Method and System for Carbon Value Tracking and Labeling

• US 20100127868A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PDI Merger S2 LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R., Moskowitz, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating a tag with an object, wherein the tag is configured to store data and communicate the data using a wireless communications link; and

writing a carbon footprint value to the tag, wherein the carbon footprint value is related to a weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of at least a portion of at least one of;

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the carbon footprint value using a second wireless communications device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising writing the carbon footprint value to an entry associated with the tag in a database that includes a plurality of entries for a plurality of tags.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising arranging the object with respect to at least one additional object related to the object according to the carbon footprint value read from the tag.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising presenting the carbon footprint value read from the tag for display to a consumer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising writing a second carbon footprint value to the tag, wherein the second carbon footprint value is related to a second weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of a second at least a portion of at least one of:

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

calculating a total carbon footprint value for the object based on the carbon footprint values written to the tag; and

storing the total carbon footprint value for the object in at least one of;

the tag or an entry associated with the tag in a database stored on a computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal related to the carbon footprint value from a transmitter node associated with a manufacturing stage for the object; and

determining the carbon footprint value based on the signal, wherein the writing is performed in response to the receiving and determining.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal related to the carbon footprint value from a transportation device, wherein the transportation device is included on a vehicle used to transport the object from a first location to a second location; and

determining the carbon footprint value based on the signal, wherein the writing is performed in response to the receiving and determining.

10. A system comprising:

a tag configured to be associated with an object, wherein the tag includes;

a component configured to store data;

a wireless communications device configured to communicate data using a wireless communications link; and

a component configured to write a carbon footprint value to the component configured to store data according to data received by the wireless communications device, wherein the carbon footprint value is related to a weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of at least a portion of at least one of;

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second wireless communications device configured to read the carbon footprint value from the tag.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a component configured to manage a database that includes a plurality of entries for a plurality of tags; and

a component configured to write the carbon footprint value to an entry associated with the tag in the database.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a device configured to present the carbon footprint value read from the tag for display to a consumer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the tag further includes a component configured to write a second carbon footprint value to the component configured to store data according to data received by the wireless communications device, wherein the second carbon footprint value is related to a second weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of a second at least a portion of at least one of:

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a component configured to calculate a total carbon footprint value for the object based on the carbon footprint values written to the component configured to store data; and

a component configured to store the total carbon footprint value for the object in at least one of;

the component configured to store data in the tag or an entry associated with the tag in a database stored on a computing device.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a device configured to transmit a signal related to the carbon footprint value for an associated manufacturing stage for the object, wherein the tag further includes a component configured to determine the carbon footprint value based on the signal.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising a device configured to transmit a signal related to the carbon footprint value, wherein the transportation device is included on a vehicle used to transport the object from a first location to a second location, and wherein the carbon footprint value is related to a weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of at least a portion of the transport of the object, and wherein the tag further includes a component configured to determine the carbon footprint value based on the signal.

18. A computer readable article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for executing a computer implemented method comprising:

associating a tag with an object, wherein the tag is configured to store data and communicate the data using a wireless communications link; and

writing a carbon footprint value to the tag, wherein the carbon footprint value is related to a weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of at least a portion of at least one of;

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object.

19. A method of generating a system, the method comprising:

associating a tag with an object, wherein the tag is configured to store data and communicate the data using a wireless communications link, and write a carbon footprint value to the tag, wherein the carbon footprint value is related to a weight of at least one greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere as a result of at least a portion of at least one of;

manufacture, transport, storage, or disposal of the object; and

providing at least one device configured to transmit a signal associated with the carbon footprint value for processing by the tag using the wireless communications link.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing at least one device configured to read the carbon footprint value from the tag using the wireless communications link.