Incentive granting system and incentive granting method

Abstract

Provided is an incentive granting system including a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device stores producer information and product information, and the processor calculates, for each producer, environmental and social impacts regarding each issue category on the basis of the producer information and the product information, and acquires, from a consumer who has purchased a product, information about an additional charge that the consumer would pay in addition to the price of the product, said information about the additional charge including information about the producer to whom the payment is to be made, the payment terms, and the payment amount. If the producer information has been updated after the consumer has purchased the product, the processor updates the environmental and social impacts on the basis of the updated producer information, determines whether the payment terms are satisfied on the basis of at least one of the updated producer information and the updated environmental and social impacts, and if the payment terms are satisfied, outputs information indicating that the additional charge for the payment amount will be paid to the producer to whom the payment is to be made.

Description

Incentive granting system and incentive granting method

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for providing incentives to product producers to continue environmentally and socially conscious activities.

[0002] Regarding technology in which consumers support producers' activities to address environmental and social issues, for example, the technology disclosed in International Publication No. 2021 / 130341 (Patent Document 1) is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes how consumers can now play an active role in sustainability governance by directly supporting coffee farmers in developing countries.

[0004] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2021 / 130341

[0005] As mentioned above, there are known technologies that allow consumers to support producers' activities to address environmental and social issues. However, in order to improve environmental and social issues, it is desirable to continue activities over a certain period of time, not just at the time of purchase, and it is conceivable that consumers would wish to support producers on the condition that such activities are carried out. In the past, however, no consideration was given to providing incentives for producers' continued activities in such cases.

[0006] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides an incentive granting system, comprising a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device holds producer information including information indicating the track record of activities of a producer of a product, and product information associating the product with the activities of the producer, and the processor calculates, for each producer, an environmental and social impact indicating the impact of the producer's activities on the environment or society in each issue category based on the producer information and the product information, obtains information regarding an additional fee to be paid in addition to the price of the product from a consumer who has purchased the product, and stores the information regarding the additional fee in the storage device, and the information regarding the additional fee is stored in a storage device. The payment terms include information on the producer, payment terms, and payment amount of the payment, and the payment terms include terms regarding the performance of the activities of the payee producer and at least one of the environmental and social impacts based thereon, and if the producer information is updated after the consumer purchases the product, the processor updates the environmental and social impact based on the updated producer information, determines whether the payment terms are met based on the updated producer information and at least one of the updated environmental and social impacts, and if the payment terms are met, outputs information indicating that an additional amount on the payment amount will be paid to the payee producer.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the consumer can provide an incentive for the producer to continue working to address the issue by continuously monitoring the producer's activities based on conditions set by the consumer and paying a specified fee when the conditions are met.

[0008] Other problems, configurations and effects will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of details of processing executed by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of details of processing executed by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of environmental and social impact for each process held by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of environmental and social impact of a final product held by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention accepts input of premium payment terms and the like from a consumer. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention accepts input of premium payment terms and the like from a consumer. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of purchase history data held by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of purchase history data held by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention to display premium payment terms and the like to a producer by the incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an incentive granting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The incentive granting system 100 of this embodiment calculates the impact on at least one of the environment and society (hereinafter also referred to as "environmental and social impact") of a series of related activities and transactions, from the production to the purchase, of a product produced by a producer and purchased by a consumer. The incentive granting system 100 then determines whether the producer's activities satisfy conditions set by the consumer, and if so, the consumer pays a predetermined compensation to the producer. To this end, the incentive granting system 100 includes at least an analysis unit 110. The analysis unit 110 acquires data on the production of the product by the producer and data on the purchase of the product by the consumer.

[0013] Data on the production of a product may include, for example, information on the attributes of the producer itself and information on the activities that the producer undertook to produce the product. Note that, in this case, all businesses involved in the product up until the consumer purchases it are considered to be producers.

[0014] In this example, the product is a food product (e.g., coffee). In this case, producers include farmers who produce the agricultural products that are the raw materials, businesses such as food manufacturers that process the agricultural products to produce food, retailers that sell the food to consumers, and logistics companies that transport the products between them. Figure 1 shows data related to the production of such food products as an example.

[0015] In this embodiment, the product is assumed to be a food product, but the type of product to which the present invention can be applied is not limited. For example, the product may be clothing or other types of products.

[0016] 1, producer data 151A-151D and activity performance data 152A-152D for each producer are acquired. These include producer data 151A and activity performance data 152A related to farmers, producer data 151B and activity performance data 152B related to food manufacturers, producer data 151C and activity performance data 152C related to logistics companies, and producer data 151D and activity performance data 152D related to retailers. In the following explanation, when describing data related to any business or when describing the data as a whole, they will be collectively referred to as producer data 151 and activity performance data 152.

[0017] The producer data 151 includes, for example, identification information of the producer, basic information about the producer, and information about the producer's environmental or social activities. The basic information about the producer may include, for example, information identifying the producer's corporation or individual, location (or information about the farm field in the case of a farm), items handled and their handling capabilities (main crops and production capabilities in the case of a farm), and information about existing evaluations, certifications, and qualifications. The information about the producer's environmental or social activities is information about the results of activities that the producer conducts, separate from production activities, that have an impact on the environment or society (e.g., a positive impact), and may include, for example, information about the results of activities such as the protection of nature or flora and fauna, education, tourism, landscape formation and conservation, local industry promotion, and job creation.

[0018] The producer data 151 may further include information on activities that the producer performs for production that cannot be classified for each product to be shipped. Examples of such information include information indicating whether appropriate labor management is being performed, information indicating whether an appropriate working environment is being established, information on the management of facilities and materials commonly used for production, information on the generation of electricity or solar sharing used for production, and information on evaluations from business partners.

[0019] The producer data 151 may further include the URL of a website introducing the producer and their activities, a social media account, and image and video files.

[0020] The activity performance data 152 includes, for example, a product shipping number, producer identification information, product identification information, process identification information, and information that can be used to classify the activities carried out by the producer for production by product to be shipped, etc. The process identification information is information that identifies, for example, whether the activity is the production of agricultural products, the production of food by processing agricultural products, transportation, retail, etc.

[0021] Among the activities carried out by producers for production, information that can be categorized by the products shipped includes, for example, in the case of a farming household, information on the results of harvesting, storage and shipping of agricultural products, quality inspections, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, the use of electricity, fuel and water, the use of materials, measures to prevent the outflow of waste into the environment, carbon storage in the soil, restoration of the same, and the use of equipment.

[0022] The activity record data 152 may further include, for example, in the case of a farmer, image or video files that record the cultivation of agricultural products through to their shipment.

[0023] The incentive granting system 100 may further acquire final product data 153, which includes information on the product ultimately purchased by the consumer (i.e., the final product), as data related to the production of the product. The final product data 153 is, for example, information for realizing so-called product traceability (food traceability in the case of food), and includes information that can identify which producer produced which activity for each predetermined management unit of the final product (e.g., each unit or each lot).

[0024] Producer data 151, activity performance data 152, and final product data 153 are input into the data input unit 141 of the producer information terminal. Although only one producer information terminal is shown in Figure 1, the actual producer information terminal may be a computer system used by each producer, such as a server device that manages each business, a personal computer, or a smartphone. The information collection unit 131 of the food supply chain integrated management unit collects and integrates the data input into the data input unit 141 of each producer information terminal and transmits it to the analysis unit 110.

[0025] Among the data acquired by the analysis unit 110, data related to product purchases by consumers includes, for example, consumer data 154 and purchase history data 155. The consumer data 154 includes, for example, consumer identification information, consumer basic information, consumer interest information, and consumer social contribution information. The consumer basic information may include, for example, personal information such as the consumer's name, address, age, gender, family composition, and annual income, as well as cashless payment service account information. The consumer interest information is, for example, information indicating the level of interest each consumer has in environmental or social issues. Generally, the subject of interest and the level of interest vary from consumer to consumer. The social contribution information is, for example, information indicating the degree of contribution a consumer makes to society by actually purchasing products.

[0026] The purchase history data 155 includes information about the purchase history of a consumer. For example, every time a consumer purchases a product, information such as identification information of the purchase, identification information of the consumer who made the purchase, identification information and quantity of the purchased product, purchase date, purchase amount, and whether or not a premium was paid is accumulated as the purchase history data 155.

[0027] A premium payment is a payment (i.e., an additional fee) that a consumer adds to the price of a product in accordance with specified conditions. For example, the conditions, amount, and payee of the premium payment are set in advance, and the consumer pays the premium payment amount on top of the original price of the product when purchasing the product, and when the specified conditions are met, that amount is paid to the specified payee. The purchase history data 155 may include information regarding whether or not a premium payment was made, such as the premium payment amount, payee, payment conditions, and payment history.

[0028] The consumer data 154 and the purchase history data 155 are input into the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal. Although only one consumer information terminal is shown in Fig. 1, the actual consumer information terminal may be a computer system used by each consumer, such as a personal computer or smartphone owned by each consumer. The information collection unit 132 of the consumer information management unit collects the data input into the data input unit 142 of each consumer information terminal and transmits it to the analysis unit 110.

[0029] The analysis unit 110 executes process-by-process environmental and social impact calculation processing 111 based on data collected from the food supply chain integrated management unit 131. Here, a process corresponds to the activities of each producer (in other words, stakeholder), such as the production of agricultural products by farmers and processing by food manufacturers. The analysis unit 110 calculates the environmental and social impact for each producer based on producer data 151 and activity performance data 152, and stores this as process-by-process environmental and social impact 118. At this time, the analysis unit 110 may cooperate with an external system to obtain global indicators, calculation formulas, etc. 161, and calculate the process-by-process environmental and social impact 118 based on these.

[0030] The analysis unit 110 executes a process 112 for calculating the environmental and social impact of a final product based on the process-specific environmental and social impact 118 and the global indicators, calculation formulas, etc. 161. Here, the analysis unit 110 calculates the environmental and social impact of each issue category per unit quantity (e.g., one unit) of the final product. Here, the issue category refers to a category of environmental or social issue, such as climate change or child labor. The analysis unit 110 stores the calculated environmental and social impact as the environmental and social impact of the final product 119.

[0031] The analysis unit 110 executes a coefficient calculation process 113 for each issue category for each consumer. For example, the consumer data 154 may include information indicating the degree of interest of each consumer in each issue category, and the analysis unit 110 may calculate the coefficient based on that information. The calculated coefficient is added to the consumer data 154.

[0032] The analysis unit 110 executes a process 114 for calculating the environmental and social impact of the final product according to the level of consumer interest based on the environmental and social impact 119 of the final product calculated in process 112 and the coefficient calculated in process 113, and stores the result as the environmental and social impact 120 of the final product according to the level of consumer interest.

[0033] Based on the results of process 114, analysis unit 110 executes process 115 for calculating the degree of contribution for each consumer, and adds the calculated degree of contribution to consumer data 154. Furthermore, analysis unit 110 outputs the environmental and social impact of the final product according to the consumer's interest level calculated in process 114 and the degree of contribution calculated in process 115 to each consumer via data output unit 144 of the consumer information terminal.

[0034] The analysis unit 110 executes an activity / impact monitoring process 116, and based on the results of the process, executes a premium payment condition compliance evaluation process 117. Specifically, in process 116, the analysis unit 110 monitors the activities of each producer and the resulting environmental and social impacts based on the environmental and social impacts obtained as a result of processes 111 and 112 and the data integrated by the food supply chain integrated management unit 131. Then, in process 117, the analysis unit 110 determines whether the monitored activities and environmental and social impacts of each producer satisfy the premium payment conditions set by each consumer.

[0035] If the premium payment conditions are met, the analysis unit 110 works in cooperation with an external cashless payment service 162 to pay the set premium amount to the target producer, and outputs information indicating this to the consumer corresponding to the payment via the data output unit 144 of the consumer information terminal, and to the producer to whom the payment is made via the data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for implementing the incentive granting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The incentive granting system 100 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 1 can be realized by a computer system, and Fig. 2 shows a computer system 200 as an example.

[0038] The computer system 200 includes a processor 201, a memory (main storage device) 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, an output device 204, an input device 205, and a communication interface (I / F) 206. The above components are connected to each other via a bus. The memory 202 and the auxiliary storage device 203 are storage devices that store programs and data used by the processor 201.

[0039] 1 are stored in the auxiliary storage device 203, and at least a portion of them may be stored in the memory 202 as needed for processing. Furthermore, all or a portion of the producer data 151, activity history data 152, final product data 153, consumer data 154, and purchase history data 155 (e.g., portions collected by the food supply chain integrated management unit 131 and the consumer information management unit 132) may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 203, and at least a portion of them may be stored in the memory 202 as needed for processing.

[0040] The memory 202 is configured, for example, from a semiconductor memory, and is used mainly to hold running programs and data. For example, programs and data stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 are loaded into the memory 202 at startup or when needed. The processor 201 executes various processes in accordance with the programs stored in the memory 202. The processor 201 operates in accordance with the programs and controls each unit in the computer system 200 as needed, thereby realizing various functional units, such as the analysis unit 110 shown in FIG. 1 , the information collection unit 131 of the food supply chain integrated management unit, and the information collection unit 132 of the consumer information management unit.

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 203 is configured by a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid-state drive, and is used to store programs and data for a long period of time.

[0042] Processor 201 may be comprised of a single processing unit or multiple processing units and may include single or multiple arithmetic units or multiple processing cores. Processor 201 may be implemented as one or more central processing units, microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, state machines, logic circuits, graphics processing units, systems on a chip, and / or any device that manipulates signals based on control instructions.

[0043] The input device 205 is a hardware device through which a user inputs instructions and information, etc. The output device 204 is a hardware device that presents various images for input and output, such as a display device or a printing device, and the communication I / F 206 is an interface for connection to a network (not shown).

[0044] The computer system 200 may include two or more processors 201. The functions of the incentive granting system 100 may be implemented in multiple computer systems 200. In this case, the multiple computer systems 200 communicate with each other via a network. For example, some of the functions of the system of this embodiment may be implemented in one computer system 200, and other functions may be implemented in other computer systems 200.

[0045] Specifically, for example, the analysis unit 110, the food supply chain integrated management unit 131, and the consumer information management unit 132 may be realized by a single computer system 200, or each may be realized by an independent computer system 200. Furthermore, each process in the analysis unit 110 may be realized by a separate computer system 200.

[0046] The computer system 200 may be, for example, a server device or a personal computer owned by an administrator of the incentive granting system 100, or a server device accessed by the administrator via a communication network. In the latter case, the computer system 200 may be a virtual server on a cloud. In this case, the computer system 200 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by computer resources on the cloud.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the incentive granting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] A producer (e.g., a farmer, food manufacturer, retailer, etc.) registers his / her activity record (step 301). This corresponds to inputting the activity record data 152 shown in Fig. 1. This registration may be performed manually by the producer, automatically by a system related to the producer's production, or a combination of these.

[0049] The incentive granting system 100 calculates the environmental and social impacts of each producer's efforts and presents them to each stakeholder (e.g., other producers) and consumers (step 302). This impact calculation corresponds to process 111 shown in FIG. 1.

[0050] The above steps 301 and 302 are executed before the consumer purchases the product.

[0051] Next, the consumer purchases the product by referring to the information presented by the incentive granting system 100 (step 303). The actual purchase of the product is recorded as purchase record data 155.

[0052] After a consumer purchases a product, the incentive granting system 100 registers premium payment conditions for the activities of the producer that the consumer wants to support (step 304).The incentive granting system 100 then refers to the producer data 151 and the activity performance data 152 to monitor the producer's activities and the resulting environmental and social impacts, and pays a premium to the producer if the conditions are met (step 305).

[0053] 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing an example of detailed processing executed by the incentive granting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] First, the data input unit 141 of the producer information terminal accepts registration of producer information and transmits the accepted producer information to the information collection unit 131 of the food supply chain integrated management unit (step 401). The analysis unit 110 registers the information obtained from the information collection unit 131 as producer data (step 402). For example, the data input unit 141 of each producer's information terminal may accept producer data 151 and transmit it to the information collection unit 131, and the information collection unit may collect, integrate, and transmit the data to the analysis unit 110, which then registers the data.

[0055] Meanwhile, the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal accepts the registration of consumer information from the consumer and transmits it to the information collection unit 132 of the consumer information management unit (step 403). The analysis unit 110 registers the information acquired from the information collection unit 132 as consumer data 154 (step 404).

[0056] The data input unit 141 of the producer information terminal further accepts registration of product information and producer activity record information (step 405). Specifically, the data input unit 141 of the producer information terminal accepts registration of activity record data 152 and final product data 153 of each producer, and transmits them to the information collection unit 131 of the food supply chain integrated management unit.

[0057] The analysis unit 110 acquires the activity record data 152 and the final product data 153 from the information collection unit 131, and by referring to these data and the previously acquired producer data 151, registers the producer data 151 and the activity record data 152 in association with the final product data 153 (step 406). Specifically, the analysis unit 110 identifies, for each predetermined management unit of the final product (e.g., each unit or each lot), which producer produced the product as a result of which activity, and registers the information on the identified producer and the activity record information in association with the information on the final product.

[0058] The producer's activities registered here may include activities that the producer engages in to produce the product in question (for example, watering, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, etc. for agricultural products), as well as activities that are not directly related to the production of the product in question (for example, reforestation, education and awareness-raising for nature conservation, etc.).

[0059] Next, the analysis unit 110 refers to the information registered in step 406, calculates the environmental and social impact of each issue category for each process, and registers the results as the environmental and social impact by process 118 (step 407). Examples of the environmental and social impact by process 118 will be described later.

[0060] Next, the analysis unit 110 calculates the environmental and social impact of the final product from the process-specific environmental and social impact 118 registered in step 407, associates it with the final product data, and registers it as the environmental and social impact of the final product 119 (step 408). Examples of the environmental and social impact of the final product 119 will be described later.

[0061] When a consumer is considering purchasing a product, the consumer inputs information about the product into the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal. For example, if the consumer browses information about the product on a website and is considering purchasing the product, the consumer may select the product under consideration. Alternatively, if the consumer is considering purchasing a product while looking at the product in a physical store, the consumer may scan the barcode or other data of the product under consideration into the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal (specifically, a smartphone camera, for example). The consumer information terminal acquires information about the product, and the data output unit 144 displays the information (step 409).

[0062] Next, the consumer information terminal refers to the environmental and social impact 119 of the final product registered in step 408, and the data output unit 144 displays the activity results of each stakeholder (i.e., each producer at each step) related to the target product, the environmental and social impact, and the environmental and social impact of the final product as a whole (step 410).

[0063] The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal of each producer refers to the environmental and social impact 119 of the final product registered in step 408 and displays the activity results and environmental and social impact of each stakeholder (e.g., each producer) (step 411). At this time, the data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal of each producer may display only information about that producer, or may also display information about other producers. However, although there are no specific limitations on the method, depending on the information, the producer may set the scope of disclosure of the information, such as not disclosing it to anyone other than business partners.

[0064] When the consumer purchases the target product (step 412), the analysis unit 110 associates information indicating the purchase of the target product with the consumer data 154 of the consumer and registers the information in the purchase history data 155 (step 413).

[0065] The data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal accepts purchase operations, registration of purchase reasons, comments, etc. by consumers who have purchased the target product (step 414). The analysis unit 110 acquires from the consumer information terminal information that the consumer has purchased the target product, the purchase reasons, comments, etc., and registers this information in purchase history data 155 (step 415), and transmits this information to the information terminal of the producer of the target product. The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal displays attribute information, purchase reasons, comments, etc. of the consumer who purchased the target product (step 416).

[0066] The data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal further accepts registration of the premium payment destination, amount, and payment terms for the target product from consumers who have purchased the target product (step 417). The analysis unit 110 registers information such as the premium payment destination, amount, and payment terms in the purchase history data 155 (step 418) and transmits this information to the information terminal of the producer corresponding to the premium payment destination. The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal displays attribute information of the consumer who purchased the target product, the premium amount, payment terms (i.e., information for the producer to obtain the premium), etc. (step 419).

[0067] When step 406 is executed and when step 407 is executed, steps 420 and 422 are executed.

[0068] In step 420, the analysis unit 110 monitors the producer data 151, the activity performance data 152, and the process-specific environmental and social impact 118 to determine whether the producer who is the premium payment recipient is expected to achieve the specified payment terms. For example, as will be described later, the premium payment terms may include a deadline for achievement, and the analysis unit 110 executes step 420 before the deadline arrives to determine whether the terms are expected to be achieved by the deadline if they have not yet been achieved at that time.

[0069] The analysis unit transmits the result of the determination made in step 420 to the information terminal of the producer corresponding to the premium payment recipient. The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal displays the expected premium acquisition status of the producer based on the received determination result (step 421).

[0070] In step 422, the analysis unit 110 monitors the producer data 151, the activity performance data 152, and the process-specific environmental and social impact 118 to determine whether the producer to whom the premium is to be paid has met the premium payment conditions. For example, if the premium payment conditions include a deadline for achievement as described above, the analysis unit 110 executes step 422 by the time the deadline arrives to determine whether the conditions have been met by the deadline.

[0071] If the conditions are met, the analysis unit 110 transfers the designated amount of premium payment from the consumer who purchased the target product to the producer who fulfilled the premium payment conditions (step 423). For producers from whom the consumer purchased the product, this amount will be the amount set by the consumer for that producer, and for other producers, the amount set by the consumer may be divided by the number of producers who fulfilled the conditions.

[0072] The remittance may be realized, for example, by linking with an external cashless payment service 162. Information about this remittance is sent to the information terminal of the producer who fulfilled the premium payment conditions and to the information terminal of the consumer who purchased the target product. The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal displays the amount of premium earned (step 424). The data output unit 144 of the consumer information terminal displays the actual premium payment history (step 425).

[0073] If the conditions are not met, the analysis unit 110 registers information regarding the premium payment in the consumer data 154 (step 426). For example, information indicating that the premium payment conditions have not been met is registered. Information indicating that the conditions have not been met is sent to the information terminal of the producer who met the premium payment conditions and to the information terminal of the consumer who purchased the target product. The data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal and the data output unit 144 of the consumer information terminal each display that the conditions have not been met (steps 427, 428).

[0074] When a producer performs an activity, the producer data 151 or activity performance data 152 is updated by adding information about the activity (steps 402 and 406). Even after a consumer purchases a product, if at least one of the producer data 151 and activity performance data 152 is updated, the analysis unit 110 calculates the environmental and social impact based on the updated data (steps 407 and 408). If the premium payment terms have not yet reached their deadline and have not yet been met, the analysis unit 110 predicts whether the payment terms will be met by the deadline and outputs the result (steps 420 and 421). If the premium payment terms are met by the deadline, the analysis unit 110 remits the premium fee and notifies the consumer that the premium payment terms have been met (steps 422 to 425). If the premium payment conditions are not met by the deadline, the analysis unit 110 registers information indicating this and notifies the customer that the premium payment conditions have not been met (steps 422, 426 to 428).

[0075] Next, the processing executed in steps 406 to 408 will be described with reference to example data.

[0076] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the environmental and social impact 118 for each process held by the incentive granting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] 5 is an example of information included in the process-specific environmental and social impact 118 registered in step 407. Specifically, the process-specific environmental and social impact table 500 includes a process 501, CO2 emissions 502, deforestation 503, and animal welfare 504.

[0078] Process 501 shows the process through which each product passes until it is purchased by a consumer as a final product. Figure 5 shows, as an example, the processes for a product "A" (hereinafter referred to as "product A"; the same applies to other products), namely, the process of producing crops, the process of transporting the produced crops to a processing plant, the process of processing the crops, the process of transporting the processed crops to a store, etc., and the retail process. Although omitted from Figure 5, similar information is actually registered for other products as well.

[0079] The CO2 emissions 502, deforestation 503, and animal welfare 504 indicate examples of the environmental and social impacts of each product process. For example, if the quantity of agricultural products used in the production of a certain lot of product A and the farmer and farm that produced them are identified based on the final product data 153, the analysis unit 110 calculates the amount of CO2 emitted in the production of that agricultural product and registers it in the CO2 emissions 502 corresponding to the crop production. At this time, the analysis unit 110 may calculate the CO2 emissions based on records of resources used for production at the farm, such as fuel, electricity, fertilizer, and water. Note that while the CO2 emissions 502 indicate the amount of CO2 emitted by the process, if the producer engages in activities that contribute to CO2 absorption, such as carbon sequestration, the CO2 emissions can be offset by these activities. At this time, known global indicators, calculation formulas, etc. 161 may be used for the calculation.

[0080] CO2 emissions from processes other than crop production for Product A are calculated in the same way. Deforestation 503 and animal welfare 504 for each process of Product A can also be calculated in the same way. Deforestation 503 indicates the area of ​​forest destroyed by the process, but if the producer carries out activities that contribute to forest regeneration, such as reforestation, this can offset the deforestation. Deforestation 503 for crop production of Product A is a negative value because it indicates that the farmer producing that crop has carried out reforestation activities, and as a result the area of ​​forest regenerated is greater than the area of ​​forest destroyed.

[0081] 5 lists CO2 emissions 502, deforestation 503, and animal welfare 504 as typical examples of environmental and social impacts, but these are examples of issue categories, and the process-specific environmental and social impacts 118 may include information on environmental and social impacts related to other issue categories (e.g., air pollution, waste, water consumption, child labor, etc.). The same applies to FIG. 6, which will be described later.

[0082] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the environmental and social impact 119 of the final product held by the incentive granting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] 6 is an example of information included in the environmental and social impact of final products 119 registered in step 408. The environmental and social impact of final products table 600 is generated by aggregating information on the environmental and social impact by process 118 for each final product.

[0084] 6 includes a product ID 601, a lot number 602, CO2 emissions 603, deforestation 604, and animal welfare 605. The product ID 601 and the lot number 602 are identification information for the product item and lot for which the environmental and social impact is to be calculated, respectively. The CO2 emissions 603, deforestation 604, and animal welfare 605 indicate the values ​​of the environmental and social impact calculated for each product.

[0085] For example, the values ​​of CO2 emissions 603, deforestation 604, and animal welfare 605 for product A are calculated by aggregating the values ​​of CO2 emissions 502, deforestation 503, and animal welfare 504 for each process of product A shown in Figure 5. Here, the aggregation method is not limited, and may be, for example, a simple sum, an average, a weighted sum or average, or another method (for example, some statistical method). At this time, a known global indicator / calculation formula, etc. 161 may be used for the calculation.

[0086] 5 and 6, the value of CO2 emissions 603 is calculated by summing the values ​​of CO2 emissions 502 for each process. Similarly, the value of deforestation 604 is the sum of the values ​​of deforestation 503. Meanwhile, the value of animal welfare 605 is calculated by averaging the values ​​of animal welfare 504 for each process.

[0087] Note that in the present invention, the problem categories and their corresponding environmental and social impacts are not limited to the above examples. Representative examples of problem categories include climate change, air pollution (PM2.5), photochemical ozone, waste, water consumption, land use, resource consumption (minerals, fossil fuels), forest resource consumption (wood), biodiversity loss, child labor, and animal welfare. Furthermore, for example, an example of an environmental and social impact related to climate change is greenhouse gas (e.g., CO2) emissions, and an example of an environmental and social impact related to the consumption of forest resources is the amount of forest resources consumed.

[0088] Next, the processing executed in steps 412 to 419 will be described with reference to example data.

[0089] 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of screens displayed when the incentive granting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives input of premium payment conditions and the like from a consumer.

[0090] Specifically, FIGS. 7A and 7B show an example of a screen displayed by the data output unit 144 of the consumer information terminal and information input to the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal based on that screen.

[0091] The consumer can arbitrarily decide and register the payee, amount, payment terms, etc., of the premium payment (step 417). The payee can be, for example, a specific producer, a producer of a specific product, a producer engaged in a specific activity, etc. For example, when a consumer purchases a product, the consumer may designate the producer of the purchased product as the payee, or may designate the producer of the purchased product as well as a producer of a product of the same type as the purchased product, or may designate a producer engaged in the same activity as the producer of the purchased product, or may designate two or more of these producers.

[0092] In addition, the consumer can specify the premium payment amount. In the case where multiple producers are potential recipients of the premium as described above, the amount can be specified for each recipient.

[0093] The consumer can also specify payment conditions. For example, the consumer may specify that the premium payment be made unconditionally, or that the premium payment be made only when certain conditions are met. The consumer can specify, for example, a period and an activity as conditions. In this case, the premium payment will be made to the producer who performs the specified activity during the specified period.

[0094] 7A shows an example of a condition for a specific product (for example, the product itself purchased by the consumer or the raw materials of that product) as a first example of input of premium payment terms, etc. The example of FIG. 7A shows an example of premium payment terms, etc. for the producer (farmer in this case) of eggplant, which is the raw material of the product purchased by the consumer.

[0095] In this example, a consumer purchases the product based on the information that the eggplant producer uses food waste generated in the region where the eggplant is produced as fertilizer for growing eggplants, and is sympathetic to the producer's activities (step 412). The consumer may enter the reason for the purchase (e.g., the use of food waste generated in the region as fertilizer for growing eggplants) or may enter a comment supporting the producer (step 414).

[0096] The consumer then inputs the premium payment destination, amount, and conditions (step 417). Screen 700 shown in FIG. 7A indicates that the consumer will pay 100 yen unconditionally to the producer of eggplant, the raw material for the product purchased by the consumer, and that an additional 100 yen will be paid to that producer if specified conditions are met, and that 100 yen will also be paid to other producers who meet the specified conditions. If there are multiple producers who meet the specified conditions, the 100 yen may be divided among the producers and paid to each producer. The condition is that the activity of using local food waste as fertilizer, which applies only to eggplants, will continue until the next shipment of eggplants.

[0097] 7B, the consumer has entered a contract to pay 100 yen to the producer of eggplant, the raw material for the product purchased, if specified conditions are met, and to pay 100 yen to other producers who also meet the specified conditions. The conditions are not limited to eggplant crops, but also include the use of electric agricultural machinery in the past year and the use of electricity under a renewable energy contract to operate the agricultural machinery.

[0098] The analysis unit 110 registers the input information in the purchase record data 155 (step 418).

[0099] 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the purchase record data 155 held by the incentive granting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] A purchase history basic table 800 shown in FIG. 8A and a purchase history premium setting table 820 shown in FIG. 8B are both examples of information included in the purchase history data 155 registered in step 418 .

[0101] 8A includes basic information on the purchase history of a consumer. Specifically, the purchase history basic table 800 includes a consumer ID 801, a purchase ID 802, a product ID 803, a lot number 804, a unit price 805, a quantity 806, a price 807, a purchase date 808, and whether or not a premium was paid 809.

[0102] The consumer ID 801 is identification information of the consumer who made the purchase. The purchase ID 802 is identification information of the product purchasing behavior of each consumer. The product ID 803 and lot number 804 are identification information of the item and lot of the purchased product, respectively. The unit price 805, quantity 806, and amount 807 indicate the unit price, quantity, and total amount of the product purchased by the consumer, respectively. The purchase date 808 indicates the date the purchase was made. The premium payment status 809 indicates whether each consumer has set up a premium payment in connection with the purchase of the product.

[0103] 8B includes information such as premium conditions set by the consumer when purchasing a product. Specifically, the purchase history premium setting table 820 includes a purchase ID 821, a payment destination producer ID 822, an unconditional payment amount 823, a conditional payment amount 824, a payment amount to other producers 825, a target product 826, a target activity 827, a target impact 828, an impact target rating 829, a shipping specification 830, and a duration 831.

[0104] The purchase ID 821 is identification information for each consumer's product purchase behavior and corresponds to the purchase ID 802. The payment destination producer ID 822 is information identifying the producer to whom the premium is paid, that is, the producer of the product purchased by the consumer that the consumer has designated as the premium payment destination. The unconditional payment amount 823 indicates the amount designated to be paid unconditionally to the producer indicated by the payment destination producer ID 822. The conditional payment amount 824 indicates the amount designated to be paid when the producer indicated by the payment destination producer ID 822 fulfills certain conditions. The payment amount for other producers 825 indicates the amount designated to be paid when a producer other than the producer indicated by the payment destination producer ID 822 fulfills certain conditions.

[0105] The target product 826 indicates a product designated as a target for premium payment. For example, information such as whether the target product 826 is limited to the same product as the product purchased by the consumer or whether it is not limited to that, and all products are eligible for premium payment, is registered.

[0106] The target activity 827 indicates an activity of the producer that is specified as a condition for premium payment. For example, the target activity 827 may include information specifying the fertilizer to be used, the ratio of renewable energy to the total energy used, providing agricultural experiences to local residents (e.g., children, students, etc.), etc.

[0107] The target impact 828 and the impact target assessment 829 respectively indicate the type and target of the environmental and social impact specified as the premium payment conditions. For example, the target impact 828 and the impact target assessment 829 may be registered as achieving a 2% reduction in CO2 emissions from the current level.

[0108] The shipping specification 830 and the duration 831 indicate the period specified as the premium payment terms. For example, the shipping specification 830 may specify the period until the next shipment. Here, any shipping timing can be specified, not just the next shipment, but the shipment after that, or the shipment after that. Alternatively, the duration 831 may specify any period (number of days, months, years, etc.).

[0109] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen on which the incentive granting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention displays premium payment conditions and the like to the producer.

[0110] Specifically, Figure 9 shows an example of information displayed by the data output unit 143 of the producer information terminal in step 419 to notify the producer of the premium payment conditions that the producer must meet in order to obtain the premium.

[0111] For example, as shown in Figures 7A and 8B, a condition is set for eggplants produced by a certain producer, where a consumer agrees to pay a premium of 100 yen if the consumer continues to use fertilizer derived from food waste until the next shipment. If 100 consumers who purchase food containing eggplants produced by that producer as an ingredient set such a condition, the total premium amount that the producer can earn when the condition is met will be 100 yen x 100 = 10,000 yen. In this way, the premium conditions and amounts set by multiple consumers for the producer's products are aggregated and displayed by the data output unit 143 of the producer's producer information terminal.

[0112] In the example of Figure 9, information is displayed such as the total premium amount of 10,000 yen if fertilizer made from food waste is used continuously until the next shipment, the total premium amount of 20,000 yen if electric agricultural machinery is used continuously for one year, and the total premium amount of 10,000 yen if electric agricultural machinery is used continuously for three years.

[0113] As described above, consumers can set premium payments on the condition that producers engage in activities that contribute to the improvement of environmental or social issues, and then notify producers of this information. This creates an incentive for producers to take action, which is expected to lead to the improvement of these issues. Producers can then refer to the notified information and select and carry out activities that are likely to achieve the desired results. Alternatively, producers can use the notified information to understand the activities that many consumers expect (in other words, that are widely expected in society) and decide on future action plans, including investments in facilities, that will make it easier to achieve these goals.

[0114] Next, the processing from step 420 onwards will be explained using examples of data.

[0115] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the producer data 151 held by the incentive granting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0116] The producer basic table 1000 shown in FIG. 10A and the non-production activity table 1020 shown in FIG. 10B contain data registered in step 402 and data that is added sequentially by monitoring the producer's activities.

[0117] The producer basic table 1000 shown in FIG. 10A includes a producer ID 1001, basic information 1002, a non-production activity ID 1003, and a production-related activity 1004. The producer ID 1001 is identification information for each producer. The basic information 1002 is basic information for each producer. Although details are omitted in FIG. 10A, the basic information 1002 may include, for example, information identifying the producer's corporation or individual, location, items handled and their handling capabilities, and information such as evaluations, certifications, and qualifications that the producer has already received. This information is mainly registered in step 402.

[0118] The non-production activity ID 1003 is information that identifies, among the activities performed by each producer, activities related to environmental or social issues that are not directly related to the production of goods (hereinafter also referred to as non-production activities). Each time a producer performs a new non-production activity, information indicating the content of the activity is added to the producer data 151, and identification information for the activity is added to the non-production activity ID 1003. The information indicating the content of the non-production activity may include, for example, the content of the non-production activity, the category of the non-production activity, and information confirming that the non-production activity was actually performed. This information is registered in the producer data 151 together with the identification information for the non-production activity. An example of this information will be described later with reference to FIG. 10B.

[0119] The production-related activity ID 1004 is information that identifies, among the activities performed by each producer, activities that are directly related to the production of goods (hereinafter also referred to as production-related activities). Each time a producer performs a new production-related activity, information indicating the content of that activity is added to the activity record data 152, and identification information for that activity is added to the production-related activity ID 1004. For example, if the activity is the application of fertilizer, the information indicating the content of the production-related activity may include information indicating the type, amount, and application location of the fertilizer used. This information is registered in the activity record data 152 together with the identification information for the production-related activity.

[0120] Among the information indicating the activities performed by a producer, information indicating production-related activities can be obtained, for example, from the producer's business management system, and therefore its reliability is considered to be relatively high. In contrast, the reliability of information indicating non-production activities is not necessarily guaranteed, as such activities are generally not subject to management by business management systems. For this reason, the information indicating the content of non-production activities in producer data 151 may include information that a third party confirms that the actual performance of the non-production activities declared by the producer has actually been performed. The information indicating the content of non-production activities in producer data 151 will be explained next.

[0121] 10B includes information on the content of each activity identified by the non-production activity ID 1003. Specifically, the non-production activity table 1020 includes an activity ID 1021, an activity category 1022, an activity content 1023, a reference URL 1024, 2023 activity results 1025, 2023 activity consumer confirmation 1026, 2023 activity producer confirmation 1027, 2024 activity results 1028, 2024 activity consumer confirmation 1029, and 2024 activity producer confirmation 1030.

[0122] The activity ID 1021 is information that identifies a non-production activity among the activities performed by each producer, and corresponds to the identification information registered in the non-production activity ID 1003. The activity category 1022 and activity content 1023 indicate the category to which the non-production activity belongs and its content. For example, if a producer performs an activity to provide agricultural experiences to local residents, etc., the activity category 1022 would be "education" and the activity content 1023 would be "provision of agricultural experience opportunities for parents and children." Alternatively, if a producer performs reforestation activities, the activity category 1022 would be "nature conservation" and the activity content 1023 would be "tree planting for forest conservation."

[0123] The reference URL 1024 is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that indicates the location of information regarding each registered non-production activity when that information can be viewed online. Consumers may access the site indicated by the URL through a dedicated user interface of the system (e.g., an application running on the consumer's smartphone or PC) and view information regarding each registered producer's activity. To inform consumers of each producer's activity, the URL may be notified to consumers in any manner, such as by displaying a two-dimensional code on the product or by posting a link to the product's online page. Note that the URL here is an example of information that producers use to publicize their activity results; other information (e.g., newspaper articles, advertisements, etc.) may be used instead. Providing such information makes it easier for consumers or third parties, such as other producers, to verify the producer's activity results.

[0124] 2023 activity results 1025, 2023 activity consumer confirmation 1026, and 2023 activity producer confirmation 1027 indicate the results of each non-production activity in fiscal year 2023, the number of times that the activity was confirmed by consumers, and the number of times that the activity was confirmed by producers, respectively. Similarly, 2024 activity results 1028, 2024 activity consumer confirmation 1029, and 2024 activity producer confirmation 1030 indicate the results of each non-production activity in fiscal year 2024, the number of times that the activity was confirmed by consumers, and the number of times that the activity was confirmed by producers, respectively. Figure 10B shows information for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 as examples, but in reality, information for other years may be included.

[0125] For example, if the content of the activity is providing agricultural experience opportunities, the 2011 activity record 1025 and the 2012 activity record 1028 may include at least one of the number of times the opportunities have been provided, the timing, the frequency, the number of people involved, etc. Furthermore, if the content of the activity is tree planting, the 2011 activity record 1025 and the 2012 activity record 1028 may include at least one of the number of times the trees have been planted, the timing, the frequency, the area involved, the number of trees involved, etc.

[0126] The 2011 consumer activity confirmation 1026 and the 2012 consumer activity confirmation 1029 indicate the number of times that consumers confirmed the implementation of each producer's non-production activities in the respective fiscal years (in other words, the number of consumers who confirmed). For example, a consumer who has considered purchasing (or actually purchased) a product may obtain information about the product's producer's activities and, based on that information, input information to confirm the implementation of the producer's activities via the data input unit 142 of the consumer information terminal. For example, if the consumer can obtain the URL listed in the reference URL 1024, they may access the web page indicated by that URL to confirm the activities.

[0127] The 2011 activity producer confirmation 1027 and the 2012 activity producer confirmation 1030 indicate the number of times other producers confirmed the implementation of each producer's off-production activities in each fiscal year (in other words, the number of producers who confirmed). This confirmation may be performed, for example, in the same way as confirmation by consumers, or may be mutual confirmation between producers who have performed the same type of activity.

[0128] If the premium payment conditions set by the consumer include conditions related to non-production activities, it is possible to determine whether the conditions have been fulfilled based on the information described above. In this case, it is possible to objectively determine whether the conditions have been fulfilled based on information that a third party has confirmed that the activities have been carried out.

[0129] In step 420, the analysis unit 110 determines whether the premium payment terms are likely to be met within the deadline based on the producer data 151, including the above information, the activity performance data 152, and the process-specific environmental and social impacts 118. For example, the analysis unit 110 may predict whether the premium payment terms will be met within the deadline based on the current achievement status (e.g., if not met, the degree of shortfall, the frequency of activities up to the present, the results of each activity, etc.) and the time remaining until the deadline. While the specific prediction method is not limited, a general method such as linear prediction can be adopted. Then, in step 421, the results of this determination are displayed to the producer. At this time, each payment term is displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. 9 , and information indicating whether each payment term is likely to be met may also be displayed.

[0130] In step 422, the analysis unit 110 determines whether the premium payment conditions have been met based on the producer data 151 including the above information, the activity performance data 152, and the process-specific environmental and social impact 118. If the conditions have been met, the amount of premium earned is displayed to the producer in step 424. For example, each payment condition may be displayed as shown in FIG. 9, and for each met condition, the fact that the condition has been met and the resulting earned amount may be additionally displayed. On the other hand, if the conditions have not been met, a message indicating that the conditions have not been met is displayed in step 427. For example, information indicating that none of the conditions have been met may be additionally displayed in a display similar to that shown in FIG. 9.

[0131] Similarly, if the conditions are met, the actual premium payment history is displayed to the consumer in step 425. For example, information similar to that in FIG. 7A or 7B may be displayed, and for met conditions, information indicating that the set premium amount has been paid because the condition has been met may be additionally displayed. On the other hand, if the conditions are met, a message indicating that the condition has not been met is displayed to the consumer in step 428. For example, information similar to that in FIG. 7A or 7B may be displayed, and for unmet conditions, information indicating that the condition has not been met may be additionally displayed.

[0132] Furthermore, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0133] (1) An incentive granting system (e.g., the incentive granting system 100) having a processor (e.g., the processor 201) and a storage device (e.g., a memory 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203), wherein the storage device holds producer information (e.g., at least one of producer data 151 and activity performance data 152) including information indicating the performance of the activities of a producer of a product, and product information (e.g., final product data 153) that associates the product with the activities of the producer, and the processor calculates, for each producer, an environmental and social impact that indicates the impact of the producer's activities on the environment or society related to each issue category based on the producer information and the product information (e.g., step 407), obtains information from a consumer who has purchased a product regarding an additional fee (e.g., a premium) to be paid in addition to the price of the product, and stores the information in the storage device ( For example, step 418), the information regarding the additional charge (for example, purchase performance premium setting table 820) includes information on the payee producer, payment terms, and payment amount, and the payment terms include terms regarding the payee producer's activity performance and at least one of the environmental and social impacts based thereon, and if the producer information is updated after the consumer purchases the product, the processor updates the environmental and social impact based on the updated producer information (for example, steps 402, 407), determines whether the payment terms are met based on the updated producer information and at least one of the updated environmental and social impacts (for example, step 422), and if the payment terms are met, outputs information indicating that an additional charge of the payment amount will be paid to the payee producer (for example, steps 424, 425).

[0134] This allows consumers to continuously monitor the activities of producers based on conditions set by the consumers, and by paying a specified amount when the conditions are met, consumers can provide incentives for producers to continue working to address issues.

[0135] (2) In the incentive granting system described in (1) above, the payment terms include information specifying a period, and the processor predicts whether the payment terms will be fulfilled at the end of the period specified by the payment terms based on the producer's track record included in the producer information at the time before the end of the period specified by the payment terms and the length of time remaining until the end of the period specified by the payment terms (e.g., step 420), and if it predicts that the payment terms will not be fulfilled at the end of the period specified by the payment terms, it notifies the producer to whom the payment is made of the result of the prediction (e.g., step 421).

[0136] This will encourage producers to take action to address the issues.

[0137] (3) In the incentive granting system described in (1) above, the producers to whom payment is made include the producer of the product purchased by the consumer and other producers designated by the consumer, the payment amount is designated for each of the producer of the product purchased by the consumer and the other producers, and if there are multiple producers other than the producer of the product purchased by the consumer that meet the payment conditions, information is output indicating that the additional payment amount designated for the producers other than the producer of the product purchased by the consumer will be paid in installments to the multiple producers.

[0138] This will provide consumers with an incentive to encourage more producers to continue working to address the challenges.

[0139] (4) In the incentive granting system described in (3) above, the producer designated by the consumer is the producer of the same product as the product purchased by the consumer.

[0140] This will provide consumers with an incentive to encourage more producers to continue working to address the challenges.

[0141] (5) In the incentive granting system described in (1) above, the activities of the producer include production-related activities related to the production of the product and non-production activities unrelated to the production of the product and related to environmental or social issues, and the producer information includes at least one of information announcing that the producer has engaged in the non-production activities (e.g., reference URL 1024) and information indicating that a third party has confirmed that the producer has engaged in the activities (e.g., 2011 activity results 1025 to 2012 activity producer confirmation 1030).

[0142] This allows us to accurately understand the activities of producers.

[0143] (6) In the incentive granting system described in (5) above, the information indicating the performance of the production-related activities among the producer information includes information obtained from the business management system of the producer.

[0144] This allows us to accurately understand the activities of producers.

[0145] (7) In the incentive granting system described in (1) above, the information regarding the additional fee includes information on the payee producer, the payment terms, and the payment amount designated by each of multiple consumers, and the processor notifies the same payee producer of the total payment amount for each payment term corresponding to the same payee producer (e.g., the payment amount shown in Figure 9) based on the information regarding the additional fee (e.g., step 419).

[0146] This allows producers to know what activities are expected of them by many consumers.

[0147] (8) The incentive granting system described in (1) above, wherein the issue categories include at least one of climate change, air pollution, waste, water consumption, land use, mineral resource consumption, fossil fuel resource consumption, forest resource consumption, biodiversity, child labor, and animal dependency, and the processor, if the issue category includes climate change, calculates greenhouse gas emissions as the environmental and social impact for the issue category, and, if the issue category includes forest resource consumption, calculates the amount of forest resources consumed as the environmental and social impact for the issue category.

[0148] This will provide incentives for producers to take action to address a variety of challenges.

[0149] (9) The incentive granting system described in (1) above, wherein the product is at least one of food and clothing, and the producers include at least one of a business that produces raw materials for the product, a business that processes the raw materials to manufacture the product, a business that sells the product to the consumer, and a business that transports the raw materials and the product.

[0150] This provides incentives for producers' activities at each stage of the product production process.

[0151] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to provide a better understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0152] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in storage devices such as nonvolatile semiconductor memory, hard disk drives, and solid-state drives (SSDs), or in computer-readable, non-transitory data storage media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0153] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

Claims

1. An incentive granting system comprising a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device holds producer information including information indicating the performance of the activities of product producers, and product information correlating the products with the activities of the producers, wherein the processor: calculates, for each producer, an environmental and social impact indicating the impact of the producer's activities on the environment or society for each issue category based on the producer information and the product information, obtains information on an additional fee to be paid in addition to the price of the product from a consumer who has purchased the product and stores the information in the storage device, wherein the information on the additional fee includes information on the producer to be paid, payment terms, and payment amount, and the payment terms include conditions for at least one of the performance of the activities of the producer to be paid and the environmental and social impact based thereon, and wherein the processor: if the producer information is updated after the consumer has purchased the product, updates the environmental and social impact based on the updated producer information, and determines whether the payment terms are met based on at least one of the updated producer information and the updated environmental and social impact, An incentive granting system characterized by outputting information indicating that an additional amount on the payment amount will be paid to the producer of the payment destination when the payment conditions are met.

2. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the payment terms include information specifying a period, and the processor predicts whether the payment terms will be fulfilled at the end of the period specified by the payment terms based on the producer's track record of activity included in the producer information at a time before the end of the period specified by the payment terms and the length of time remaining until the end of the period specified by the payment terms, and if it predicts that the payment terms will not be fulfilled at the end of the period specified by the payment terms, it notifies the producer to whom the payment is made of the result of the prediction.

3. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the producers to whom payment is made include the producer of the product purchased by the consumer and other producers designated by the consumer, the payment amount is designated for each of the producer of the product purchased by the consumer and the other producers, and if there are multiple producers other than the producer of the product purchased by the consumer that meet the payment conditions, the incentive granting system outputs information indicating that the additional payment amount designated for the producer other than the producer of the product purchased by the consumer will be paid in installments to the multiple producers.

4. An incentive granting system according to claim 3, wherein the producer designated by the consumer is the producer of the same product as the product purchased by the consumer.

5. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the activities of the producer include production-related activities related to the production of the product and non-production activities unrelated to the production of the product and related to environmental or social issues, and the producer information includes at least one of information publicizing that the producer has engaged in the non-production activities and information indicating that a third party has confirmed that the producer has engaged in the activities.

6. An incentive granting system as described in claim 5, wherein the information indicating the performance of the production-related activities among the producer information includes information acquired from the business management system of the producer.

7. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the additional charges includes information on the payee producer, the payment terms, and the payment amount designated by each of a plurality of consumers, and the processor notifies the same payee producer of the total payment amount for each payment term corresponding to the same payee producer based on the information regarding the additional charges.

8. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the issue categories include at least one of climate change, air pollution, waste, water consumption, land use, mineral resource consumption, fossil fuel resource consumption, forest resource consumption, biodiversity, child labor, and animal dependency, and wherein the processor, if the issue category includes climate change, calculates greenhouse gas emissions as the environmental and social impact for the issue category, and, if the issue category includes forest resource consumption, calculates the amount of forest resources consumed as the environmental and social impact for the issue category.

9. An incentive granting system as described in claim 1, wherein the product is at least one of food and clothing, and the producers include at least one of a business operator that produces raw materials for the product, a business operator that processes the raw materials to manufacture the product, a business operator that sells the product to the consumer, and a business operator that transports the raw materials and the product.

10. An incentive granting method executed by a computer system, the computer system having a processor and a storage device, the storage device holding producer information including information indicating the performance of activities of product producers, and product information correlating the products with the activities of the producers, the incentive granting method comprising: a first step in which the processor calculates, for each producer, an environmental and social impact indicating the impact of the producer's activities on the environment or society related to each issue category based on the producer information and the product information; and a second step in which the processor obtains information regarding an additional fee to be paid in addition to the price of the product from a consumer who has purchased the product and stores the information in the storage device, the information regarding the additional fee including information on the producer to be paid, payment terms, and payment amount, the payment terms including conditions for at least one of the performance of activities of the producer to be paid and the environmental and social impact based thereon, when the producer information is updated after the consumer has purchased the product, the processor executes the first step to update the environmental and social impact based on the updated producer information, and the incentive granting method further comprising: A method for granting incentives, comprising: a third step in which the processor determines whether the payment conditions are met based on at least one of the updated producer information and the updated environmental and social impact; and a fourth step in which the processor outputs information indicating that an additional amount on the payment amount will be paid to the payee producer if the payment conditions are met.

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