement of resident populations; in addition to the economic impact on agriculture caused by losses in food production.

[0007] 004 In 2016, the Paris Agreement replaced the Kyoto Protocol, meaning both had and continue to have the primary objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement, which has among its signatories the most developed and industrialized countries and blocs, such as China, the United States of America, the European Union, and others, has been considered a landmark among international climate agreements. However, the concept of carbon crediting was suggested in the Kyoto Protocol as a flexibility mechanism to help countries achieve their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

[0008] 005 Thus, carbon credits have come to be considered a form of currency, representing the non-emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Thus, these credits are generated as countries strive for projects and actions aimed at sustainable development, such as deforestation reduction projects, conscious consumption campaigns, the use of alternative energy sources, and others.

[0009] 006 The carbon market exists worldwide and is regulated in each country by specific legislation, as is the case in Brazil, which regulates it through Decree No. 5,882 of 2006. Basically, the carbon market is characterized by the trading of carbon credits between a country that holds them, having reduced its carbon dioxide emissions, and a country that needs to reduce its emissions, but has not reached its targets.

[0010] 007 The trading methods can be: unilateral, bilateral or multilateral, with the unilateral mode corresponding to the development of a project by a country, which stipulates the value of the carbon credit; the bilateral mode corresponding to the development of projects carried out by a developed country in the territory of a developing country, with the market values ​​being decided by the industrialized country that implemented the project in the developing country; and the multilateral mode corresponding to projects implemented and financed by international funds, with the values ​​for the trading of carbon credits being stipulated by investment funds in this mode.

[0011] 008 An example of a prior art project is patent document US2016034910 entitled "Data processing of carbon offsets for entities" and published on February 4, 2016. Said US document discloses the geolocation of a mobile device of a customer who performs a transaction where an item, such as fuel, is purchased. At least one entity is identified from a plurality of potential entities in a data store based, at least in part, on the geolocation of the client device. A quantity of carbon credits required to offset a quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that have been or will be produced in association with the item, such as fuel, is determined.

[0012] 009 However, this method will require establishments to become accredited with the carbon processing system, in addition to the need to adapt equipment, such as fuel pumps, to communicate with the mobile devices of customers making purchases. Therefore, a low acceptance rate is expected, especially among establishments, preventing the scalability of the carbon credit trading project.

[0013] 010 With the objective of promoting technological advancement of the state of the art, as well as assisting in the protection and preservation of the environment, through projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the present invention aims to provide a method of managing and processing carbon credits, which does not require accreditation of establishments selling products, such as fuel, that is, the method will depend only on the user, allowing greater acceptance and scalability of the project.

[0014] 011 Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for reading notes and / or receipts capable of identifying the information and transferring it to the application / system that manages carbon credits. Thus, advantageously, the method does not require establishments to make adaptations to transfer user consumption data.

[0015] 012 Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method that comprises steps for registering users, vehicles, and optionally sales establishments, as well as performing calculations of carbon credits generated or necessary to neutralize gas emissions into the atmosphere.

[0016] 013 Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method that comprises a commercialization and remuneration stage for the sustainable decision, which advantageously encourages conscious consumption, such as choosing a fuel that pollutes the environment less or opting for battery recharging, in the case of electric or hybrid vehicles.

[0017] 014 Schematic figures of a particular realization will be presented below, the dimensions and proportions of which are not necessarily real, as the figures are only intended to didactically present their various aspects, the scope of protection of which is determined only by the scope of the claims interpreted by the detailed description.

[0018] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] 015 The object of this document will be better understood in light of the detailed description that follows in its preferred, but not limitative, embodiment, which is illustrated by the attached schematic drawings.

[0020] 016 Figure 1 illustrates a framework with a block diagram of the carbon credit management and processing method.

[0021] 017 Figure 2 illustrates a framework with steps for the carbon credit management and processing method.

[0022] 018 Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of the user-account relationship for data management.

[0023] 019 Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of vehicle registration management and fueling type.

[0024] 020 Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of carbon credit management, carbon credit trading and remuneration.

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] 021 Although this detailed description provides an example of a fuel point of sale, the invention is not limited to this type of product, which is merely illustrative. This includes, but is not limited to, "fueling" points for recharging batteries for electric or hybrid vehicles. Therefore, for the purposes of clarity, it should be understood that the term "fuel" can also refer to electrical energy, which is stored in the battery bank of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

[0027] 022 Thus, the present invention relates to a method of managing and processing carbon credits, aiming at carbon offsetting, investment or trading, since it is beneficial for a gas emission reduction project to facilitate the trading of carbon credits based on estimated future GHG emissions generated through a purchase of goods or services at a given point of sale, since a quantity of carbon credits necessary to offset a quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that will be produced in association with the manufacture, shipping and / or intended use of the purchased item can be determined, or a carbon credit bonus can be determined for the user who has conscious consumption habits.

[0028] 023 Furthermore, depending on the establishment and / or product purchased, users can use their own carbon credits to complete and pay for the purchase. Depending on the balance, they may not even need another payment method. Furthermore, depending on the financial institution, users may be able to exchange some or all of their carbon credits for currency / cash.

[0029] 024 Another way is when the user wants to acquire carbon credits through the financial institution, so the user has carbon credits that can be used in establishments that grant discounts for transactions through carbon credits.

[0030] 025 Thus, the management and processing method (M) of the present invention has a device (D) which is integrated into the global computer network and comprises an executable application that initially executes the steps of registering the user, vehicle, establishments and certification and marketing entities of carbon credits.

[0031] 026. User registration is used to create a login to access the carbon credit management platform. Vehicle registration allows for the recording of fuel / energy type and consumption. Establishment registration allows the establishment to participate in the sale of products and the processing of carbon credits. Thus, all initial data is stored in a database on physical servers or in the cloud, so that the user, through the provision (D), can connect and exchange data through this communication channel.

[0032] 027 Furthermore, the device (D) equipped with the executable application must perform the following steps: a) The user enters the establishment's identification number, such as CNPJ; b) The user scans, photographs, or reads the QR Code on the coupon / invoice of the purchased merchandise; c) The user uploads the image of the coupon / invoice or information contained in the QR Code; d) The application separates and organizes the user's purchase data; e) The application identifies the purchased product; f) The application communicates with a product database to certify whether the purchased product is a beneficiary of the carbon credit; g) The application communicates with the database of previously registered products containing the carbon credit values; h) The application returns the carbon credit balance to the user's account, within said application; i) The user decides whether to keep the carbon credit balance in the application or redeem it in the form of money;j) If in step (i) the user decides to keep the carbon credit balance in the application, the transaction ends; k) If in step (i) the user decides to redeem the balance in cash, the application informs the administration fee for generating the carbon credit and certifies the conversion value between the carbon credit and the monetary value at the time of the transfer. l) The application transfers the monetary balance, after conversion, minus the administration fee, to the user's bank account at a previously registered financial institution, the transaction ends; m) Simultaneously with step (i), the application transfers the carbon credit balance to a database, which manages the volume, in tons, for later trading in the free carbon credit market.

[0033] 028 Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, the user goes to an establishment selling fuel / energy for automobiles. By choosing the type of fuel / energy, the user can obtain carbon credits. For example, by choosing ethanol, the user benefits from carbon credits, since throughout its production chain, during planting, sugarcane, during the process of photosynthesis, already absorbs a quantity of CO2 that could be emitted if converted into biofuel and burned by an automobile. This absorption rate is even greater when compared to other fossil fuels.

[0034] 029 In the specific case of fuels, carbon credits or debts can be estimated based on CO calculations 2produced by burning fuel in a chemical equation for hydrocarbon combustion, or through the average emissions released by a given vehicle, make, model, and / or year, with this information shared by the manufacturer or directly by the auditor that certifies greenhouse gas emissions. In the case of electric vehicles, carbon credits can be estimated based on the total or partial replacement of CO 2 , thus, CO calculations would be used 2 produced by the burning of fossil fuels by internal combustion vehicles, that is, C0 is taken into account 2 / km driven in relation to km driven / kWh to determine carbon credit.

[0035] 030 After refueling with the chosen fuel type and making payment, the user accesses the app using the login and password previously registered on the platform, enters the establishment's identification data, and preferably scans the receipt containing the fuel type and volume filled. Optionally, the user can manually enter the fuel type and volume information directly into the app using the device (D).

[0036] 031 Advantageously, the step of reading the information scanned directly by the application or being entered manually, allows for a higher rate of adherence by establishments, since it does not require making modifications, such as installing a means of communication with the user's device (D), such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi antennas, in order to inform the volume supplied directly to the user's application.

[0037] 032 When scanning the receipt, the application will convert the image into text to identify the type of fuel and the amount filled. If the receipt includes a QR Code with purchase information, the application will read and decrypt this information. In both cases, once the text is fully formatted, the application organizes each piece of information into its respective field, enabling product certification and subsequent analysis of whether or not the product benefits from the carbon credit project, which reduces gas emissions into the atmosphere. This is done by communicating with a database that lists each product and its respective carbon credit. 033 If the purchased product is certified, the application returns the product's carbon credit. Ideally, the application calculates the volume or unit purchased in relation to the volume or unit registered in the database.At the end of this step, the application returns the purchase balance to the user, who must choose to keep the carbon credits in the application or whether to redeem the balance, in full or in part, at current monetary value.

[0038] 034 Therefore, if the user decides to keep the carbon credit balance in the application, the transaction ends and the user can redeem the balance whenever he or she deems most appropriate.

[0039] 035 However, if the user decides to redeem the balance in cash, the app informs the carbon credit generation administration fee and certifies the conversion value between the carbon credit and the monetary value at the time of the transfer. The app then transfers the monetary balance, after conversion, minus the administration fee, to the user's bank account at a previously registered financial institution, and finally, the transaction is completed with the user.

[0040] 036 However, simultaneously with the monetary transfer to the user, the application transfers the carbon credit balance to an in-app database, which manages the volume, in tons, for later trading on the free carbon credit market. This allows the carbon credit operator and manager to determine the best time to trade and sell the carbon credits in their portfolio.

[0041] 037 Thus, the invention allows any sustainable decision to be cataloged, validated, and marketed, whether in the form of carbon credits or monetary financial transfers, with the user ultimately in charge of this decision. The ability to account for and certify these credits through audits makes the tool a lever for actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, which is the primary contributor to global warming.

[0042] 038 The person skilled in the art will readily perceive, from the description and the drawing shown, several ways of carrying out the invention without departing from the scope of the attached claim.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 - METHOD OF MANAGING AND PROCESSING CARBON CREDIT, operated by means of a device (D) equipped with an executable application, which initially executes the steps of user registration to generate access login, vehicle registration and establishment registration, characterized in that the device (D) equipped with the executable application, executes the following steps: a) The user enters the establishment's identification number, such as CNPJ; b) The user scans or photographs or reads the QR Code of the coupon / invoice of the purchased merchandise; c) The user uploads the image of the coupon / invoice or information contained in the QR Code; d) The application separates and organizes the user's purchase data; e) The application identifies the purchased product; f) The application communicates with a product database to certify whether the purchased product is a beneficiary of the carbon credit;g) The application communicates with the database of previously registered products containing the carbon credit values; h) The application returns the carbon credit balance in the user's account, within said application; i) The user decides whether to keep the carbon credit balance in the application or to redeem it in the form of money; j) If in step (i) the user decides to keep the carbon credit balance in the application, the operation ends; k) If in step (i) the user decides to redeem the balance in the form of money, the application informs the administration fee for the generation of the; l) carbon credit and certifies the conversion value between the carbon credit and the monetary value at the time of transfer; m) The application transfers the monetary balance, after conversion, subtracting the administration fee, to the bank account, in a previously registered financial institution, of the user, the operation is completed; n) Simultaneously with step (I) the application transfers the balance in carbon credit to a database, which manages the volume, in tons, to be subsequently traded in the free carbon credit market.

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