System and method for monitoring and attributing sustainability attributes in material accounting systems

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability and, in particular, to monitoring and attributing sustainability attributes in material accounting systems to improve the environmental impact of chemical production networks by increasing transparency among value chain participants. The disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses and systems for generating, monitoring, and / or allocating sustainability attributes associated in a material accounting system used to produce a chemical product.

Description

[0001] SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND ATTRIBUTING SUSTAINABILITY ATTRIBUTES IN MATERIAL

[0002] ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability and, in particular, to monitoring and attributing sustainability attributes in material accounting systems to improve the environmental impact of chemical production networks by increasing transparency among value chain participants. The disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses and systems for generating, monitoring, and / or allocating sustainability attributes associated in a material accounting system used to produce a chemical product.

[0005] TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

[0006] In the chemical manufacturing value chain, the calculation, monitoring, and allocation of sustainability attributes (of both input materials and energy inputs) is of great interest. Transparency between the participants can aid the collective improvement of environmental attributes. The calculation, monitoring and allocating of sustainability attributes is hindered, however, by the lack of common data standards. The value chain is long, globalized, and includes many different types of stakeholders. There is a need to simplify data standards relating to the calculation, monitoring and allocating of sustainability attributes in the chemical manufacturing value chain.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In an aspect the disclosure relates to a method, e.g. a computer implemented method, for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material used to produce or for production of one or more chemical product(s), e.g. wherein the one or more chemical product(s) are produced by a chemical production or chemical production network using or based on the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network or the chemical production chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production or chemical production network, the method, e.g. performed by an operating system of the chemical production or chemical production network, comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to a virtual balancing account; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced e.g. based on using the input material for production; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, providing the at least one digital sustainability attribute associated with the input material for production of one or more chemical product(s).

[0009] In another aspect the disclosure relates to an apparatus for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material for production of one or more chemical product(s), e.g. wherein the one or more chemical product(s) are produced by a chemical production or chemical production network using or based on the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network or the chemical production chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production or chemical production network, the apparatus comprising: an input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; and at least one processor configured to (I) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (ill) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced based on the input material, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, an output interface configured to provide the at least one digital sustainability attribute associated with the input material for production of one or more chemical product(s).

[0010] In another aspect the disclosure relates to a system for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material for production of one or more chemical product(s), e.g. wherein the one or more chemical product(s) are produced by a chemical production or chemical production network using or based on the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production or chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production or chemical production network, the system comprising: an operating system including an input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; and at least one processor configured to (i) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (iii) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced based on the input material, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, an output interface configured to provide the at least one digital sustainability attribute associated with the input material for production of one or more chemical product(s) and a chemical production or a chemical production network configured to produce the one or more chemical product(s) based on or using the input material

[0011] In another aspect disclosed is a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, e.g. wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to a virtual balancing account; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced e.g. based on using the input material for production; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0012] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, e.g. wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the apparatus comprising: an input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; and at least one processor configured to (I) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (ill) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced e.g. based on using the input material for production, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0013] In an aspect disclosed is a computer-implemented method for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute of a chemical product, wherein the sustainability attribute is associated with an input material, e.g. wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to a virtual balancing account; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced ,g. based on using the input material for production; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, providing the digital sustainability credit for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute of the chemical product.

[0014] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute of a chemical product, wherein the sustainability attribute is associated with an input material, e.g. wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, e.g. wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the apparatus comprising: an input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; and at least one processor configured to (i) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (iii) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced e.g. based on using the input material for production, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, an output interface configured to provide the digital sustainability credit for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute of the chemical product

[0015] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account; producing the chemical product using the input material; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account; producing the chemical product using the input material; generating a material master record for a combination of the chemical product and the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material master record includes a product identifier associated with the material master record; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0016] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the system comprising: an input configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; a processor configured to (i) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (iii) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the system comprising: an input configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; a processor configured to (i) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (iii) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account, (v) generate a material master record for a combination of the chemical product and the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material master record includes a product identifier associated with the material master record, (vi) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product, and (vii) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0017] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a product, wherein the product is produced by a production network using the input material, wherein the production network converts input materials to products that exit the production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with an input material to a virtual balancing account; producing the product using the input material; providing an identifier associated with the product; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the product, wherein the product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the product.

[0018] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material, wherein the chemical production network chemically converts input materials via chemical intermediates to chemical products that exit the chemical production network, the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to a virtual balancing account; producing the chemical product using the input material; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0019] In yet another aspect disclosed is a computer element, in particular a computer program product or a computer readable medium, with instructions, which when executed on one or more computing node(s) are configured to carry out the steps of any of the methods disclosed herein. In yet another aspect disclosed is a computer element, in particular a computer program product or a computer readable medium, with instructions, which when executed by a processor cause any of the apparatuses disclosed herein to perform any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0020] Disclosed is in yet another aspect the use of one or more chemical products(s) associated with allocating sustainability attributes to two or more chemical products produced in a chemical production process of a chemical production plant as provided by any of the methods disclosed herein and / or produced by a chemical production network as provided by any of the methods disclosed herein to produce at least one discrete product or at least one end product associated with the one or more sustainability attribute(s). The at least one discrete product or the at least one end product may be an intermediate or end product of a product supply chain. The at least one discrete product or the at least one end product may be based on one or more chemical products(s). The at least one discrete product or the at least one end product may be produced by discrete manufacturing. Disclosed is in yet another aspect a method for producing at least one discrete product or at least one end product associated with attributing at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material to a chemical product, wherein the chemical product is produced by a chemical production network using the input material as provided by any of the methods disclosed herein and / or produced by a chemical production network as provided by any of the methods disclosed herein is provided and / or used to produce the at least one discrete product or at least one end product associated with the one or more sustainability attribute(s). In yet another aspect the present disclosure relates to a computer element with instructions, which when executed on one or more computing node(s) is configured to carry out the steps of the method(s) of the present disclosure or configured to be carried out by the apparatus(es) of the present disclosure.

[0021] Any disclosure, embodiments and examples described herein relate to the methods, the systems, apparatuses, chemical products and computer elements lined out above and below. Advantageously, the benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples equally apply to all other embodiments and examples.

[0022] EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The public, regulators, and financial investors are increasingly concerned with the environmental impacts of chemical production processes. Major companies, in turn, have announced ambitious plans to track and manage the environmental impacts associated with the production of their products. Transparency between the participants can aid the collective improvement in showing compliance with applicable standards (which, in the case of sustainability- related standards can improve environmental impacts). The chemical industry is in a transition period. The conventional (i.e., fossil-based) product portfolio is being incrementally expanded with sustainable chemical products through the substitution of conventional input materials with sustainable input materials. The sustainable input materials are chemically identical to their conventional counterparts and only differ in their sustainability characteristic(s) and their higher prices. It is infeasible to add dedicated production infrastructure due to the inherent duplication of infrastructure and hence excess production capacity (as well as the substantial upfront investments required). An immediate full substitution of conventional input materials with sustainable input materials is also unviable because (i) there is insufficient sustainable input material(s) on the market to meet the total demand, (ii) there is insufficient and volatile demand for sustainable chemical products, and (iii) many customers are not willing to pay the higher price for sustainable products.

[0024] As a result, the existing chemical production infrastructure must be utilized for both the production of conventional chemical products and sustainable chemical products. For example, the conventional input materials may be partly replaced by sustainable output materials depending on the demand for sustainable chemical products. This enables the offering and commercialization of a sustainable product portfolio in which sustainable products are produced inline with conventional products. In the production process, the conventional and sustainable input materials are chemically indistinguishable and inseparable.

[0025] A mass balance approach may be used to assign the sustainability attributes of sustainable input materials to conventional (i.e., fossil) chemical products to create more sustainable (or, for ease of reference, simply, sustainable) chemical products. In a certified mass balance approach, the sustainability attribute(s) is separated from a sustainable input material(s) into a virtualized carrier-construct called "digital sustainability credit.” The digital sustainability credit may be utilized to transfer the sustainability attributes, in-line (or parallel with) but outside of the chemical production process. Toward the end of the chemical production process (or at the point of sale), the digital sustainability credit may be allocated (or assigned to) a conventional chemical product to create a sustainable chemical product.

[0026] It can be challenging, however, to enable efficient production steering with transparency, in a mass balance approach, because material accounting functions are generally designed to track tangible materials rather than digital sustainability credits. Transparency may refer to the determination of, tracking, and attribution of value information (or data) for the sustainability attributes of sustainable input materials (e.g., fair margins, marginal prices, costs, and the like). For example, it may be challenging to efficiently steer the use of sustainable input materials, in a chemical production network, unless the material accounting functions provide transparency for the tracking and allocation of the value information (for the applicable sustainability attributes). It can also be challenging to monitor, track, and allocate the sustainability attributes from sustainable input materials to sustainable products, for example, in-line with the use of conventional input materials to produce conventional products. Only by overcoming these challenges can a company determine if, for example, the selling price of a sustainable product yields sufficient profit or if a sourcingprice of a sustainable input material enables a return.

[0027] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure may enable efficient production steering with transparency when producing sustainable products from sustainable input materials. According to the disclosure, material accounting mechanisms (e.g., a material ledger) are configured to enable material accounting functionality for intangible assets such as digital sustainability credit. For example, an operating system may be configured to assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit. The operating system may also be configured to monitor, track, value, and assign the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger via the material number. An operating system configured to assign a material to the digital sustainability credits and / or track them on a material ledger provides several technical benefits including enhanced traceability, efficient record-keeping, simplified auditing and reporting, and integration with existing systems. By assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, the digital sustainability credit can be uniquely identified and tracked throughout its lifecycle. This allows for enhanced traceability, ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of sustainability attributes. It becomes easier to monitor the movement and utilization of the credits, facilitating auditing processes and compliance verification. Tracking the digital sustainability credits on a material ledger provides a centralized and structured system for recording and storing information related to the credits. This helps in maintaining an organized and comprehensive record of the credits, including details such as their creation, allocation, valuation, and utilization. It simplifies data management and retrieval, reducing the chances of errors or discrepancies. The material ledger serves as a reliable source of information for auditing and reporting purposes. It allows for the generation of accurate and detailed reports on the utilization of digital sustainability credits, their value, and their impact on sustainable product creation. Auditors can easily verify the material accounting practices, ensuring compliance with regulations and industry standards. Assigning a material number and utilizing a material ledger may align with the existing infrastructure and systems that are commonly used in the chemical industry. This integration facilitates seamless compatibility with other enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, supply chain management tools, and financial software. It enables smooth data exchange and interoperability, minimizing the need for extensive system modifications or customizations. Overall, assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credits and tracking them on a material ledger brings technical advantages such as enhanced traceability, efficient record-keeping, simplified auditing and reporting, and seamless integration with existing systems. These benefits contribute to the effective implementation and management of the material accounting function within the digital solution.

[0028] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure may enable the allocation of the sustainability attributes of sustainable input materials to sustainable chemical products. When a sustainable input material is provided to a chemical production network, the operating system of the chemical production network may generate digital sustainability credits corresponding to the sustainability attribute(s) of the sustainable input material. The operating system may allocate the digital sustainability credits from (digital data representing) the sustainable input material to a virtual balancing account. The operating system may assign a material number to the digital sustainability credits allocated to the virtual balancing account. When producing a chemical product, the operating system may allocate the digital sustainability credits from the virtual balancing account to the chemical product (to create a sustainable product). The use of virtual balancing accounts for digital sustainability credits associated with sustainable input materials enables a digital system to generate, track, and allocate the sustainability attribute(s) of the renewable energy in line with the manufacturing of the products in an interconnected chemical production network.

[0029] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure may enable the accurate tracking and accounting of the cost of sustainability certificates that have been converted to digital sustainability credits and stored in a virtual balancing account. This may be necessary because the digital sustainability credits represent a material component that can be assigned to a chemical product to show that the chemical product was produced with sustainable input material(s). The challenge lies in the fact that these digital sustainability credits need to be stored for a certain period of time, and during this time, they may need to be accounted for as (quasi) materials. This requires a robust tracking and accounting system that can accurately record the cost of the sustainability certificates and the digital sustainability credits and assign them to the appropriate chemical products. Moreover, a reliable and secure system for tracking and accounting for digital sustainability credits can help encourage the use of sustainable input materials by providing a transparent and credible way to demonstrate that the chemical products were produced with sustainable input materials.

[0030] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure may enable a high level of automation in the generation, monitoring, and allocation of digital sustainability credits for products. For example, a digital system may be able to access data stores that include input material data, process data, and utility data (e.g., energy input data). The digital system may retrieve the applicable data to generate digital sustainability credit from sustainable input material(s) in-line with a chemical production process. The digital system may then automatically allocate the digital sustainability credits to a chemical product produced by the production process to increase the transparency of the environmental impacts of the energy input (and / or the production process). This can help stakeholders make more informed decisions about the allocation of resources, including process inputs, which can lead to more sustainable and efficient production processes.

[0031] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure provide an efficient way to track sustainability attributes in chemical processing and provide chemical products with positive environmental impact through the value chain. By using virtual balancing accounts with attribution rules for balancing sustainability attributes (and / or digital sustainability credits) associated with sustainable input materials, such attributes can be efficiently assigned to chemical products produced in chemical production networks. Specifically, for chemical networks that produce one or chemical product from one or more input material(s) using one or more sustainable input material(s) via interconnected, connected and non-connected production chains, the use of the virtual balancing accounts with attribution rules allows for the reliable assignment of sustainability attributes in line with the physical setup of the chemical production network and to tailor the digital assets associated with the chemical product to the needs of customers. The virtual balancing accounts and the associated metadata structure further allows to decouple the complexity in material flow of chemical production networks while still allowing to tailor environmental impact to each chemical product. This way the environmental impact of the produced chemical product can be determined in line with the physical set up of the chemical production network and tailored to the needs of customers. Moreover, the sustainability attribute(s) of the chemical products produced by the chemical production network can be made transparent to customers further processing the chemical products. By providing chemical product identifiers associated with at least one sustainability attribute, the sustainability attributes and as such the digital asset attached to the chemical product can be adjusted to customer needs.

[0032] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure will be outlined by way of examples. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to said embodiments and / or examples.

[0033] When a digital system manages the monitoring and attribution of sustainability attributes (from inputs to outputs) for a chain-of-custody method such as mass balancing there is a need to track and allocate the sustainability attributes of input materials across a production chain (e.g., in a large chemical production network). This is challenging because sustainable input material(s) and fossil-based (or conventional) input materials may be mixed, there may be a need to process and track certificates associated with renewable input material(s) (i.e., sustainability certificates), there may be a need to track and accurately account for the value of the sustainability characteristics associated with the certificates and / or the sustainable input material(s), and there may be a need to allocate the sustainability characteristics to particular chemical products to create sustainable products.

[0034] According to the disclosure, the above limitations may be addressed with a digital system (e.g., an operating system) that is configured to receive input material data associated with an input material. In some cases, the input material data may include a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material. Input material data refers to digital information related to the composition, quality, process at origin and source of the input materials (e.g., raw materials or feedstocks) used in a chemical production process. This data may include information on the quantity, physical properties, process at origin and origin of the input materials. It may also include information on any impurities, contaminants, or other quality attributes. The input material data may be provided via one or more digital documents including, for example, a purchase order, a sales order, an invoice, a material safety data sheet, and the like. The vendor may provide some (or all) of the input material data via an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and / or other digital systems.

[0035] The input material data may be received from a vendor who provides the corresponding input material. For example, the input material data may be digital data (e.g., electronic files or data structures) of a purchase order, material data safety sheet, certificate of analysis, regulatory compliance documents, an invoice, and the like. The input material data may be received from a third party (e.g., a consultant, an industry association, a certification body, a regulatory agency, and the like).

[0036] According to the disclosure, the input material data may also be received via a sustainability certificate (e.g., from a sustainability certificate registry). A sustainability certificate may refer to a tradable and verifiable instrument that represents the environmental attributes associated with a sustainable input material. The sustainability certificate may also refer to a tradable and verifiable instrument that represents the characteristics associated with corporate responsibility such as fair trade practices, fair pay, safe working conditions, guaranteed child labor free, and the like that may be associated with an input material. It may be used to support claims of using sustainable input material(s) to produce sustainable chemical product(s). Sustainability certificates may be issued and tracked by regulatory bodies, independent organizations, and the like to facilitate the transparent accounting and trading of sustainable input material attributes, allowing consumers and businesses to support and verify their use of sustainable input materials. Examples of sustainability certificates may include certificates from the Biogas Register, Biomethane Register Austria (AGCS), ENERGINET Denmark, Green Gas Certification Scheme (GGCS), and the like. A sustainability certificate may be a digital representation of a data structure that can be stored and transmitted as a digital file. A sustainability certificate can be represented as a digital file in a specific format, such as XML or JSON, that encapsulates the necessary information about the sustainability attributes. This digital file can be created, read, and processed by software applications designed to handle sustainability certificate data.

[0037] One category of input material data is sustainability data. Sustainability data may be digital information associated with the input material(s) or chemical product(s). The sustainability data may digitally specify the environmental impact of the input material or the chemical product and / or may indicate one or more sustainability attributes of the input material. The sustainability data may relate to fossil footprint or carbon footprint. The sustainability data may relate to a renewable, a bio-based and / or a recycled content, e.g., of the input material and / or chemical product. The sustainability data may include a qualitative data point relating to the type of impact e.g., in view of the input material or the chemical product. The sustainability data may specify a type such as a specific carbon footprint, recycled, renewable and / or bio-based or the like. The qualitative data point may be converted to a quantitative measure such as environmental units or balancing units (or digital sustainability credits). The sustainability data may include a quantitate data point relating to the type of impact e.g., in view of the input material or the chemical product, a specific carbon footprint, recycled content, renewable content or bio-based content or the like. The sustainability data may specify a carbon footprint, recycled, renewable and / or bio-based content or the like. The sustainability data may include further environmental characteristics of the input or chemical product. The sustainability data may be sourced from the input material vendor, a chemical product manufacturer, a sustainability data and consulting provider, and the like. A sustainability data and consulting provider refers to a company that may offer a range of services related to sustainability. These companies help businesses and organizations manage their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and improve their sustainability performance.

[0038] Sustainability attribute(s) may refer to any property or characteristic related to an environmental impact. Such property may be a property or characteristic of an energy input, an input material(s) and / or a chemical product(s). The sustainability attribute may indicate an environmental performance of an energy input(s), input material(s), input utility (or utilities), the chemical production network and / or chemical product(s). The sustainability attribute may be derived from properties of the energy input(s), input material(s), the chemical production network and / or the chemical product(s). The sustainability attribute may be associated with the environmental impact of one or more material(s) and / or input utilities at any stage during their lifecycle. The stages of the material or product lifecycle may include the stages of providing raw material, producing products, such as intermediate products or end products, using products, treating end-of-life products, recycling end-of-life products, disposing end-of-life products, reusing components from end-of-life products or any subset of stages. The sustainability attribute may be tracked through any activity of one or more entities participating at any stage of the lifecycle of one or more material(s) or product(s). The sustainability attribute may also refer to properties or characteristics associated with corporate responsibility such as fair trade practices, fair pay, safe working conditions, guaranteed child labor free, and the like. Sustainability attributes associated with any activity of one or more entities participating at any stage of the lifecycle of one or more material(s) or product(s) may be accumulated or aggregated.

[0039] The sustainability attribute may include one or more characteristic(s) that are attributable to environmental or sustainability impact of the energy input(s), input material(s), chemical product(s), intermediate product(s) and / or end product(s). The sustainability attribute may include environmental, technical, recyclability or circularity characteristics(s) associated with the environmental impact of the input material(s), chemical product(s), intermediate product(s) and / or end product(s). The sustainability attribute may be a digital asset associated with the input material, input utility (e.g., energy input), or chemical product. The sustainability attribute may digitally specify the environmental impact of the input material, input utility, or the chemical product. The sustainability attribute may relate to a carbon footprint. The sustainability attribute may relate to a renewable, a bio-based and / or a recycled content, e.g., of the input material and / or chemical product. The sustainability attribute may include a qualitative data point relating to the type of impact e.g., in view of the input material or the chemical product. The sustainability attribute may specify a type such as recycled, renewable and / or bio-based or the like. The qualitative data point may be converted to a quantitative measure such as digital sustainability credits (e.g., balancing units). The sustainability attribute may include a quantitative data point relating to the type of impact e.g., in view of the input material or the chemical product recycled content, renewable content or bio-based content or the like. The sustainability attribute may specify recycled, renewable and / or bio-based content. The term sustainable may refer to material that has renewable, bio-based and / or recycled content. For example, a sustainable input material may include recycled, renewable and / or bio-based content. It is to be appreciated that the sustainable input material may not necessarily be 100% based on sustainable (e.g., recycled, renewable, bio-based, and the like) content but may be a mixture of materials and at least some of those materials include sustainable content. Similarly, a sustainable chemical product may include recycled, renewable and / or bio-based content. The sustainability attribute may include further environmental characteristics of the input(s) or the chemical product(s).

[0040] A digital representation of a sustainability attribute refers to, for example, a digital file, a data structure or object in a digital system that encapsulates the information related to a specific sustainability attribute. The digital representation may include metadata that describes the attribute, such as its name, units of measure, and other relevant information. The representation may also include algorithms or formulas that calculate the value of the attribute based on relevant inputs or factors. The digital representation of a sustainability attribute may be designed to be used within a digital system, either as input to other functions or as output from them. The representation may be stored in a database or other data storage system and accessed through an application programming interface (API) or other software interface. The digital system may include software functions or modules that manipulate the digital representation of the sustainability attribute, such as aggregating data across multiple attributes or generating visualizations of the attribute's value over time.

[0041] According to the disclosure, the operating system may generate digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material. The term "digital sustainability credit” refers to a digital representation (or virtual asset) that represents the sustainability attributes of a material or energy input. The operating system may use various data structures to represent digital sustainability credit including a key-value pair or a structured object such as a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) object. The digital sustainability credit may be generated in multiple ways depending, for example, on whether the input material data is obtained with a sustainable input material, from a trader (other third party) or directly from a registry (e.g., a sustainability certificate).

[0042] If the input material data is obtained when receiving sustainable input material(s), the operating system may apply a virtual production process. A virtual production process refers to receiving input material data for a sustainable input material and producing digital sustainability credit (based on the sustainable input material) and also "producing” conventional input material (e.g., data describing the corresponding amount and / or value of the conventional input material). The virtual production process may apply a recipe that consumes the sustainable input material (as an input) and produces the digital sustainability credit (e.g., as a main product) and the conventional input material (e.g., as a by-product). The operating system may define the digital sustainability credit as the main product to more easily plan credit demands in the production planning. If the input material data is obtained from a sustainability certificate, the operating system may receive (a digital representation of) the sustainability certificate, verify the authenticity of the certificate, parse the certificate to extract relevant information, convert units as needed and generate a data structure representing the credits. According to the disclosure, the operating system assigns a material number to the digital sustainability credit. The material number may uniquely identify the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger. A "material number" may refer to a unique identifier that may be assigned to each distinct material or product within a material ledger. It may serve as a key reference for all processes and transactions related to that specific material. The material number may have a central role in inventory management, procurement, production planning, and supply chain operations. It may help to track the movement of materials throughout the manufacturing network, enabling accurate stock control, traceability, and efficient handling of materials. The material number may serve as a central point of reference for all relevant information associated with the material, including specifications, characteristics, units of measure, pricing, and other relevant data. This information may be used to maintain accurate inventory levels, determine reorder points, calculate costs, and facilitate effective decision-making within, for example, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. By using a standardized material numbering system, a system may establish consistency and enable seamless integration across various modules and functions, allowing for efficient management of material resources. By assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, the operating system enables the sustainability credits to be handled like a physical material, for example, with regards to inventory valuation in actual costing.

[0043] Assigning a material number to the sustainability credits provides several technical benefits. First, it allows for easier tracking and management of the credits throughout the production network. By treating the credits like a physical material, the operating system can more easily integrate them into inventory management systems and track their movement through the network. Secondly, assigning a material number to the credits enables the operating system to more accurately calculate the value of the credits. This is important because the value of the credits can be a significant cost associated with the network. By treating the credits like a physical material, the operating system can more easily integrate them into financial systems and ensure that their value is accurately reflected in financial reports. In addition, assigning a material number to the credits can help to increase transparency and accountability in the production network. Thirdly, assigning a material number to the credits may ensure that no credit is used twice or beyond its inventoried amount. By tracking the movement of the credits through the network, stakeholders can more easily verify that the credits are being accurately calculated and accounted for. This can help to build trust among stakeholders and demonstrate the network's commitment to sustainability.

[0044] A "material ledger” may refer to a module or component that tracks and manages the financial aspects of material movements within a large chemical manufacturing network. It may serve as a central repository of financial data related to materials, providing real-time visibility into inventory valuation, cost of goods sold (COGS), and other financial metrics. The material ledger may capture information such as purchase costs, production costs, overhead expenses, and any additional costs associated with material movements. The material ledger may be designed to integrate with other modules in an ERP system, such as procurement, inventory management, and production planning. It may enable accurate and timely recording of material transactions, to help ensure that financial data is up-to-date and reflects the true value of inventory. By capturing all cost elements related to material movements as well as consumption in individual production steps, the material ledger may allow for precise cost allocation and determination of product costs.

[0045] According to the disclosure, the operating system may calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit. The value may be calculated in various ways. For example, a sustainable input material may have a higher value (e.g., higher acquisition cost) than a corresponding conventional (i.e., fossil) input material (e.g., bio-naphtha versus naphtha), the operating system may calculate the value of the credit based on the difference in acquisition cost between sustainable and corresponding conventional input materials (e.g., assigning that difference as the value of the credit or converting that difference, e.g., to reflect currency conversions, currency value fluctuations, and the like). The calculation may be based on the standard price (or an average price, or a moving average price) for the conventional input material and / or the sustainable input material over a relevant period. The total actual price (e.g., where value = price x volume) value of conventional input material in the period may be the weighted average of the price received as well as additionally purchased quantities of the conventional input material valued at acquisition cost.

[0046] According to the disclosure, the operating system may allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account. Allocating digital sustainability credits to a virtual balancing account may involve several steps that ensure the proper management and tracking of the credits. For example, the operating system may first calculate the digital sustainability credits. The sustainability credits may include information such as the quantity of credits, the associated sustainability attributes, and metadata. The operating system may then allocate the credits to the virtual balancing account, based on predefined rules or criteria. The operating system may update the virtual balancing account to reflect the new credit allocation, adjusting the credit balance and maintaining a record of the allocation details. Later, when a chemical product is being produced, the operating system may retrieve the appropriate amount of digital sustainability credits from the virtual balancing account and assign them to the respective product. This assignment could be based on factors such as the sustainability attributes of the input material(s) used and / or the sustainability attributes associated with the product. The operating system may track the assigned credits, ensuring that they are properly utilized and accounted for in reporting. This may involve deducting the assigned credits from the virtual balancing account and updating the credit balance accordingly. The operating system may also generate reports or provide access to the allocated credits for transparency and auditing purposes. Overall, the allocation of digital sustainability credits to a virtual balancing account may involve receiving, updating, and tracking the credits, ensuring efficient management and utilization within the chemical production network.

[0047] The virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) may refer to a digital storage structure that stores data related to sustainability attributes. The account may be associated with metadata identifying the account for balancing sustainability attributes. The account may be associated with metadata identifying the sustainability attributes and the environmental or digital sustainability credits (e.g., balancing units) allocated to the account. The account may be associated with metadata identifying the production chain the account is associated with. The account may be associated with metadata identifying the input (material and or utility) or chemical product the account is associated with. The account may be part of a balancing system including multiple accounts. The account may hold digital sustainability credits for transaction. Sustainability attributes (or the digital sustainability credits representing the sustainability attributes) may be allocated, added, deleted, withdrawn, or deducted from the account. The virtual balancing account may be associated with sustainability attribute types such as recycled or renewable. The virtual balancing account may by associated with input energy types such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass or combinations thereof. The virtual balancing account may be associated with an allocation scheme such as segregated allocation, non-segregated allocation like book and claim, mass balance with free attribution, mass balance without free attribution or combinations thereof.

[0048] The at least one attribution rule may specify the attribution scheme associated with the account for balancing sustainability attributes. The at least one attribution rule may specify the attribution of sustainability attributes associated with energy input(s) (and / or input materials or other utilities) and the chemical production network to sustainability attributes associated with chemical products. The at least one attribution rule may depend on a chemical product identifier and a sustainability attribute. The at least one attribution rule may include instructions for attributing sustainability attributes from input materials to at least one account for balancing sustainability attributes. The at least one attribution rule may include instructions for deducting sustainability attributes from at least one account for balancing sustainability attributes. The at least one attribution rule may include instructions for attributing sustainability attributes from the account to chemical products or chemical product identifiers.

[0049] The operating system may be configured to access data related the inputs material(s), the input utilities (e.g., energy input and / or water input), the process(es) and / or the chemical product(s) produced by the chemical production network. The operating system may be configured to convert input material data used in the chemical production network to digital sustainability credits. The operating system may be configured to allocate the digital sustainability credits to at least one virtual balancing account associated with the energy input. The operating system may be configured to allocate at least a part of the digital sustainability credits from the at least one balancing account to the at least one chemical product.

[0050] The operating system may be configured to manage digital sustainability credits related to the input (utilities and / or materials) and chemical products produced by the chemical production network. In particular, the operating system may be configured to determine digital sustainability credits associated with the use of input material(s) impacting the environmental property / attribute of the chemical products produced by the chemical production network. The operating system may be configured to determine digital sustainability credits associated with the chemical product(s) and the environmental property of the chemical product(s). This way the operating system may be configured to allocate digital sustainability credits to virtual balancing accounts or to deallocate digital sustainability credits from the balancing accounts. The digital sustainability credits may be viewed as a credit that may be deposited in an account (e.g., a digital inventory) or deducted from an account related to the input and chemical products of the chemical production network. The operating system may be configured to register inbound sustainability attributes, to convert the inbound sustainability attributes to digital sustainability credits (and back as needed), and / or to assign outbound sustainability attributes and to manage inbound allocation as well as outbound assignment.

[0051] For allocation the one or more sustainability attribute(s) may be converted to digital sustainability credits and the digital sustainability credits may be allocated to the virtual balancing account. The one or more digital sustainability credits may be allocated to the at least one virtual balancing account associated with the respective sustainability attribute. The conversion may be based on a conversion factor such as an energy content of an input material, an amount of energy produced (e.g., measured in kilowatt-hours), carbon intensity (i.e., amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the generation or production of a unit of renewable energy), or any other suitable measure for quantifying the environmental impact of the sustainability attribute. By using digital sustainability credits and conversion it can be ensured that sustainability attributes of input materials are only used once for assignment to chemical products. This way double counting on input or output is avoided and the positive environmental impact can be reliable assigned to chemical products.

[0052] According to the disclosure, the digital sustainability credit may have the same identification properties as other materials (e.g., a material number) and therefore it can be consumed in production or sold to a customer. The digital sustainability credit may be allocated to a conventional product to create a sustainable product in multiple ways. For example, the credit may be bundled with the conventional product in a virtual production step to create a sustainable product. Alternatively, the credit may be allocated to a conventional product on a sales order level to create the sustainable product. If the credit is allocated to a conventional product in a virtual production step, then the credit may be included in the bill of materials of this production step. If the operating system allocates the credit to a conventional product during the processing of a sales order, the credit (e.g., sub item) is "consumed” when the related physical product (main item) is delivered.

[0053] Input material may refer to any substance or component that is used as a feedstock, raw material, intermediate, or similar element in a chemical production process. It may encompass a wide range of materials that are utilized as inputs to create or produce a desired chemical or product. These input materials may include natural resources, chemicals, compounds, or any other material that is required to undergo chemical reactions, processing, or transformation to yield the desired output.

[0054] A "production site" may refer to a physical location where chemical products are manufactured and produced. A production site may include various facilities and equipment, such as reactors, distillation columns, storage tanks, and utilities like power, water, and steam. The production site may be designed to ensure efficient and safe manufacturing of chemical products and may include various processes such as raw material handling, chemical synthesis, purification, and finishing. Fossil footprint or Product Fossil Footprint (PFF) may refer to the amount of petrochemical feedstocks (e.g., naphtha, crude oil, coal, and natural gas, or intermediates from feedstocks that, in turn, require a certain amount of naphtha, crude oil, coal, and natural gas) consumed in a production process at a manufacturing facility. PFF may be expressed as kilogram methane per kilogram (or methane equivalent).

[0055] The term carbon emission value refers to a quantitative measure of the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, typically expressed in units of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), that are associated with a specific product. Examples of a carbon emission value include carbon footprint or Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) which refer to a quantitative measure of the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted or removed in a production process at a manufacturing facility, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. The PCF can be assessed from cradle-to-gate (partial PCF) or from cradle-to-grave (total PCF). The PCF can include emissions from all stages of the product's life cycle, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal. It may be used to assess and reduce the environmental impact of a company's products and to communicate this information to consumers. The term greenhouse gases (GHG) refers to a gas that is capable of absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere, and contributing to the greenhouse effect. The most common greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases.

[0056] Carbon emission values such as PCF values may be represented in a structured data format, such as XML or JSON, which allows for easy exchange of PCF information between different digital systems. The digital representation of a PCF may also include metadata, such as the date of the PCF calculation, the standards or protocols used in the calculation, and any assumptions or uncertainties associated with the PCF calculation. This metadata may help to ensure transparency and accuracy in the PCF calculation and reporting process. These values can be stored as a numeric data type and can be associated with other relevant data points, such as the name of the product, the date of manufacture, and the supplier information. They can also be displayed in a user interface or dashboard as a graph, chart, or other visual representation to help users understand and compare the environmental impact of different products or processes. Additionally, the values can be integrated into digital tools and platforms to help individuals and organizations make more informed decisions around sustainability.

[0057] Mass balance refers to a chain-of-custody approach to account for materials entering and leaving a system. In the chemical industry, renewable or recycled (collectively, "sustainable”) input material is mixed in a continuously operating production process and allocated to the end products after chemical transformations have taken place. The mass balance approach is designed to track the amount and the sustainable characteristics of sustainable input material and attribute it based on verifiable bookkeeping. A mass balance product refers to a product that has been manufactured using a mass balance approach, which involves tracking the flow of sustainable materials entering and leaving a system and allocating them to the production of specific products. A conventional product refers to a product to which sustainable characteristics have not been allocated under a mass balance scheme (e.g., under a mass balance certification system). A given product may have a mass balance version (with sustainable characteristics allocated to under a mass balance scheme) and a conventional version (without sustainable characteristics allocated to under a mass balance scheme).

[0058] Sustainability data refers to data about the sustainability characteristics of a material (e.g., an input material). The sustainability data may include data such as: material numbers, PCF values, and the like. The sustainability data may be located in a data store. That data store may be a system, or database that provides the data or information to a digital system or application. It can be a file, a database, a web service, an application programming interface (API), or any other system or tool that provides data to a digital application. The data source may be queried, manipulated, and analyzed to extract insights and information. The data source can be internal or external to the system, and it can be accessed through various methods, including direct access, network access, and APIs.

[0059] Mass balance certification data refers to data associated with the certifications under one or more mass balance certification schemes. The mass balance certification data may include certification product data and sustainable feedstock demand data. The certification product data may include: production site certification data, conventional product identifiers for conventional products that are enriched by sustainable material substitution, mass balance product identifiers, certification scheme data (e.g., ISCC Plus, REDcert, etc.), and the like. The sustainable feedstock demand data may include: the type of sustainable input material(s) that are used, amount(s) of sustainable input material(s) to be acquired (e.g., under a certification scheme), percentage of fossil input material that is being substituted, and the like. The mass balance certification data may be located in a data store. That data store may be a system, or database that provides the data or information to a digital system or application. It can be a file, a database, a web service, an application programming interface (API), or any other system or tool that provides data to a digital application. The data source may be queried, manipulated, and analyzed to extract insights and information. The data source can be internal or external to the system, and it can be accessed through various methods, including direct access, network access, and APIs.

[0060] More generally, mass balance certification data may include input material data (data on the origin, quantity, quality, and characteristics of all input materials used in the production process), production data (data on the quantity, quality, and characteristics of products produced in the production process), transaction data (data on transactions involving input materials, products, and byproducts, including purchases, sales, transfers, and waste disposal), certification data (data on the certification status of input materials, products, and byproducts, including information on the certification body, certification type, and certification number), and / or traceability data (data on the traceability of input materials, products, and byproducts throughout the production process, including information on the batch number, lot number, and date of production).

[0061] The term "biogenic carbon” refers to carbon of renewable origin like agricultural, plant, animal, fungi, microorganisms, marine, or forestry materials living in a natural environment in equilibrium with the atmosphere. The term "fossil carbon” refers to carbon that is derived from non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. A standard may refer to a set of guidelines, rules, or requirements that establish a common framework or a consistent way of doing things. It may be a formal document that provides specifications, procedures, or criteria for products, services, processes, or systems, with the aim of ensuring quality, safety, reliability, interoperability, or other desirable characteristics. Standards may be developed and maintained by standards setting organizations (SSOs), which can be national, regional, international bodies or industry consortia. Standards are typically based on consensus among stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and other sectors. Standards can be voluntary or mandatory, and can be adopted by governments, businesses, or other organizations as a basis for regulation, procurement, or quality management. Standards can cover a wide range of topics, such as information technology, manufacturing, environmental management, and sustainability. They can be developed for specific industries, products, or processes, or can be general in nature, applicable to a wide range of applications.

[0062] A sustainability standard may refer to a set of requirements, guidelines, and criteria that define sustainable practices for a specific industry or product. Sustainability standards may be developed by organizations such as REDcert, ISCC, and RSPO, which are responsible for setting the criteria and may also oversee the certification process. These organizations may work with stakeholders from industry, civil society, and other sectors to develop standards that promote sustainable practices. Sustainability standards typically cover a wide range of topics, such as land use, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water management, mass balance, recycling, and circularity. They may document specific requirements and indicators for sustainable practices, and establish a certification process to verify compliance with these practices.

[0063] A certification system refers to the set of standards and guidelines for verifying the use of a standard (e.g., mass allocation to allocate sustainable feedstocks to sustainable products). Examples of certification systems may include REDcert2 and ISCC+. A certification body refers to the organization that conducts the actual certification process (e.g., applies the certification system to the candidate site, process and / or product). The certification body may be an independent third party who is accredited by a certification system (accreditation body) to perform audits, inspections and issue certificates according to the standards set in the scheme. A Certification Body refers to the organization that conducts the actual certification process (e.g., applies the Certification System to the candidate product

[0064] A certification body may be an independent organization that is responsible for verifying compliance with sustainability standards. Certification bodies may be authorized by an SSO to conduct audits and inspections of companies that seek certification under a standard. They may be accredited by third-party accreditation bodies to ensure that they meet certain criteria for impartiality, competence, and reliability. Certification bodies work with companies to assess their compliance with standards (e.g., sustainability standards) which can include requirements related to environmental performance. Certification bodies may evaluate companies' management systems, processes, and performance indicators to determine whether they meet the requirements of a standard. If a company meets the requirements of a standard, the certification body may issue a certificate that indicates the company (or a site(s), process(es), product(s) of the company) comply with the requirements of a standard (or standards). Partial compliance may refer to meeting at least some of the requirements of a standard. The certification body may also be responsible for ensuring the ongoing compliance of the certified company through regular audits and inspections.

[0065] Digital systems may use authentication and / or authorization technologies to control access to resources and to verify the identity of users. Authentication may refer to the process of verifying the identity of a user or a system. It may involve presenting credentials, such as a username and password, a digital certificate, or a biometric sample, and comparing them with records or standards to determine whether the user or system is authorized to access a particular resource or perform a specific action. Authorization may refer to the process of granting or denying access to a resource or a system based on the authenticated identity and the level of permission assigned to that identity. It may involve defining roles, rules, or policies that specify what actions or resources a user or system is allowed to access, and what actions or resources are restricted or prohibited.

[0066] Public and private keys may be used in digital systems to provide secure access to resources and to verify the identity of users. Public and private keys are part of a cryptographic system known as public-key cryptography. In this system, each user has a pair of keys - a public key and a private key - that are mathematically related but cannot be derived from one another. The public key may be used to encrypt data and may be available to others who may want to send encrypted data to the user. The private key may be kept secret and may be used to decrypt data that has been encrypted with the public key.

[0067] There may be various types of audits including: on-site audits, remote audits, paper audits and / or virtual audits. An on-site audit may refer to a third party (or customer) comes to the manufacturing site to perform an audit. A remote audit may be conducted remotely by the third party (or customer) using digital platforms for meetings and to gather data and other information. A paper audit may involve (1) an auditor providing a questionnaire to the manufacturer and (2) the manufacturing completing and returning the questionnaire to the auditor. A virtual audit may refer to the use of digital platforms to enable an auditor to conduct the audit remotely. A virtual audit may use virtual reality and remotely accessible data stores to significantly reduce (or even eliminate) the need for interaction between the auditor and the plant personnel.

[0068] A certificate may refer to a credential issued by the certification body to indicate that the company (or a site, location, plant, product, legal entity, etc. of the company) or product has met the requirements of the certification system. The certificate serves as evidence that the company or product has been audited by an independent third-party certification body and has been found to comply with the relevant standards and requirements. The certificate typically includes information such as the name and address of the certified company, the scope of the certification (e.g., which products or processes are covered), the name of the certification body, the date of issue, and the date of expiration. The certificate is usually valid for a specific period of time and may require ongoing audits or surveillance to maintain certification. The certificate can be an important marketing tool for the certified company, as it demonstrates a commitment to quality and compliance with industry standards. A digital identifier is a unique code or set of characters that is assigned to a specific entity, such as a person, organization, or resource, to distinguish it from others. Digital identifiers may serve as labels or handles that enable digital systems to recognize and track entities across different contexts and applications. They can be used to retrieve or link to digital resources, such as data, documents, images, videos, or web pages, and to manage access or permissions to these resources. Digital identifiers can take various forms, such as email addresses, usernames, domain names, IP addresses, or digital certificates. They can be assigned by different organizations or authorities, such as domain registrars, social media platforms, or government agencies, and can be used for different purposes, such as authentication, authorization, or identification. The use of digital identifiers may enable efficient and secure communication and data exchange among different entities.

[0069] Digital proof may refer to a cryptographic mechanism that provides verifiable evidence of the authenticity of a digital credential without revealing the underlying data. Digital proofs may be generated by combining the digital credential with a cryptographic proof, such as a digital signature or a zero-knowledge proof, to create a tamper-evident, cryptographically secure record that can be shared with others. The digital proof may include metadata about the credential, such as the issuer, the credential holder, the date of issuance, and other relevant information, as well as a cryptographic signature that verifies the integrity of the data.

[0070] A network node may refer to a device or computer that is connected to a network and is capable of sending, receiving, or forwarding data. The network node be any type of device that is connected to the network, such as a server, a router, a switch, a mobile device, an loT device, or a personal computer. In the context of the digital credential scheme, each entity (e.g., Issuer, Holder, and Verifier) may have its own network node that may allow it to interact with a distributed ledger that stores the digital credentials. The network nodes may communicate with each other to ensure the integrity and security of the system, and to facilitate the exchange of digital credentials between the different entities.

[0071] According to the disclosure, a digital system may use sustainability data, process data, and / or utility data to generate, monitor, and allocate digital sustainability credits for products. The digital sustainability credits may be associated with a sustainability attribute of an energy input and / or an input material. For example, the digital sustainability credits may be associated with a renewable energy attribute of the input energy for a chemical process. Similarly, the digital sustainability credits may be associated with the sustainability attributes of an input material such as bio-naphtha.

[0072] Process data (or recipe or bill of material) refers to a digital record that describes the process by which one or more input materials are converted into one or more chemical products. The process data typically includes detailed information on the steps and conditions of the chemical reaction, such as the temperature, pressure, and duration of each step, as well as any catalysts, reagents, or other materials used in the process. The process data can comprise information about which by-products are obtained in which amount for one or more process step(s). Process data may be stored and managed in digital systems, such as process control systems or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. They may be used by operators, engineers, and other personnel involved in the production process to ensure that the process is carried out consistently and efficiently, and that the resulting products meet the required specifications and quality standards.

[0073] Energy input data refers to digital information related to the amount, cost, composition, quality, and / or source of the energy (e.g., electricity) used in a chemical production process. This data may include details about the quantity and type of energy inputs such as electricity. The energy input data may be provided via one or more digital documents including, for example, an EAC, a purchase order, a sales order, an invoice, a material safety data sheet, and the like. The registry or vendor (and / or a third party) may provide some or all of the input material data via an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and / or other digital systems. It may also include information on any impurities, contaminants, or other quality attributes.

[0074] One category of energy input data is sustainability data. Sustainability data may be digital information associated with the energy that is provided. The sustainability data may digitally specify the environmental impact of the utility or the chemical product and / or may indicate one or more sustainability attributes of the provided energy. The sustainability data may relate to amount of renewable energy, fossil footprint and / or carbon footprint. The sustainability data may relate to a renewable content, e.g., of the energy. The sustainability data may include a qualitative data point relating to the type of impact e.g., in view of the energy. The sustainability data may specify a type such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, ocean, biofuels, and the like. The qualitative data point may be converted to a quantitative measure such as digital sustainability credits, environmental units or balancing units (or credits). The sustainability data may specify renewable attributes of the energy. The sustainability data may include further environmental characteristics of the energy. The sustainability data may be sourced from the energy vendor, an EAC registry, a consulting provider, and the like.

[0075] A utility may refer to a resource or service that is necessary for the operation of a plant and the execution of its processes. Utilities may include essential inputs such as energy, water, steam, compressed air, cooling water, nitrogen, electricity, chemicals, solvents, and other resources that are required to facilitate various stages of chemical production, such as reaction, separation, purification, and transportation.

[0076] Environmental characteristic(s) may specify or quantify ecological criteria associated with the products environmental impact. Environmental characteristic(s) may be or may be produced or derived from measurements taken during the lifecycle of one or more product(s). Environmental characteristics may be determined at any stage of the product lifecycle and may characterize the environmental impact of the product for such stage or up to such stage. Environmental characteristic(s) may for example include impact categories such as fossil footprint, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions or global warming potential, primary energy demand, cumulative energy demand, biotic and abiotic resource consumption, air emissions, stratospheric ozone depletion potential, ozone formation, terrestrial and / or marine acidification, water consumption, water depletion, water availability, water pollution, noise pollution, freshwater and / or marine eutrophication potential, human carcinogenic and / or non-carcinogenic toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial, freshwater and / or marine ecotoxicity, ionizing radiation, agricultural and / or urban land occupation, land transformation, land use, indirect land use, deforestation, biodiversity, mineral resource consumption, fossil resource consumption, and / or feedstock demand (e.g., sustainable feedstock demand and / or fossil feedstock demand).

[0077] Environmental characteristic(s) may be calculated from combinations of one of more environmental characteristics. Environmental characteristic(s) may for example include product or material characteristics related to the production of the material or product like renewable, bio based, vegan, halal, kosher, palm oil-free, natural or the like.

[0078] In an embodiment, receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material further comprises: receiving a digital representation of a sustainability certificate, wherein the digital representation of the sustainability certificate includes sustainability data.

[0079] In an embodiment, calculating the value for the digital sustainability credit further comprises: extracting certificate acquisition cost data from the digital representation of the sustainability certificate; and calculating the value for the digital sustainability credit based on the certificate acquisition cost data.

[0080] In an embodiment, receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material further comprises: receiving a digital representation of the input material, wherein the digital representation of the input material includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material.

[0081] In an embodiment, generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material further comprises: applying a virtual production process to the digital representation of the input material to produce the digital sustainability credit as a main product and a digital representation of conventional input material as a byproduct.

[0082] In an embodiment, the computer-implemented method further comprises generating a material master record for a combination of the chemical product and the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material master record includes a product identifier associated with the material master record.

[0083] In an embodiment, assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product further comprises: assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the chemical product during the processing of a sales order.

[0084] In an embodiment, the digital sustainability credit further comprises a quantity of energy generated attribute, wherein the value of the quantity of energy generated attribute corresponds to the quantity of renewable energy generated to produce the energy attribute certificate.

[0085] In an embodiment, the digital sustainability credit further comprises an expiration attribute indicating when the digital sustainability credit expires.

[0086] In an embodiment, the material number is specific to a production site.

[0087] In an embodiment, the production site acquires the energy input and the digital sustainability credits.

[0088] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0089] In the following, the present disclosure is further described with reference to the enclosed figures. The same reference numbers in the drawings and this disclosure are intended to refer to the same or like elements, components, and / or parts.

[0090] FIG. 1a-c illustrate examples of chemical processes with multi input-multi output relations.

[0091] FIG. 2 illustrates a chemical production network including multiple chemical processes.

[0092] FIG. 3 illustrates a sub-cluster of a chemical production network including multiple chemical processes.

[0093] FIG. 4. illustrates multiple sub-clusters forming a chemical production network.

[0094] FIGs. 5A-5C illustrate examples of a chemical production network producing chemical product(s) from input material(s) and energy input(s) in connection with an operating system including an attribute management system for sustainability attributes.

[0095] FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of monitoring, attributing, and managing sustainability attributes, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0096] FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating selected portions of a material ledger according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of monitoring, attributing, and managing sustainability attributes associated with an energy input, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0097] FIG. 8A illustrates selected aspects of a data model for an Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0098] FIG. 8B illustrates selected aspects of a data model for digital sustainability credit according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0099] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a system for monitoring, managing, and attributing sustainability attributes associated with energy input(s), according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0100] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of another system for monitoring, managing, and attributing sustainability attributes associated with energy input(s), according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0101] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of another system for monitoring, managing, and attributing sustainability attributes for products, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0102] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0103] The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability and, in particular, to monitoring and attributing sustainability attributes in material accounting systems to improve the environmental impact of chemical production networks by increasing transparency among value chain participants. The disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses and systems for generating, monitoring, and / or allocating sustainability attributes associated in a material accounting system used to produce a chemical product.

[0104] The disclosed system and process can be applied to a wide variety of products that are made from input materials and energy inputs, such as chemical products or precursor products. The term "product" may refer to any commodity that can be sold to others at any point in the value chain. This may include end products for end users (e.g., cars, paints, toys, or medicines). This may also include goods that are typically sold to other companies for further processing (e.g., steel parts for machinery, plastic pellets for extrusion, or chemical compounds such as acrylic acid to make superabsorbents for diapers). This may also include goods that are very early in the value chain such as crude oil fractions (e.g., naphtha), agricultural products (e.g., soybeans), or purified sand for glass production.

[0105] FIGs. 1a-c illustrate examples of chemical processes with multi input-multi output relations.

[0106] Chemical processes may include different process steps for producing one or more output material (s) from one or more input material(s). The chemical process may include at least one process step involving at least one chemical reaction. The chemical process may produce from multiple input materials multiple output materials. Chemical process steps include for example oxidation, reduction, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydrolysis, hydration, dehydration, halogenation, nitrification, sulfonation, amination, alkylation, dealkylation, esterification, polymerization, polycondensation, catalysis, fermentation, mixing, separation, purification or the like. The process steps may be performed sequentially in time and / or space to chemically transform of input materials to output materials.

[0107] FIG. 1 A illustrates input materials 102 and 104 and energy input 105 fed to the chemical process 100. Energy input 105 may renewable energy, fossil energy, or a combination thereof. The input materials 102 and 104 are chemically processed to output materials 106 and 108. The output materials 106 and 108 may include one main product and at least one by-product. In chemical reactions, the yield of one output material is typically below 100 %, because of side reactions and losses upon purifications. Hence chemical processes may produce multiple output materials. The main product may signify the product of interest and the by-product may signify the further output product that is unavoidably obtained by the chemical process. The by-product may be an intermediate which can be used as reagent in another chemical process. The chemical process including the feed of input materials and the produced quantity of output materials may be monitored by sensors 110 providing production monitoring data.

[0108] FIG. 1B illustrates input materials 102, 103, 104 fed to the chemical process 100. The input materials 102, 103, 104 are chemically processed to output materials 106, 108 as described in the context of Fig. 1a. In addition to the output materials 106, 108 a waste stream 112 may be produced by the chemical process. The waste stream may include any output material that cannot be used as reagent in another chemical process.

[0109] FIG. 1C illustrates input materials 102, 104 fed to the chemical process 100. The input materials 102, 104 are chemically processed to output materials 106, 108 as described in the context of Figs. 1a and 1b. In addition to the output materials 106, 108 a refeed stream of input material 114 may be produced and reused by the chemical process.

[0110] FIG. 2 illustrates a chemical production network including multiple chemical processes.

[0111] FIG. 2 illustrates the networked nature of the chemical production network. Multiple chemical processes are interlinked via their input-output material relation. For example, the output materials 206, 208 of chemical process 204 may be the input material of chemical processes 214, 216. Chemical process 214 may produce from the input materials 210 and 206 the output materials 218, 222 and waste stream 220. Output material 218 may exit the chemical production network as end products. The input material 210 may be fed to the chemical process 214 from the outside of the chemical production network. The input material 206 may be fed to the chemical process 214 from the chemical process 204 of the chemical production network. Similarly chemical process 216 may produce from the input materials 208 and 212 the output materials 224-230. Output materials 228 and 230 may exit the chemical production network as end products. Chemical process 232 may produce from the input materials 222, 224, 226 the output materials 234, 236. Output materials 234, 236 may exit the chemical production network as end products. This way the chemical production network may use interlinked or interrelated chemical processes to produce output products leaving the chemical production network. The interlinking or interrelation may include at least one intermediate of one chemical process being used as input material to one or more chemical process(es) downstream the one chemical process.

[0112] FIG. 3 illustrates a sub-cluster of a chemical production network including multiple chemical processes.

[0113] A chemical production network may include multiple plants performing chemical processes 312, 310, 318 and forming sub-clusters 300 of the chemical production network. The input material 302, 304 may be fed into chemical process 310. The input materials 306, 308 may be fed into chemical process 312. The output materials 320, 324 may be provided as end products of the subcluster 300 and exit the subcluster 300. The output materials 314 and 316 of chemical processes 310, 312 may be provided as input materials to chemical process 318. The output materials 322, 324 may be provided as end products of the subcluster 300 and exit the subcluster 300.

[0114] FIG. 4 illustrates multiple sub-clusters forming a chemical production network.

[0115] The chemical production network 400 may include multiple subclusters 410, 412, 422. The input materials 402, 404, 406, 408 may be fed to subclusters 410, 412. The output material 416 from subcluster 416 and the output material 418 from subcluster 412 may be fed as input material to subcluster 422. In addition, input material 414 may enter the chemical production network 400 and be fed to subcluster 422. The output materials 424, 426, 428 may exit the chemical production network as end products.

[0116] As illustrated in FIGs. 1 to 4 the chemical production network 400 may include multiple chemical processes 100, which may be arranged in subclusters 410, 412, 422. The chemical processes 100 or subclusters 410, 412, 422 may be connected to form a network with multiple production chains interrelated via their material flow. The chemical production network may form part of a discrete product supply chain, wherein the discrete product is produced from one or more chemical outputs or output materials proved by the chemical production network.

[0117] FIG. 5A illustrates an example of a chemical production network 500 producing two or more chemical product(s) from one or more input material(s) and one or more energy inputs in connection with an operating system 501 including an attribute management system 540 to manage the sustainability attributes (and associated digital credits) of input materials, energy inputs, and / or chemical product(s). Chemical production network 500 is described above with reference to FIGs. 1-4.

[0118] Operating system 501 is a digital operating system configured to collect, store, manage and interpret a wide range of production and / or business data for chemical production network 500. Operating system 501 may be part of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Alternatively, operating system 501 may be partly implemented in an ERP system and partly implemented in one or more additional systems which may be communicatively coupled with an ERP system. Operating system 501 may also be implemented in one or more systems outside of an ERP system.

[0119] In the illustrated embodiment, Input materials 502-506 and energy input(s) 508 are provided to chemical production network 500 at the feed-in point 512. In alternative embodiments, input materials 502-506 and / or energy input(s)508 may be provided to a process at a location other than feed in point 512. The input materials may include conventional fossil feedstock 502 (e.g., naphtha) as well as sustainable input materials 504-506. Energy input(s) 508 may include conventional fossil energy input and / or renewable energy input. In an embodiment, energy input 506 is an energy input with one or more sustainability attributes (or, simply, sustainable energy input). The sustainable input materials may include renewable input materials (such as biogas and / or bio-naphtha, e.g., 504) and / or recycled input materials (e.g., pyrolysis oil, 506). After they are delivered to chemical production network 500, the conventional input materials 502, the sustainable input materials 504-506, and / or energy input 508 may be used in one or more chemical production processes of chemical production network 500.

[0120] Input material data for sustainable input material 504 is provided to operating system 501 at 522. Similarly, input material data for sustainable input material 506 is provided to operating system 501 at 524. For example, the goods receipt (and / or a BOM and / or a chemical production recipe) including the input material data for the sustainable input material(s) may be electronically provided to operating system 501 when, for example, sustainable material 504 and / or sustainable material 506 is delivered to chemical production network 500.

[0121] Operating system 501 may receive input material data 522-524 through an interface to a local or a remote database or an ERP system, in particular its supply chain module, or any computing system or apparatus, such as a centralized or decentralized computing system or apparatus including processing and storage. Alternatively, the input material data may be a digital representation of (all or a part of) a sustainability certificate 503 from, for example, a sustainability certificate registry. The input material data for each input material may hence be gathered from an ERP system or any computing system or apparatus, such as a centralized or decentralized computing system or apparatus including processing and storage. In some cases, the input material data of each input material is gathered through an interface to more than one database. It therefore may be necessary to convert the information retrieved from different databases into a single format to allow further processing. In particular, the input material data obtained from databases may be attributed to the input material via the identification of an input material in the database that has to be translated to the identification of the input material used in the process according to the present disclosure. Similarly, the input material data obtained from databases may be attributed to the input material input via the identification of an input material in the database that has to be translated to the identification of the input material of the process data used in the process according to the present disclosure.

[0122] Operating system 501 may calculate a digital sustainability credit associated with sustainable input material(s) 504- 506. The digital sustainability credit may be a digital representation of the sustainability attribute(s) of sustainable input material(s) 504-506 (or a portion thereof). The digital representation may encapsulate various factors such as an amount of renewable energy and / or a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It may include specific details regarding the sources of the sustainable input materials, such as biogas or pyrolysis, as well as the corresponding quantity, value, and / or other metadata. Additionally, the digital representation may encompass information related to energy efficiency measures implemented during the production process, such as the use of energy-saving equipment or technologies. The calculation of the digital sustainability credit may involve multiple steps including, for example: (1) extracting the applicable data from the input material data, (2) validating the extracted data, (3) converting the data into a structured formatted (e.g., JSON or XML) for easier manipulation, and (4) credit calculation (e.g., as determined by the amount of sustainable input material).

[0123] According to the disclosure, operating system 501 may apply a virtual production step to calculate the digital sustainability credit. Virtual production refers to receiving input material data for a sustainable input material and applying a production recipe to the input material data to produce the digital sustainability credit (and a corresponding amount of conventional input material). For example, operating system 501 may initiate a virtual production process when it receives energy input material data for sustainable input material 506. The virtual production process may parse the input material data and apply a corresponding recipe. For example, the virtual production process may determine an amount of credit (e.g., associated with the input material data), cost associated with the sustainable input material, amount of sustainable input material, and the like.

[0124] FIG. 5B illustrates two examples of calculating digital sustainability credit according to the disclosure. In the virtual production example 580, the input material data is obtained when receiving sustainable input material(s). Operating system 501 may apply a virtual production process to produce digital sustainability credit 586 (e.g., as a main product) and conventional input material 588 (e.g., as a by-product). The virtual production process may apply a recipe that consumes the sustainable input material (as an input) and produces the digital sustainability credit (e.g., as a main product) and the conventional input material (e.g., as a by-product). The operating system may define the digital sustainability credit as the main product to more easily plan credit demands in the production planning. Alternatively, the input material data may be received as (or obtained or sourced from) a sustainability certificate as shown by 582. Operating system 501 may receive (a digital representation of) the sustainability certificate 590, verify the authenticity of the certificate, parse the certificate to extract relevant information, convert units as needed and generate a data structure representing the credits 592.

[0125] In an embodiment, sustainable input materials 504-506 may be used in a chemical production process that produces one or more chemical products. For example, operating system 501 may parse process data for the chemical production process and determine that it will create a chemical product. Operating system 501 may then create a virtual balancing account associated with the chemical product and / or sustainable input material. For example, if input material 506 is an input to the process, then operating system 501 may create virtual balancing account 536. Operating system 501 may convert the input sustainability attribute(s) of sustainable input material 506 to digital sustainability credits (e.g., corresponding to the energy content of input material 506) and apply an allocation rule (e.g. , by amount of energy, energy source, type of sustainability attribute, expiration date, and / or other predefined allocation rule) to allocate the digital sustainability credits to virtual balancing account 536.

[0126] Similarly, if sustainable input material 504 is an input to the process, operating system 501 may convert the input sustainability attribute of sustainable input material 504 to digital sustainability credits (e.g., corresponding to the amount of mass in the sustainable input material) and apply a proportionality rule (e.g., by mass, oxidation number, economic value, and / or other predefined proportionality rule) to allocate the digital sustainability credits to virtual balancing accounts 534. The conversion may include a conversion factor that takes account of the chemical difference between fossil-based input materials, such as naphtha and methane, and non-fossil input materials, such as biogas or pyrolysis oil. The conversion factor may relate to the lower heating value of the pyrolysis oil in relation to the lower heating value of naphtha or methane. The conversion factor may include the ratio of the lower heating value of pyrolysis oil to naphtha or methane. This way the chemical difference between the fossil and the renewable input material can be taken into account.

[0127] Virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) 534 may determine and track both the amount (e.g., volume and / or mass) and the value of sustainable input material 504. For example, operating system 501 may parse input material data 522 to determine the amount of sustainable input material(s) 504 that was received. Operating system 501 may then credit virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) 534 with digital sustainability credit calculated from the amount of sustainable input materials that were received.

[0128] Similarly, virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) 536 may determine and track both the amount (e.g., volume and / or mass) and the value of input material 506. For example, operating system 501 may parse input material data 524 to determine the amount of sustainable input material 506 that was received. Operating system 501 may then credit virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) 536 with digital sustainability credit calculated from the amount of sustainable input energy that was received.

[0129] Operating system 501 may also determine a value associated with the digital sustainability credits it adds (or deposits, credits, allocates, attributes) to virtual balancing accounts (or digital inventories) 534-536. For example, operating system 501 may determine a cost associated with sustainable input material 506. Similarly, operating system 501 may parse input material data to determine the cost of acquiring sustainability certificate 503. Operating system 501 may compute the difference in cost between sustainable input material 506 and a corresponding equivalent conventional input material to determine the value of the digital sustainable credits (or balancing units). Operating system 501 may use average price, actual price, market price or other suitable values to determine the cost of the equivalent amount of fossil input materials or conventional input material. Operating system 501 stores and tracks the amounts and values corresponding to sustainable input materials in virtual balancing account (or digital inventories) 534-536. For example, the digital sustainability credits (or balancing units) stored in virtual balancing account (or digital inventory) 536 may include the amount and / or value information corresponding to conventional input material 506. Operating system 501 includes amalgamating system 546 to create sustainable chemical products by combining digital sustainability credits (or balancing units) with conventional products. For example, operating system 501 processes an order for a product 552-564. If the customer purchased a conventional chemical product 552-558, operating system 501 may process the purchase using conventional product digital inventory 542-544.

[0130] If, however, the customer purchased a sustainable chemical product, operating system 501 may direct amalgamating system 546 to combine digital sustainability credits (or balancing units) from one or both of digital inventories (or virtual balancing accounts) 534-536 with corresponding conventional products from one or both of digital inventories 542-544. Amalgamating system 546 may generate a digital asset (which may or may not be incorporated into another record such as a BOM and / or sales record) 572-574 that defines (or specifies) a sustainable product from the combination of digital sustainability credits (or balancing units) and conventional product(s). For example, amalgamating system 546 may create a sustainable product by combining conventional product 544 with sustainability attributes from digital inventory 536 as shown by 574. Similarly, amalgamating system 546 may create a sustainable product by combining conventional product 542 with sustainability attributes from digital inventory 534 as shown by 572. Thus, operating system 501 enables chemical production network 500 to efficiently create multiple sustainable products from multiple input materials and energy inputs (including renewable energy inputs) that are combined with fossil input materials and / or fossil energy in a large interconnected chemical production network.

[0131] FIG. 5C illustrates two examples of combining digital credits with conventional chemical products to produce sustainable chemical products, according to the disclosure. In the "make to stock” example shown at 581, operating system 501 bundles a conventional chemical product with one or more types of digital sustainability credit (at 585) to produce sustainable chemical product 587. Operating system 501 may generate a material master record for the combination of conventional chemical product with one or more types of digital sustainability credit. A material master record refers to a central repository of data that contains detailed information about a specific material or product within, for example, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It may serve as a comprehensive and authoritative source of information for managing and tracking materials throughout their lifecycle within an organization. The material master record may include various attributes and data points (which may broadly be referred to as material master data). For example, the material master data may include: basic information (such as the unique material identifier / number, description, group, category, and the like), classification data (e.g., industryspecific attributes, product hierarchy, or industry standards), purchasing and supply chain data (vendor information, unit of measure, pricing, lead times, and reorder points), inventory and warehouse management data (such as stock levels, storage locations, batch management, and other inventory-related parameters), production planning and manufacturing data (e.g., bill of materials or BOM), quality management data (such as inspection characteristics, sampling procedures, quality control results, and quality certificates), sales and distribution data (e.g., sales and distribution processes, such as pricing conditions, customer-specific data, and sales order requirements) and / or financial and accounting data (e.g., data related to cost accounting, valuation, and financial aspects of the material, such as standard cost). In the "configure to order” example shown at 583, the digital sustainability credits are bundled with a conventional product to produce a sustainable product close in time to when the physical product is delivered to a customer. The conventional product may have (or may be assigned) a dedicated material number when it is combined with digital sustainability credit directly on the sales order to produce a sustainable product. The sustainable product may not include the cost of the digital sustainable credit yet. The prices of the sustainable product and the digital sustainability credit may be combined as part of the calculation for the sales price. For the purposes of internal reporting and in order to facilitate business steering, operating system 501 may have access to the applicable price and cost information (e.g., from the material ledger). This enables the tracking and monitoring of data related to profitability, additional costs, and marginal prices (besides others) of sustainable products. According to the disclosure, operating system 501 may store (monitor, calculate, and / or track) detailed information, such as individual sales prices, excess manufacturing costs and inventory values, on a granular level in established applications via specially enabled processes and adapted transactions. In the illustrated example, operating system 501 bundles a conventional chemical product with one or more types of digital sustainability credit (at 589), on a sales order level, to produce sustainable chemical product 591.

[0132] Operating system 501 may be configured to provide an identifier (e.g., a decentral identifier) associated with a physical entity of a produced chemical product (or other chemical product). For example, operating system 501 , may be configured to link the decentral identifier to a physical identifier of the chemical product. Operating system 501 may be configured to assign the decentral identifier to the physical identifier connected to the chemical product. The production operating apparatus may be configured to assign the decentral identifier to the physical identifier physically connected to the chemical product.

[0133] The decentral identifier may relate to data associated with at least one chemical product produced by the chemical production network, wherein the one or more sustainability attribute(s) associated with the at least one chemical product are derived from one or more sustainability attribute(s) associated with the input material(s) and / or energy input(s). The one or more sustainability attribute(s) associated with the chemical product(s) may be associated with the one or more input materials), one or more energy input(s) and / or the chemical process(s) used to produce the chemical product(s). The decentral identifier may relate to any identifier uniquely associated with the chemical product. The decentral identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product. The decentral identifier may refer to a single batch of the chemical product. The decentral identifier may be associated with a group of chemical product(s). The identifier may refer to multiple physical entities of the chemical product(s). The decentral identifier may be associated with continuous or semi- continuous stream of the chemical product. The identifier may refer to a stream of the chemical product e.g. over a certain time period.

[0134] FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of monitoring, attributing, and managing sustainability attributes, according to an embodiment of the invention. An operating system (e.g., operating system 501 , shown in FIG. 5A) acquires conventional input material 602 and stores it in conventional input inventory 624. According to the disclosure, the operating system may generate digital sustainability credits in two or more ways. For example, it may acquire sustainable input material 604 and apply virtual production step 610 to produce digital sustainability credits 618 (as a main product) and conventional input material 612 (as a by-product). Alternatively, the operating system may acquire sustainability certificate 606 and generate digital sustainability credit 608 from certificate 606 (e.g., by extracting the data from a digital representation of the certificate to create a data structure for the credit). Valuation module 620 may be configured to generate value data for digital sustainability credits 608 and 618. The operating system may assign a material number to digital sustainability credit 608 and 618 and allocate the credit to virtual balancing account 626.

[0135] Digital sustainability credit 608 and 618 may include metadata, fields, or attributes that provide descriptive information about the credit (see, for example, digital sustainability credit 840 shown in FIG. 8B). For example, credit 612 may include a cost attribute (or value or field, as shown by cost attribute 856 shown in FIG. 8B). The cost attribute may represent a financial value associated with credit value 622 (e.g., associated with the cost of acquiring a sustainability certificate and / or associated with the cost of acquiring sustainable input material). This attribute may provide information about the expenses incurred in producing the sustainable input material, including the costs of infrastructure, equipment, maintenance, and any other relevant factors.

[0136] The operating system may allocate (or attribute) digital sustainability credit 608 and 618 to a chemical product to create a sustainable chemical product in two or more ways. For example, the operating system may bundle a conventional chemical product with one or more types of digital sustainability credit (at 628) to produce a sustainable chemical product in a process called "consumption during production.” In the "consumption during production” process, the operating system may generate a material master record for the combination of the conventional chemical product with one or more types of digital sustainability credit. A material master record refers to a central repository of data that contains detailed information about a specific material or product within, for example, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It may serve as a comprehensive and authoritative source of information for managing and tracking materials throughout their lifecycle within an organization. Alternatively, the operating system may bundle (combine, assign, allocate, etc.) the digital sustainability credit to a conventional product during a sales order process (as shown be 632). This enables dynamical and granular allocation of credit to conventional product (to produce a sustainable product) because the operating system does not create a material master record for the resulting sustainable product (because the bundling occurs during the sales order process).

[0137] FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating selected portions of a material ledger according to an embodiment of the invention. Material ledger 640 is a record-keeping system that tracks the usage of materials in a production process (e.g., the production process shown in FIG. 6A). Material ledger 640 may provide a record for digital sustainability credit 608 and / or 618 (shown in FIG. 6A). Material ledger 640 includes material number (or material identifier) 642, production site identifier 644, cost component split 646. Material identifier 642 is a unique identifier assigned to credit 608 and / or 618 to identify it as a material used in a production process (e.g., the production process shown at 616 in FIG. 6A). Material identifiers, such as material identifier 642, help to track and manage inventory and production data for chemical production network 500. A production site identifier refers to a specific code or label assigned to a manufacturing facility or site where production processes related to a material take place. It serves as a unique identifier for the location where the material is processed, enabling efficient tracking and management of production activities, inventory, and logistics associated with that specific site. The production site identifier helps to differentiate and manage materials across multiple production sites within an organization. For example, production site identifier 644 indicates the production site at which material 123456789 is used (e.g., to produce sustainable chemical product).

[0138] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of monitoring, attributing, and managing sustainability attributes (and / or digital sustainability credits), according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0139] Operating system 501 may receive input material data at 702. The input material data may include a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material. Input material data refers to digital information related to the composition, quality, and source of the input materials (e.g., raw materials or feedstocks) used in a chemical production process. This data may include information on the quantity, physical properties, and origin of the input materials. It may also include information on any impurities, contaminants, or other quality attributes. The input material data may be provided via one or more digital documents including, for example, a purchase order, a sales order, an invoice, a material safety data sheet, and the like. The vendor may provide some (or all) of the input material data via an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and / or other digital systems. The input material data may be received from a vendor who provides the corresponding input material. For example, the input material data may be digital data (e.g., electronic files or data structures) of a purchase order, material data safety sheet, certificate of analysis, regulatory compliance documents, an invoice, and the like. The input material data may be received from a third party (e.g., a consultant, an industry association, a certification body, a regulatory agency, and the like). Alternatively, the input material data may also be received via a sustainability certificate (e.g., from a sustainability certificate registry).

[0140] FIG. 8A illustrates a data structure for input material data according to the disclosure. Input material data 802 may include multiple fields for data. Examples of the types of data fields that may be included in the input data material include (i) material name (804), (ii) material identifier (806), (iii) sustainability data (810), (iv) source (812), (v) date (814), (vi) amount (816), (vii) value (818), (viii) certification or standards (820), (ix) units (822), (x) additional information (824), and the like. Data elements 804-824 may be structured as key-value pairs, where the key represents the name of the attribute and the value represents the actual information. For example, a field for a material name could have a key of "material name" and a value of "123456789." Data elements 804-824 may be digitally signed using a cryptographic key to ensure their integrity and authenticity. In an embodiment, data elements 804-824 can be selectively disclosed to different parties depending on the needs and the requirements of stakeholder. FIG. 8B illustrates a data structure for a sustainability certificate according to the disclosure. The certificate may include multiple fields for data. Examples of the types of data fields that may be included in certificate include (i) sustainable attribute (832), (ii) quantity generated (834), (iii) certificate identifier (836), (iv) date of issuance (838), (v) expiration date (840), (vi) sustainability data (842), (vii) cost attribute (844), (viii) validation verification information (846), (ix) geographical information (848), (x) issuer information (850) and the like. Data elements 832-850 may be structured as key-value pairs, where the key represents the name of the attribute and the value represents the actual information. For example, a field for a material name could have a key of "material name" and a value of "123456789." Data elements 804-824 may be digitally signed using a cryptographic key to ensure their integrity and authenticity. In an embodiment, data elements 804-824 can be selectively disclosed to different parties depending on the needs and the requirements of stakeholder.

[0141] Operating system 501 may generate a digital sustainability credit associated with the input material at 704. The digital sustainability credit may be a digital representation of the sustainability attribute(s) of the input material (or a portion thereof). The digital representation may encapsulate various factors such as an amount of material and / or a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It may include specific details regarding the sources of sustainable material, as well as the corresponding amounts, and / or value / cost of the sustainability material. Additionally, the digital representation may encompass information related to energy efficiency measures implemented during the production process, such as the use of energy-saving equipment or technologies.

[0142] The digital sustainability credit may include multiple fields for data shown by FIG. 8C. Examples of the types of data fields that may be included in the digital sustainability credit 860 include (i) material number (862) (ii) sustainable attribute type (864), (iii) quantity (866), (iv) certificate identifier (868), (v) date of issuance (870), (vi) expiration date (872), (vii) sustainability data (874), (viii) cost attribute (876), (ix) validation verification information (878), (x) geographical information (880), (xi) issuer information (882) and the like. Data elements 862-882 may be structured as key-value pairs, where the key represents the name of the attribute and the value represents the actual information. For example, a field for a material name could have a key of "material name" and a value of "123456789." Data elements 842-864 may be digitally signed using a cryptographic key to ensure their integrity and authenticity. In an embodiment, data elements 842-864 can be selectively disclosed to different parties depending on the needs and the requirements of stakeholder.

[0143] The calculation of the digital sustainability credit may involve multiple steps including, for example: (1) extracting the applicable data from the input material data, (2) validating the extracted data, (3) converting the data into a structured formatted (e.g., JSON or XML) for easier manipulation, and (4) credit calculation (e.g., as determined by the amount of sustainable input material associated with the input material data). Operating system 501 may assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit at 706. The material number may uniquely identify the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger. For example, the operating system may generate a unique material number based on predefined rules and formats. The operating system may then associate the material number with the data structure representing the digital sustainability credit (e.g., as shown 842 in FIG. 8B). The material number may act as an identifier for easy reference and retrieval.

[0144] The operating system may calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit at 708. The value may be calculated in various ways. For example, a sustainable input material may have a higher value (e.g., higher acquisition cost) than a corresponding conventional (i.e., fossil) input material (e.g., bio-naphtha versus naphtha), the operating system may calculate the value of the credit based on the difference in acquisition cost between sustainable and corresponding conventional input materials (e.g., assigning that difference as the value of the credit or converting that difference, e.g., to reflect currency conversions, currency value fluctuations, and the like). The calculation be based on the standard price (or an average price, or a moving average price) for the conventional input material and / or the sustainable input material over a relevant period. The total actual value of conventional input material in the period may be the weighted average of the values received as well as additionally purchased quantities of the conventional input material valued at acquisition cost.

[0145] Referring to 710, the operating system may be configured to allocate the digital sustainability credits to a virtual balancing account associated with the energy input. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the allocation of the digital sustainability credits to a virtual balancing account, according to an embodiment of the invention. At least one sustainable input material 840 is provided as an input to chemical production unit 804A. Input material data and process data may also be provided to the operating system (e.g., operating system 501, shown in FIG. 5A) in line with providing input material 840. The operating system may include a virtual balancing account assignment function 808 configured to generate and manage virtual balancing accounts 81 OB-814B. The operating system parses the input material data and determines that the input material data includes sustainability data (e.g., sustainability data 810, shown in FIG. 8A). The operating system may instruct the virtual balancing account assignment function to generate (and / or assign) one or more virtual balancing accounts (e.g., 810B, 812B, and 814B). The operating system may be configured to convert the sustainability attributes of input material 840 to digital sustainability credits (e.g., using a conversion factor or directly). In an embodiment, the operating system attributes the digital sustainability credits to a virtual balancing account, according to one or more attribution rules (e.g., material type, sustainability attribute type, and the like). Referring to FIGs. 7 and 9 together, the operating system allocates the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account, wherein the virtual balancing account includes at least one attribution rule for attributing the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to the virtual balancing account at 710. For example, the operating system may allocate digital sustainable credit 828B to virtual balancing account 810B using attribution rule 830B.

[0146] Referring to 712, according to the disclosure, the chemical production network (e.g., chemical production network 500, shown in FIG. 5A) produces the chemical product. Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 10 together, input material 840 may be provided to chemical production unit 804A which produces one or more of products 816B, 818B, and 820B. Chemical processes and chemical production networks are described above with reference to FIGs. 1-5. Referring to 714, the digital system (e.g., operating system 501, shown in FIG. 5A) provides an identifier (or digital asset) associated with a chemical product. The identifier (or digital asset) associated with the chemical product may include one or more identifier(s) relating to the chemical product. The identifier may relate to a chemical product class, a specific chemical product and / or properties of the chemical product such as environmental properties. The identifier may include a unique number uniquely associated with the chemical product class, the specific chemical product and / or the properties of the chemical product. The identifier may include one or more specific identifier(s), such as chemical product class identifier, specific chemical product identifier and / or property of the chemical product identifier. Such specific identifier(s) may be uniquely linked to the first chemical product. For example, one or more property identifier(s) may be uniquely linked to the chemical product identifier. The chemical product identifier may be uniquely linked to the specific chemical product. This way the chemical product can be uniquely linked to a digital twin of the chemical product specifying specific properties of the chemical product.

[0147] The identifier associated with the chemical product may include one or more identifier(s) relating to one or more sustainability attribute(s). The identifier may include a sustainability attribute identifier, such as a unique sustainability attribute identifier, relating to sustainability attribute(s) assignable to chemical products. The sustainability attribute identifier may relate to the chemical product class or the specific chemical product. For example, the sustainability attribute identifier may relate to recycled content, bio-based content and / or renewable content as environmental attribute, each having their own unique each having their own unique material identifier. The specific sustainability attribute or a specific combination of sustainability attributes may be related to the unique sustainability attribute identifier.

[0148] The identifier (or digital asset) may include, be linked to or be related to a batch and / or order number, such as a unique batch and / or order number. The batch number may be linked to the physical entity of produced chemical product batches. The order number may be linked to the transaction specifying the shipment of the chemical product batch from the producer of the chemical product to the user further processing the chemical product.

[0149] Referring to FIG. 10, for example, the digital system may produce a digital asset (e.g., identifiers 850B and 860B) that specifies a chemical product (e.g., via a chemical product identifier such as 852B and 862B) and one or more sustainability attributes (and / or digital sustainability credit such as 854B and 864B) assigned to the chemical product. The chemical product identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product. The digital asset (e.g., identifiers 850B and 860B) may be uniquely linked to the physical product. Such linking may include a physical or virtual link of identifiers uniquely associated with the product. For physical linking a tag or code may be physically connected to the product, e.g., by printing a QR code on the packaging. For virtual linking different identifiers associated with the physical material may be linked. For example, an order number, a batch number, LOT number or a combination thereof may be linked

[0150] Referring again to FIGs. 7 and 10 together, the digital system (e.g., operating system 501, shown in FIG. 5A) may assign a digital sustainability credit (e.g., 854B) from a first balancing account (e.g., 810B) to a chemical product (e.g., 816B), wherein the digital sustainability credit may be assigned to the identifier (e.g., identifier 850B) associated with the chemical product at 716. The identifier associated with the chemical product may include a chemical product identifier (852B) relating to a chemical product specification. The chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product.

[0151] Assigning or attributing at least one sustainability attribute (e.g., digital sustainability credit 854B and 864B) associated with sustainable input materials to chemical product(s) may include the linking of an input material identifier or a chemical product identifier with the sustainability attribute (or digital sustainability credit). The input material identifier or the chemical product identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the input material or the chemical product, respectively. This way the virtual identifier of a material may be uniquely linked to the physical material. Such linking may include a physical or virtual link of identifiers uniquely associated with the physical material. For physical linking a tag or code may be physically connected to the material, e.g. by printing a QR code on the packaging. For virtual linking different identifiers associated with the physical material may be linked. For example, an order number, a batch number, LOT number or a combination thereof may be linked.

[0152] Thus, according to the disclosure, a digital system may monitor, manage, and allocate digital sustainability credits from renewable energy inputs that are allocated to a chemical product. As described above with reference to FIGs. 7, 8A-8B, and 9-10, when an energy input with a sustainability attribute is provided to a process, the digital system may create a digital balancing account associated with the energy input. The input sustainability attributes may be allocated to the product by a predefined attribution scheme (e.g., renewable energy type) from the digital balancing account.

[0153] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a system for generating and managing virtual balancing accounts in a chemical production network, according to an embodiment of the invention. System 900 includes network 910, production operating system 920, and data sources 930. Network 910 may be any combination of wired and wireless networks capable of interconnecting digital systems. Production operating system 920 may monitor and / or control a production network (e.g., the chemical product networks shown in FIGs. 1-5). Data sources 930 include input material data source 932, process data source 934, and energy input data source 936. A data source can be any type of system or technology that collects, stores, and / or provides access to data, such as a database, a file system, a web service, a sensor network, a camera, a satellite, an loT device, production equipment, and the like.

[0154] Applications or other systems within production operating system 920 may access data sources 932-936, for example, through a query interface or through a data transfer mechanism such as a file transfer protocol (FTP), a web API, and / or a message queue. Data sources 932-936 can be either internal or external to a production operating system 920, depending on the specific context and use case. For example, data sources 932-936 could be internal databases that are used by an application(s) to store and retrieve data associated with input materials, energy inputs, chemical production processes, and chemical composition data. Alternatively, one or more of 932-936 are external databases that are used by an application(s) to store and retrieve data associated with input materials, energy inputs, chemical production processes, and chemical composition data. According to the disclosure input material data source 932 may be data associated with an sustainability certificate registry operator.

[0155] In an embodiment, virtual balancing account logic 924 retrieves data from data sources 932-936 to perform the methods described above with reference to FIGs. 5-10. When a process input (e.g., energy input and / or input material) with a sustainability attribute is provided to a process, the virtual balancing account logic 924 may create one or more digital balancing accounts associated with the applicable digital sustainability credit (and / or sustainability attribute). The input sustainability attributes may be allocated to products by a predefined attribution scheme (e.g., by sustainability attribute, by mass, by oxidation number, by economic value, or other predefined rules) using the digital balancing accounts. Users 912 and 916 may monitor and / or manage selected aspects of production operating system 920, including virtual balancing account logic 924 via input / output 914.

[0156] The present disclosure further relates to a non-transitory computer readable data medium storing a computer program including instructions for executing steps of the method according to the present invention. Computer readable data medium include hard drives, for example on a serv-er, USB storage device, CD, DVD or Blue-ray discs. The computer program may contain all functionalities and data required for execution of the method according to the present invention or it may provide interfaces to have parts of the method processed on remote systems, for ex-ample on a cloud system.

[0157] The present invention further relates to a system or apparatus for determining the sustainability attribute of a product produced in a production process of a production plant. Unless explicitly described differently hereafter, the description relating to the method also applies to the system or apparatus. The system or apparatus can be a computing device, for example a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or a distributed computing system or apparatus or apparatus such as a cloud system. Often the computing device has a network connection in order to communicate with other computing devices, such as servers or a cloud network.

[0158] The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments and examples as well. However, other variations can be understood and effected by those persons skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from the studies of the drawings, this disclosure and the claims.

[0159] Any steps presented herein can be performed in any order. The methods disclosed herein are not limited to a specific order of these steps. It is also not required that the different steps are performed at a certain place or in a certain computing node of a distributed system, i.e. each of the steps may be performed at different computing nodes using different equipment / data processing.

[0160] As used herein "determining” also includes "initiating or causing to determine”, "generating” also includes "initiating and / or causing to generate” and "providing” also includes "initiating or causing to determine, generate, select, send and / or receive”. "Initiating or causing to perform an action” includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform the respective action.

[0161] In the claims as well as in the description the word "comprising” or "including” or simi-lar wording does not exclude other elements or steps and shall not be construed limiting to the elements or steps lined out. The indefinite article "a” or "an” does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in the mutual different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation or further elements may be included.

[0162] Providing in the scope of this disclosure may include any interface configured to provide data. This may include an application programming interface, a human-machine interface such as a display and / or a software module interface. Providing may include communication of data or submission of data to the interface, in particular display to a user or use of the data by the receiving entity.

[0163] Any disclosure and embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems, apparatuses, devices, chemicals, materials, computer program elements lined out above and vice versa. Advantageously, the benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples equally apply to all other embodiments and examples and vice versa.

[0164] All terms and definitions used herein are understood broadly and have their general meaning.

[0165] Any disclosure and embodiments described herein are mere examples for implementing the method, the system or application device disclosed herein and shall not be considered limiting.

Claims

Claims:1 . A method for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material for production of one or more chemical product(s), the method comprising: receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material; assigning a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger; calculating a value for the digital sustainability credit; allocating the digital sustainability credit associated with the input material to a virtual balancing account; providing an identifier associated with the chemical product produced; and assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, providing the at least one digital sustainability attribute associated with the input material for production of one or more chemical product(s).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material further comprises: receiving a digital representation of a sustainability certificate, wherein the digital representation of the sustainability certificate includes sustainability data.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein calculating the value for the digital sustainability credit further comprises: extracting certificate acquisition cost data from the digital representation of the sustainability certificate; and calculating the value for the digital sustainability credit based on the certificate acquisition cost data.

4. The method of claims 1-3, wherein receiving input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material further comprises: receiving a digital representation of the input material, wherein the digital representation of the input material includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material.

5. The method of claims 1-4, wherein generating a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material further comprises: applying a virtual production process to the digital representation of the input material to produce the digital sustainability credit as a main product and a digital representation of conventional input material as a by-product.

6. The method of claims 1-5, further comprising: generating a material master record for a combination of the chemical product and the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material master record includes a product identifier associated with the material master record.

7. The method of claims 1-6, wherein providing the identifier associated with the chemical product further comprises: providing the product identifier associated with the material master record.

8. The method of claims 1-7, wherein assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product further comprises: assigning the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the chemical product during the processing of a sales order.

9. A non-transitory computer readable data medium storing a computer program including instructions for executing steps of the method according to any of the preceding claims.

10. An apparatus for monitoring at least one sustainability attribute associated with an input material for production of one or more chemical product(s), the apparatus comprising: an input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material; and at least one processor configured to (I) generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material (ii) assign a material number to the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material number uniquely identifies the digital sustainability credit on a material ledger, (ill) calculate a value for the digital sustainability credit, (iv) allocate the digital sustainability credit to a virtual balancing account (v) providing an identifier associated with the chemical product producedbased on the input material, and (vi) assign the digital sustainability credit from the balancing account to the chemical product, wherein the digital sustainability credit is assigned to the identifier associated with the chemical product, wherein the identifier associated with the chemical product includes a chemical product identifier relating to a chemical product specification, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with the physical entity of the chemical product, wherein the chemical product identifier is a virtual identifier uniquely linked to the chemical product, an output interface configured to provide the at least one digital sustainability attribute associated with the input material for production of one or more chemical product(s).11 . The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the input configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material further comprises: an input configured to receive a digital representation of a sustainability certificate, wherein the digital representation of the sustainability certificate includes sustainability data.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the at least one processor configured to calculate the value for the digital sustainability credit is further configured: to extract or retrieve certificate acquisition cost data from the digital representation of the sustainability certificate; and to calculate the value for the digital sustainability credit based on the certificate acquisition cost data.

13. The apparatus according to claims 10-12, wherein the input interface configured to receive input material data associated with the input material, wherein the input material data includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material is further configured to: to receive a digital representation of the input material, wherein the digital representation of the input material includes a digital representation of at least one sustainability attribute associated with the input material.

14. The apparatus according to claims 10- 13, wherein the at least one processor configured to generate a digital sustainability credit from the input material data associated with the input material is further configured to apply a virtual production process to the digital representation of the input material to produce the digital sustainability credit as a main product and a digital representation of conventional input material as a byproduct.

15. The apparatus according to claims 10-14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: generate a material master record for a combination of the chemical product and the digital sustainability credit, wherein the material master record includes a product identifier associated with the material master record.

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