Centralized Database for Supply Chain Emissions Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Organizations face challenges in determining and managing indirect carbon emissions from their supply chains, as existing methods do not effectively account for emissions generated by their suppliers, hindering efforts to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovation Solution
A web-based modeling system that calculates indirect carbon emissions by accessing supplier data from a centralized database, allowing clients to identify and quantify emissions across their supply chain network, including primary and secondary suppliers, and motivating suppliers to reduce their emissions through financial incentives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an organization measures only direct CO2e emissions from its own operations, then the measurement process is simple and straightforward, but the organization cannot determine the indirect CO2e emissions generated by its suppliers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized database as an intermediary that stores supplier emissions data, conversion factors, and supply chain relationships. This database mediates between the organization's need for comprehensive emissions information and the complexity of collecting and processing data from multiple suppliers, enabling indirect emissions calculation without requiring the organization to directly manage complex data collection processes
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where suppliers input their emissions data into the centralized database, and organizations receive calculated indirect emissions information. This feedback loop enables continuous improvement of emissions accounting accuracy while distributing the data collection burden across the supply chain network
2Loss of information
If an organization attempts to calculate indirect CO2e emissions from its supply chain, then comprehensive emissions data can be obtained, but the complexity of data collection and calculation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized database serves multiple functions: storing supplier emissions data, maintaining conversion factors for different GHGs, mapping supply chain relationships, and performing calculations. This multi-functional system reduces overall complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require separate systems for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the emissions assessment task into distinct components: supplier data collection, emissions factor application, supply chain relationship mapping, and aggregation calculations. Each component is handled separately in the centralized database, making the overall complex process more manageable and systematic
3Object-generated harmful factors
If an organization wants to reduce overall CO2e emissions including indirect emissions, then comprehensive supply chain emissions data is needed, but existing methods do not effectively account for supplier emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-collecting and storing emissions data from suppliers in the centralized database before the organization needs to calculate its indirect emissions. This advance preparation ensures data is available and reliable when emissions accounting is performed, eliminating the need for complex real-time data collection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual emissions calculation methods with an automated computer-based system that performs calculations using stored data and conversion factors. This substitution improves reliability by eliminating manual errors and ensuring consistent application of emissions factors across all suppliers
Data Source
AI summary
A CO2e modeling system is implemented via a host server that is remotely accessible by a large number of clients (organizations) and suppliers of goods and services to the clients. The host server accesses a database containing CO2e emission-related data from a large number of suppliers. The client, when determining their indirect CO2e emissions resulting from their supply chain network, then identifies to the host server, via the web, the various suppliers used by the client and the client's amount of usage of the various suppliers. The host server uses its stored conversion factors and other data from the database to calculate the client's indirect CO2e emissions as a result of the client's usage of the particular suppliers. The server may calculate the total CO2e emissions generated by the entire chain of suppliers that are involved with providing a particular product to the client.