Wireless Tag Carbon Footprint Tracking System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Calculating the overall carbon footprint of an object across its lifecycle stages such as manufacture, transport, storage, and disposal is challenging due to segmentation of contributions, making it difficult to track and communicate effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system using wireless tags, such as RFID tags, to store and communicate carbon footprint values related to greenhouse gas emissions across these stages, allowing for incremental updates during manufacturing and transportation, and enabling automatic tracking and storage in a database for consumer and retail use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual tracking methods are used for carbon footprint calculation, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but tracking accuracy and comprehensiveness deteriorate due to segmentation of contributions across lifecycle stages
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless tag system serves multiple functions: it tracks carbon footprint data, stores product information, and enables communication across the supply chain. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate manual tracking systems for each lifecycle stage, improving accuracy without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless tag acts as an intermediary carrier that holds and transmits carbon footprint data between different stages of the product lifecycle. This intermediary solution automates data collection and tracking, resolving the contradiction by providing accurate tracking through a standardized interface rather than complex manual processes.
2Measurement precision
If automated tracking systems are implemented to improve carbon footprint tracking accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless tag system automatically tracks and updates carbon footprint data at each lifecycle stage without requiring manual intervention. The system self-manages data collection, storage, and transmission, improving measurement precision while actually simplifying operation since no specialized manual tracking procedures are needed.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive carbon footprint data is collected across all lifecycle stages, then information completeness improves, but loss of time in data aggregation and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
Carbon footprint data is collected and stored in the wireless tag at each lifecycle stage as the product progresses, rather than requiring retrospective aggregation. This preliminary action approach ensures information completeness is maintained while reducing processing time, as the data is already organized and available when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless tag continuously tracks carbon footprint data throughout the entire product lifecycle from manufacturing to disposal, maintaining uninterrupted data collection. This continuous tracking ensures complete information while eliminating the time loss associated with periodic manual data gathering and aggregation across different stages.
Data Source
AI summary
A solution for tracking the carbon footprint value of an object as the object is manufactured and/or transported. This value may be stored in a tag associated with the object. Thus, the object can track its own carbon footprint, e.g., using the tag. Alternatively, the values are stored in a database with an entry associated with a particular object. The final composite value, e.g., the sum of the intermediate values associated with manufacturing steps, components, transportation steps, and disposal, may be used, e.g., seen, by the consumer or retail store. The store may use such values to arrange objects by footprint value on a shelf or in a store, or for other purposes. Therefore, the disclosure enables manufactures of products to track the carbon footprint for their products as the products are being produced and transported.