Environmental impact estimation method and apparatus

An environmental impact estimation method comprising:

• storing information related to reuse objects and recycle objects in a memory unit;
• performing life cycle modeling to make a life cycle model, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse objects and the recycle objects from the memory unit, selecting some of the reuse objects and the recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product from a recovery product using the information read, and combining the reuse objects and recycle objects selected together to assemble a new product;
• predicting, as a superposition of two arbitrary shapes whose peaks correspond to a product worth life and a product useful life, recovery distribution of products used as the reuse objects by the life cycle modeling in order to predict a recovery quantity of at least one recovery of the reuse objects and recycle objects, using the life cycle model;
• and
• evaluating an environmental impact and a cost involved in reuse or recycling based on prediction result obtained by the predicting.

A product recovery prediction method comprising:

• inputting a useful life of a product, a worth life of the product, a rate of users using the useful life of the product as a disposal main factor, a product recovery rate, a product manufacture period, the number of products, a number-of-products distribution shape, and a recovery distribution shape;
• generating a number-of-products distribution in the manufacture period according to the number-of-products distribution shape;
• and
• generating a number-of-recovery products from the number-of-products distribution, the recovery rate, the recovery distribution shape, the worth life of the product and a useful life of the product.

A reuse scheduling support apparatus in executing at least one of reuse of parts of a product and materials recycling, the apparatus comprising:

• a modeling unit configured to execute life cycle modeling between reuse products that is a process for performing definition for deciding what parts of a recovery product should be diverted to what new product;
• a prediction unit configured to predict feeding quantity of reuse parts by applying a model modeled by the modeling unit;
• and
• an environmental impact and cost evaluation unit configured to evaluate environmental impact and cost that are involved in recycling on the basis of a prediction result of the prediction unit.

An environmental impact estimation program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising:

• means for instructing a computer processor to store information related to reuse objects and recycle objects in a memory unit;
• means for instructing the computer processor to perform life cycle modeling to make a life cycle model, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse objects and the recycle objects from the memory unit, selecting some of the reuse objects and the recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product from a recovery product using read information, and combining the reuse objects and recycle objects selected together to assemble the new product;
• means for instructing the computer processor to predict, as a superposition of two or more arbitrary shapes, recovery distribution of products used as reuse objects by the life cycle modeling in order to predict a recovery quantity of at least one of the reuse objects and recycle objects, using the life cycle model;
• means for instructing the computer processor to determine at least one of the arbitrary shapes as a peak of the product worth life or product useful life;
• and
• means for instructing the computer processor to evaluate an environmental impact and a cost to bear in reuse or recycling based on prediction result obtained by the predicting.

An environmental impact estimation program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising:

• means for instructing a computer processor to store information related to reuse objects and recycle objects in a memory unit;
• means for instructing the computer processor to perform life cycle modeling to make a life cycle model, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse objects and the recycle objects from the memory unit, selecting some of the reuse objects and the recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product from a recovery product using read information, and combining the reuse objects and the recycle objects selected together to assemble the new product;
• means for instructing the computer to predict, as a superposition of two arbitrary shapes whose peaks correspond to a product worth life and a product useful life, recovery distribution of products used as the reuse objects by the life cycle modeling in order to predict a recovery quantity of at least one recovery of the reuse objects and the recycle objects, using the life cycle model;
• and
• means for instructing the computer to evaluate an environmental impact and a cost to bear in reuse or recycle based on prediction result obtained by the predicting.

A product recovery prediction program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising:

• means for instructing a computer to input a useful life of a product, a worth life of the product, a rate of users using the useful life of the product as a disposal main factor, a product recovery rate, a product manufacture period, a number of products, a number-of-products distribution shape, and a recovery distribution shape;
• means for instructing the computer to generate a number-of-products distribution in the manufacture period according to the number-of-products distribution shape;
• and
• means for instructing the computer to generate a number-of-recovery products from the number-of-products distribution, the recovery rate, the recovery distribution shape, the worth life of the product and a useful life of the product.