Plastic Material Credit Balance Tracking for Mass Balance Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack an efficient method to manage and certify the reduction amount of environmental load associated with the use of environment-friendly materials in plastic products, such as bioresources, biodegradable materials, and recycled materials, using the mass balance method.
Innovation Solution
A management system and method that calculates credit based on the purchase and production of plastic materials, updating a credit balance using parameters like biomass degree, recycled content, and greenhouse gas emission reduction, and outputs product labels for traceability, integrating with existing production and inventory systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the mass balance method is applied to manage environment-friendly materials, then the reduction amount of environmental load can be quantified and assigned to specific products, but the complexity of managing credit balance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments credit management into distinct functional units: a first calculation unit that calculates credit increase amounts based on material purchases, a second calculation unit that calculates credit decrease amounts based on product transfers or production, and a credit management unit that updates the overall credit balance. This segmentation simplifies the complex management task by dividing it into manageable, specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary credit balance mechanism that acts as a mediator between material purchases and product outputs. The credit balance serves as a quantitative intermediary that tracks environmental load reduction throughout the supply chain, enabling precise measurement and assignment without requiring direct tracking of each individual material flow.
2Measurement precision
If separate production lines are prepared to distinguish products containing bioresources from those that do not, then product traceability is ensured, but production efficiency and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The credit management system provides a universal tracking mechanism that applies to all products regardless of their specific material composition. Instead of requiring separate production lines for different product types, the system universally assigns credit values to products based on the environment-friendly materials they contain, enabling traceability across a single integrated production line.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach from physical separation of production lines to parameter-based differentiation. Products are distinguished not by their physical production path but by assigned parameters such as credit balance values, biomass degrees, and recycled material contents. This parameter-based approach maintains traceability while allowing flexible, mixed-material production.
3Measurement precision
If direct mass measurement is performed for credit calculation, then accuracy of environmental load reduction is ensured, but measurement time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing credit increase amounts when environment-friendly materials are purchased and pre-establishing credit decrease amounts when products are produced or transferred. This preliminary calculation approach eliminates the need for time-consuming direct mass measurements at each transaction point, as the credit values are already determined and stored for quick reference.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing direct mass measurements, the system uses copied data from existing records such as purchase quantities, production quantities, and inventory data. The credit calculation units retrieve and process these copied data elements, which already contain the necessary information for accurate credit determination without requiring additional measurement operations.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a management system including a first calculation unit, a second calculation unit, a storage unit, and a credit management unit. The first calculation unit calculates an increase amount of credit based on the purchase mass and the parameter representing the degree of reduction in environmental load in accordance with the purchase of plastic materials. The second calculation unit calculates a decrease amount of credit in accordance with either the transfer or production of the product. The storage unit stores an initial balance. The credit management unit updates a credit balance based on the initial balance, the increase amount, and the decrease amount.