Feb 15, 2023
Feb 15, 2023
The Green x Digital Consortium, of which ABeam Consulting Ltd. is a member and for which the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) serves as secretariat, has conducted a successful technical proof-of-concept (POC) experiment on CO2 emissions data exchange among different solutions as the first stage toward the visualization of supply chain CO2 emissions. The first such verification experiment to be conducted in Japan, it represents major progress toward bringing visibility to supply chain CO2 emissions.
ABeam Consulting participated in this initiative as a provider of Cyanoba, a service offered jointly with ESG tech company PID Inc. Cyanoba is a GX management tool with the ability to centrally manage energy usage/emissions data along with cost information, and is expected to contribute to the Consortium's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through initiatives for digitalization and the creation of new business models. This solution holds great promise in that it can accurately track the reduction efforts of companies working to reduce CO2 emissions through collaboration across supply chains.
■ Details of the technical POC
In this Phase 1 technical validation for data linkage, 15 solution providers participated from September 2022 to January 2023 to verify data exchange among multiple solutions on a virtual supply chain of products. The experiment used the data format and API (connection method) presented in the Pathfinder Network of the WBCSD Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT)*1, a leading international framework for data linkage on a global basis.
As a result, we were able to technically confirm that data can be exchanged under common specifications even when different companies in the supply chain utilize different solutions. This will enable user companies to access a wider range of choices when introducing solutions, and will also allow solution providers to eliminate the need for individual coordination with other companies, which is expected to improve development efficiency. This achievement brings us closer to realizing CO2 emissions visualization in supply chains where solutions are in use.
The report on this POC experiment (Phase 1) can be viewed at the following link.
https://www.gxdc.jp/pdf/report.pdf
■Future efforts of the consortium
As a next step, we aim to complete Phase 2 of our POC experiments by the end of June 2023, adding more user companies and also addressing carbon calculation practices. Through this string of experiments, we will refine the Carbon Visualization Framework and Technical Specifications for Data Exchange*2 developed by the Green x Digital Consortium’s Visualization Working Group, and as use cases for business-to-business data collaboration, we will deepen cooperation with domestic and foreign industries as well as between the public and private sectors.
ABeam Consulting will continue to contribute to efforts to solve social issues by helping companies achieve both GX and business growth through the use of data and digital technologies in the decarbonization field, including this initiative.
■ About the Green x Digital Consortium
https://www.gxdc.jp/about/
■About Cyanoba
https://www.abeam.com/expertise/SL346
■ Abeam Consulting's GX Services
https://www.abeam.com/jp/ja/trend/gx
About WBCSD Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT):
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led community of approximately 200 businesses aiming for sustainable development. It serves as the organizing body of the GHG Protocol. Hosted by the WBCSD, the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) acts to accelerate decarbonization through the creation of transparency on emissions in the value chain. The methodological and technical basis for emissions data exchange is defined and published as the Pathfinder Framework and the Pathfinder Network. The Green x Digital consortium is part of the PACT ecosystem.
CO2 visualization framework and technical specifications for data exchange:
The Carbon Visualization Framework comprises a document outlining a methodology for using digital technologies to calculate and share carbon data (data quality disclosure method) exchanged within the supply chain with the aim of realizing carbon data distribution based on primary data that reflects supplier companies’ emissions reduction efforts. The Technical Specifications for Data Exchange comprise a technical document that presents shared data formats and exchange specifications. Both incorporate the approaches of the WBCSD PACT’s Pathfinder Network and Pathfinder Framework along with unique elements based on Japan’s domestic systems and the needs of companies participating in the Consortium. Preparations are currently under way for disclosure to the general public.
The website : https://www.carbon-transparency.com/
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