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A novel inventory data exchange system through product supply chain
Katsuyuki Nakano,* Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI)
Kiyotaka Tahara, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Nobuhiko Narita, Nagoya Sangyo University
Masahiko Hirao, University of TokyoGeneric inventory data have been created from typical process data in industry association, statistics and expert estimation as representative value of environmental burden of product and service. The burden, however, depends on provider because formula, process and efficiency are not same among providers. The generic inventory data support an implementation of LCA identifying processes or material where should be improved, but it is not clarify a difference among providers. A company, which is willing to implement more sophisticated Environmental Conscious Design (ECD), requires an actual and specific inventory data of material, components and final products including use and post-use stages from up and downstream companies, though most companies hesitates to release their own data because of complicated procedure, apprehension for the leakage of confidential information and lack of the merit of disclosure.
In this paper, we propose a novel data exchange system through product supply chain. The system supports secure exchange of specific data of a company with the companies on the up and downstream of supply chain. Every company can protect the confidential information by using updated information technology. The inventory data can be summed up to the cradle of the product to conceal the closed information of intermediate materials. Keeping the transparency, data validity, quality measurement, substance nomenclature and data format are key issues to be discussed.
The upstream company lacks information on subsequent stage of the product life cycle, and it tends to implement an LCA with unreliable life cycle information. The company therefore received the data from the upstream company is stimulated to provide the data on use and post-use stages of the product to the upstream company. By exchanging the data, both companies can implement more sophisticated ECD and claim the product environmental performance based on the business partners information, and this manner creates incentives for companies to provide their own data.
We have started a feasibility study on the system and a conceptual design of it with due considerations to win-win relationship between upstream company and downstream company for greening market.
* corresponding author: nakano@jemai.or.jp