IT202100011393A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF A COMPANY - Google Patents

Description

TITLE: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT

OF THE ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF A COMPANY

DESCRIPTION

Technical Sector of the Invention

The general scope of application of the present invention is the business services sector that must activate series of control measures on the effect of their activities, according to sustainability criteria? ecological.

Is gradually, but widely, the awareness, even in high-level decision-making areas, that the activities? human resources, in general, are too often organized and conceived without taking into account their impact on sustainability? ecological. Above all, it is understood that ? It is necessary to change the current state of affairs: for this reason, so-called ?ecological transition? measures are being launched all over the world, i.e. reforms are proposed with the effect of making structural changes aimed at restoring sustainability? ecological of the pi? various activities human. The thing? called ?ecological transition? ? considered a necessity today? not anymore deferable. The studies are not counted, even from the most? prestigious academic and scientific circles, which affirm the urgency of drastically modifying the production models that are widespread today, and adopted by the vast majority of companies. In particular, the excessive production of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a fact which urgently needs to be stopped. ? it is precisely this urgency that requires the introduction of controls and legislative measures aimed, in fact, at obliging a growing number of subjects to embark on a path of ?ecological transition? accelerated.

Known technique

The adoption of virtuous measures from an ecological point of view, up to now, ? been largely entrusted to? initiative and sensitivity? of entrepreneurs. Only the activities particularly polluting industries were subject to more regulations? or less stringent, in relation to the conduct of particular processes.

Another area with an ecological value, certainly well guarded by the law, concerns the disposal of waste generated by the business. productive. However, very little ? been done so far to reduce CO2 emissions. In fact, these emissions are constantly growing, in relation to the capacity? of the terrestrial ecosystem to absorb the excess of CO<2>, and to restore the necessary quantity? of oxygen in molecular form (O2), essential for the ecological balance of the earth. This imbalance has the particularly serious effect of affecting the composition of the upper layers of the atmosphere.

The regulatory measures most? widespread, still little applied, but much discussed, and on the agenda in many decision-making circles around the world, concern the so-called called ?Carbon-tax?.

This Anglophone term refers to all those fiscal measures aimed at penalizing any anti-ecological behavior through the imposition of a tax. The positive effect of fiscal measures inspired by the model of the ?Carbon-tax? consists in the fact that activities are discouraged? and practices with a high polluting impact, and a tax criterion is introduced which is now perceived as fair also by public opinion.

Other regulatory measures provide for the establishment of cos? called ?Carbon-credit?. Also in this case the Anglophone term ? used all over the world, and it indicates, differently from the ?Carbon-tax?, rewarding mechanisms, i.e. mechanisms that encourage the adoption of virtuous behaviors from an ecological point of view. In this case, the subjects who adopt virtuous behaviors are rewarded with a certificate of credit (known precisely as ?Carbon-credit?) which can be ?spent? to compensate for any anti-ecological behavior, or pu? be sold to other subjects to compensate for their anti-ecological behaviour, and to avoid the latter from incurring penalties or having to pay any ?Carbon-tax? much more onerous.

It is understood that the combination of instruments attributable to the imposition of a ?Carbon-tax?, or to the issue of ?Carbon-credit?, makes it possible to put in place very strong disincentive or incentive policies, aimed at accelerating the much desired ?ecological transition ?.

? otherwise? It is clear that regulatory architectures can really be constructed in many ways, and can also be combined with other repressive and sanctioning measures of various kinds, thus giving give rise to very different regulatory scenarios and subject to continuous updates.

It is therefore necessary to extrapolate some essential concepts that represent elements common to all future scenarios based on the use of regulatory instruments attributable to the application of ?Carbon-tax?, or to the issue of ?Carbon-credit?, understood in their most? broad and generic meaning.

A first common element, ? deducible from the same etymology of the two locutions: ?Carbon-tax? and ?Carbon credit?. ? is the centrality clear? of the emission of carbon dioxide as an element on which to build measurement parameters of the ?virtuosity? ecological? of an? activity? of enterprise.

A second concept transversal to all possible regulatory frameworks concerns the measurability? objective of said ?virtuosity? ecological? of an? activity? of enterprise.

The present invention therefore intends to define its scope of application in the sector of the offer of services to all those enterprises which aspire to increase (or must increase) their ?virtuosity? ecological? in an objective and measurable way, in the hypothesis that this measure is expressed in terms of impact on emissions, or absorption, of CO<2>.

Both the measurement of the impact on emissions, or on the absorption, of CO2, and both the physical interventions aimed at modifying and correcting the measured values, obviously define technical problems.

The solution of these technical problems, however, must be regulated and calibrated on the basis of information that emerges from considerations of an administrative and/or inspection nature.

The known art does not propose tools that integrate the solution of the technical problems mentioned above in the context of those administrative and management services that will necessarily be essential to operate in the regulatory contexts that are emerging, and to formally supervise them.

On the other hand, since the administrative and management services, at least according to current practice, are limited only to managing the legislation, for example by maintaining the correct certifications, ensuring the correct payment of taxes or managing the intermediation of Carbon exchanges -credit?, ? it is practically inevitable that inefficiencies are created where the outcome of an administrative-management service highlights various types of inefficiencies or, worse, the risk of not complying with the law.

In such cases, far from improbable in the context of a constantly updated standard, in fact, the triggering of operations capable of physically acting on the so-called ?virtuosity? ecological? of? the company occurs following the generation of alarms, and ? a cumbersome passage of information between different subjects is necessary, in which a subject with administrative skills must activate a subject with technical skills or with business process skills.

Some of the technical problems that arise in the scenario described above, if addressed individually, and if correctly set up, may resort to known solutions. In fact, the prior art offers many easy-to-use tools for calculating and evaluating the so-called ?virtuosity? ecological? attributable to certain specific activities? and certain specific behaviors.

I'm like this Many schemes have been developed which parameterize single actions in terms of ?emission of CO<2 >equivalent?, or parameterize certain virtuous actions apparently not correlated with the absorption of CO2, always defining them in terms of ?equivalent absorption of CO2?.

For example, producing and self-consuming electricity produced with photovoltaic systems does not produce or absorb CO2 directly; However, ? a practice that reduces the need for electricity produced from other sources, including thermoelectric production from fossil fuels which, in turn, represents a significant share of current electricity production. Therefore, self-consuming energy produced with your own photovoltaic system helps to reduce the production of electricity produced with technologies that cause CO<2> emissions, and therefore this practice can be interpreted as corresponding to an ?equivalent absorption of CO2?.

On the contrary, a work organization which envisages the daily convergence of its employees in one office at a certain average distance from their respective homes, forcing them to move individually during peak hours, and without optimizing their movements, corresponds to a certain quantity ? of CO2 emissions that can be determined in a tabular way, knowing the domicile addresses of the employees and other data that can be found at an administrative level by the various companies.

The examples just proposed, highlight a first aspect of criticality? regarding the problem of measurement. If this is reduced to a mere administrative calculation, based on parameters and tables, ? certainly an? activity? of a certain complexity? administrative (obviously represents an administrative cost for companies), but, above all, ? subject to continuous updates of the parameters and ? certainly questionable in terms of the correctness of the evaluations. Therefore, ? desirable that, at least some virtuous actions can be calculated with objective criteria, without the need? to refer to articulated parametric models that require a considerable administrative load, and which are by their nature susceptible to continuous updates.

? clear, at this point, that the scenario that is looming on the horizon can? certainly draw on a large variety? of known practices and techniques, and provides for a close mix of administrative and technical solutions, which should be implemented with coordination, as optimal as possible.

Unfortunately, the prior art does not propose this integrated approach, and it is it is therefore foreseeable that frequent cases of inefficient conduct will occur.

As just explained, ? clear how little useful it is to review, at this point, the large amount? of studies that evaluate more or less approximate the ecological impact of all business practices, so? as it is not necessary to list the numerous modalities? with which you can? produce clean energy, or with which? possible to absorb CO2.

In fact, the known art is not in the absence of partial solutions, rather ? in the absence of technical solutions designed to be coordinated effectively and objectively with the administrative plan, and which are applicable solutions with certainty of effectiveness, regardless of the regulatory framework in force.

Purpose and summary of the invention

The general purpose of the present invention ? that of indicating a method, and the appropriate tools that allow its implementation, to conduct an efficient management of the ?ecological transition? referring to a? company.

In particular, said method must have characteristics that make it the most? possible immune from the specific standard to which it must comply, it being foreseeable that the regulatory instruments will be very diversified, both by type of company, by territory, and also over time, in order to pursue general objectives according to data that are for them continuously updated nature.

Furthermore, it must be a method based on tools that can be dominated by the administrative structure of a company, even if their implementation requires a strong interaction with technological systems.

Finally, the proposed method must be able to be integrated with any purely administrative service that provides for the management of regulatory instruments that fall within the generic categories of ?Carbon-tax? and/or ?Carbon-credits?.

In this regard, it is noted that the existence of the aforementioned administrative services must be considered a fact: and every company must oversee this administrative burden with internal or external resources. Therefore, the method indicated by the present invention must have characteristics of integration with such services, without placing constraints on them.

In fact, as explained, these are services which, in addition to being managed in a different way and with different resources by each different company, must be able to adapt to evolving legislation.

The aims established for this invention are achieved by resorting to a system for the quantitative improvement of the ?ecological performances? of a company, which includes:

to. a first subsystem of measurement of ?virtuosity? ecological? of said company, suitable for determining a measure, expressed in terms of ?CO2 equivalent? issued or absorbed by said company in the exercise of its own activities? operational;

b. a second subsystem for determining the quantity? of CO2 that this company needs to absorb to improve its ?ecological performance? of a quantity? predetermined.

Being said system for the quantitative improvement of the ?ecological performances? of a company characterized by the fact that it also includes:

- a plurality? of modules (called ?Carbon-sink?) made up of ecosystems in controlled environments which produce chemical fixing reactions of carbon, taken from CO<2>, in other organic molecules (non-polluting) and release l? oxygen taken from CO2;

- and these modules (?Carbon-sink?) are characterized by the fact that the quantity? of fixed carbon, and taken from CO2, ? objectively measurable, for example by weighing operations;

- and said system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of a company also includes an aid subsystem for the assignment of said modules (?Carbon-sink?) to said company, in such a number that said modules (?Carbon-sink?) assigned are sufficient to fix a quantity? carbon taken from CO2 corresponding to the amount? determined in the previous point ?b.?.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, said modules (?Carbon-sink?) are cultures of microalgae (for example spirulina algae), or plots of agricultural land on which cultures of CO2 fixing bacteria have been spread

The main advantage of the present invention consists in the fact that its teachings make it possible to offer a first concrete answer to the problem of companies that have to undertake a path of ?ecological transition? in line with the regulations: regulations that, although? not yet consolidated, they will certainly become effective in the short term.

Furthermore, the proposed system integrates with any other administrative service to which companies will certainly have recourse to manage this kind of process, making it possible to implement a procedure that satisfies all the main objectives for which the invention itself is ? been conceived.

This invention also has further advantages, which will be more evident from the following description, which illustrates further details of the invention itself through some embodiments and from the attached claims, which form an integral part of the present description.

Detailed description

At the base of the invention there is the intuition that at least three families of paths can be identified, for a company, to undertake a path of ?ecological transition?, it being evidently possible to undertake this path by simultaneously following many paths in parallel.

Two of these families are those that companies normally use:

- the first family of paths consists in carrying out real company restructuring, modifying company processes (for example by extensively introducing teleworking), or investing, in one's own company, in new technologies with a lower ecological impact;

- the second family of paths ? totally administrative, and consists in keeping the certifications in order and updated, in paying the due taxes (in relation to the ?Carbon-tax?) and in negotiating, when possible or convenient, the exchange of ecological certificates, such as for example the ?Carbon- credit?.

? clear, but it must be stressed, that these two families of pathways both require a heavy administrative burden, and how do they put them into practice? strongly embedded in the specific context of each individual company. They therefore represent paths that typically need to make use of individual consultancy services (unless they have adequate internal skills); and also the use of IT management tools that support these processes is, in any case, a use that requires individual configurations for individual companies, as well as a certain expertise on the part of the operators who use them.

A further emphasis, which must be made at this point, consists in observing that, in all probability, a certain number of measures that fall within the two families of paths outlined above will certainly be adopted, at least in a significant number of companies. This will do? so that companies will have tools to calculate their ?ecological performance?, which as already? said, will be expressed in terms of ?CO<2 >equivalent?, emitted or absorbed by said company. This calculation will have to be conducted by reviewing all the activities? of the company, possibly using operational guides.

On the basis of these measures, expressed in terms of ?CO2 equivalent? (emitted or absorbed) ? It is possible to determine CO<2> emission reduction or absorption objectives with simple criteria. A very simple, even trivial, criterion could be simply that of zeroing out CO2 emissions, if the company has a positive balance (that is, the company is a subject which, overall, contributes to the increase of ?CO2 equivalent? in the ?air). Or could a company set itself the goal of having a negative balance of emissions (ie being a company that contributes overall to the decrease of ?CO<2 >equivalent? in the air), so? to be in a position to be able to place ?Carbon-credit? on the market.

The present invention, therefore, assumes that each enterprise, in the context of its own systems, has two subsystems: one that measures the cos? called ?virtuosity? ecological? of said company, expressed in terms of ?CO<2 >equivalent?, and one that sets a target of CO2 to be absorbed, so as to drastically adjust the ?ecological performance? dell?company according to criteria that the same will want? give independently, or to comply with the norm.

In summary, said first subsystem ? any tool (table or implemented in the form of a software program, or in another form) defined only by the fact that it is a tool suitable for providing a datum of ?virtuosity? ecological? of the company. Typically, in regulatory contexts that are now largely predictable, this figure ? also the one used to determine compliance with the standard, cio? whether an enterprise is, or is not, in line with the provisions of the standard, whether it is a mandatory standard or a voluntary certification standard.

The second subsystem which is assumed to be present in the enterprises which make use of the teachings of the present invention, can also be in the form of a software program, but in substance, for what? which is relevant for the purposes of the present invention, is nothing else? that a tool (even only methodological) with which the company sets its objectives for improving its ?virtuosity? ecological?, and expresses them in terms of ?CO2 equivalent to be absorbed?.

The assumption of the presence of these two subsystems ? therefore absolutely plausible, given the regulatory scenarios that are taking shape, and nevertheless, the two subsystems identified above, which can possibly be integrated into a single program, can certainly be acquired by every company, if it does not have them. These two subsystems are therefore to be considered known art, but also an integral part of the present invention, which is distinguished by the integration of other, further, elements better specified below.

The present invention, in fact, is distinguished by the fact that it efficiently enables the use of a third family of paths, decidedly very effective, for undertaking an "ecological transition" path.

This third family consists in indicating methods and tools which allow the company to participate in the physical absorption of CO<2 > present in the atmosphere. The fact that carbon dioxide (CO2) is physically absorbed, and actually made to disappear by transforming it into other non-polluting chemical compounds, has as a consequence the fact that the contribution in terms of CO2 absorption is not ? an ?equivalent contribution?, and therefore not ? a contribution that can be accepted, or not, depending on the standard, or that pu? be calculated according to continuously updated tables. ? a real contribution attributable to a company, and as such it must necessarily, regardless of any regulatory architecture, be included in the calculation of the cos? called ?virtuosity? ecological? of the company.

Again to make this CO2 absorption contribution objective, in order to be able to include it in the calculation independently of approximations dictated by the standards, ? otherwise? it is desirable that the absorption is objectively measurable.

Indeed there are ecosystems which are known as ?Carbon-sink? (as usual, the English-speaking term has established itself internationally, which will also be used in the present description, and which literally means ?carbon sinks?). Called ?Carbon-sink? they are ecosystems, confined in controlled contexts, which naturally determine particular chemical reactions, which generate molecules containing carbon, drawing it from CO2 molecules, and release oxygen, typically in the air, in the form of molecular oxygen (O2), or in water (H2O ). Such carbon-fixing molecules are non-polluting, and therefore such ?Carbon-sink? actually work as pure CO<2> absorbers.

A further feature of some of these ?Carbon-sink? ? which can be built in a modular form, and can include fairly simple ecosystems, with few, and well-defined, interactions with other ecosystems.

Also, some of these ?Carbon-sink? modular also have the characteristic that the quantity? of carbon fixed in a given time interval? objectively measurable, and normally this measurement takes place in a very simple way, by weighing some substances present in the ecosystems that characterize this ?Carbon-sink? (at the beginning and at the end of the time interval considered).

Well these ?Carbon-sink? modular are elements which can conveniently be integrated into the system which constitutes the object of the present invention.

Indeed, ? sufficient to integrate into the system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of enterprises, even a set of ?Carbon-sink? modules such as those described above, which can be assigned (generally permanently) to individual companies, which need to correct their ?ecological performance? decreasing their balance of ?CO<2 >equivalent? issued. The system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? it must therefore also integrate a further subsystem which provides for the transfer to the single company that needs it of an appropriate number of ?Carbon-sink? modular, so that? the absorption of CO2 implemented by these ?Carbon-sink? is effectively computable to the company itself.

How will it be? clarified even more forward, this assignment of modules of ?Carbon-sink?, pu? be a simple transfer of ownership?, or can? also consist in a real installation of these modules in an environment made available by the company.

In the first case, this assignment provides for the simple administrative transfer of a ?Carbon-sink? existing, and the subsystem that provides for the assignment to the? enterprise, in essence, ? a fairly simple management tool that operates this transfer of ownership.

In the second case, the cos? this assignment provides for real installation operations of a certain complexity. Consequently, said subsystem that provides for the transfer, will have to? be a management platform pi? complex, suitable for managing all the tasks related to the installation and taking charge of a physico-chemical system of a certain complexity, which one is it? a system of ?Carbon-sink? modules.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention a particular typology of "Carbon-sink" is indicated, which in addition to having the technical-chemical characteristics previously indicated as essential, ? also particularly compact and economical to manage. ? it is also suitable for being developed in a modular way, to be easily transferred, for various reasons, and in the right size, to companies that make use of the system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? according to the invention, so as to respond to the real needs of each individual company.

This type of ?Carbon-sink?, which is indicated as the preferred form of implementation, consists of microalgae culture modules.

The what? these microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that use light, carbon dioxide and other nutrients dissolved in water for the synthesis of complex molecules such as carbohydrates and lipids; are considered among the biomass pi? performing to be exploited for the purpose of reducing CO2, and have many advantages, such as the fact that they require small spaces for their cultivation, and the high yield in terms of CO2 fixation.

Another essential advantage for their exploitation in the present invention ? given by the fact that the quantity? of CO<2 > fixed by the cultivation of these microalgae? determinable with very good precision, by monitoring the weights of some substances present in the ecosystem that characterizes these microalgae crops.

The production of algal biomass can take place in tanks, or bioreactors. In particular, production in bioreactors is very efficient (even an order of magnitude higher than tank cultivation). The bioreactors for the growth of microalgae are transparent containers with a known volume, and contain water in which salts and CO2 are dissolved. The life cycle of microalgae involves exponential replication until the entire volume of the bioreactor is saturated. The microalgae are then collected and, after a drying process, are composted to form an organic soil very rich in mineral salts that can be used to reconstitute agricultural land eroded by crops.

The process briefly described ? controllable in the individual parameters, pu? be supervised and conducted in a completely automatic way, and in the end the quantity? of CO2 fixed pu? be determined according to the quantity? of microalgae produced.

Do they already exist? large plants of spirulina algae (one of the microalgae that can be used for the functioning of these plants). Therefore individual companies can acquire a certain quantity? of modules of existing systems, or can they directly create systems of a suitable size at sites belonging to them, and can thus prove that they are holders of a cos? said ?Carbonsink? sized to actually absorb a certain amount? of CO<2>, which can? also be actually measured after fixing.

Other typologies of "Carbon-sink" are certainly possible and also available, with a sufficient degree of maturity, to be adopted in the context of the present invention. For example, ?Carbon-sink? based on the exploitation of plants of bacterial cultures, for the creation of fertilizers with properties? CO2 fixers in the ground, these are extremely promising solutions (still in a stage of development and optimization) and can certainly be used in the context of the present invention without departing from the scope of protection of the invention itself.

For example, possible types of ?Carbon-sink? usable in particular embodiments of the present invention can therefore consist of plots of agricultural land on which are spread cultures of bacteria suitable for fixing carbon taken from CO2 on the soil.

Or again, other possible types of ?Carbon-sink? usable in particular embodiments of the present invention can consist of plots of agricultural land cultivated with plants whose performances in terms of CO2 absorption are particularly high and predictable with excellent approximation, a species of plant particularly suitable for this purpose? paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa).

Yes ? until now, a system that is certainly very effective has always been indicated for accompanying a company on a path of ?ecological transition?. This system is made up of some management tools (typically software programs), which as such would not be patentable matter, and which in any case are certainly substantially known tools.

However, the system according to the invention is characterized by other features that are anything but software: in fact, the system according to the invention also integrates physical-chemical modules, the cos? called ?Carbon-sink?; and envisages a mechanism for assigning these ?Carbon-sinks? to the individual companies that make use of the indicated system.

In fact, the invention also indicates a new method by which the individual companies that make use of the indicated system can improve their ?ecological performance?. This method, which should by now be evident from the present description, can be summarized in the following essential steps:

? determination of the measure, expressed in terms of ?CO2 equivalent? issued or absorbed by said company in the exercise of its own activities? operational;

? determination of a quantity of CO2 that said company needs to absorb to improve its ?ecological performance? of a quantity? predetermined;

? assignment of a number of modules (?Carbon-sink?) to said company, sufficient to set a quantity? carbon taken from CO2 corresponding to the amount? determined in the previous point.

Variants and concluding remarks

In summary, the teachings of the present invention have as purpose that of offering companies a tool that integrates with the management systems of the companies themselves and with their administrative structures.

These companies, in fact, in the context of an "ecological transition", which must be implemented at an international level, need effective tools for managing this transition. The latter, not only must it be a process that produces effective results in terms of environmental protection, but it must be a transition that can be monitored and documented, as it will be a highly regulated transition.

The invention offers a particularly effective tool for pursuing this aim, and it is so integrated with the management systems of the companies themselves, that part of these systems are, in turn, also part of the system object of the invention, which is completed by including a plurality? of physical ecosystems, called ?Carbon-sink?, which are assigned to the companies that need them, through an attribution service, also supported by the system object of the invention.

The teachings of the invention base their foundations on the intuition that a part of the data which each company has at its disposal, or which can in any case be deduced by making use of known methodologies and tools, can be the input of a further sub-process which ends up equipping the undertakings of new assets, indispensable (or in any case very useful) to proceed correctly and virtuously in their process of ?ecological transition?: these new assets being modules with particular physical-chemical characteristics, called ?Carbon-sink?.

In fact, the companies that use the system object of the invention obtain a result that sees them transformed into entities? new ones, which have a quantitatively measurable and objectively better ecological impact from an ecological point of view: all this being able to document the fact in such a way that it cannot fail to be effective also with respect to compliance with relevant regulations, regardless of how these regulations are formulated and conceived.

? It is also important to point out, in general, that the present invention lends itself to numerous variations, while maintaining the claimed prerogatives.

Of some of these variants yes? also already? said, and concern the use of different criteria to determine the request for ?Carbon-sink?, or the use of different types of ?Carbonsink? also including any not yet available (since the matter is still under study and development), provided that present the essential characteristics identified, and which are present in the types of ?Carbon-sink? indicated for making the preferred implementations of the present invention.

In particular, these ?Carbon-sink? can be physically created as a set of partitionable modules, and can be located in a place dedicated to the purpose, managed by a third party with respect to the companies, and the latter transfers the ownership to the company? of some of these ?Carbon-sink?.

However, if more and more technologies are developed? compact and agile, which allow the creation of such ?Carbon-sink?, with flexibility, installable in generic places, and without the need for? to occupy large spaces, the indicated method could foresee the realization and the installation of said modules ?Carbon-sink? directly in environments or spaces indicated by the company itself. In the latter case, the assignment of ?Carbon-sink? to the company that needs it, would correspond to the installation of these modules at a site made available by the company itself.

Pi? in general, as far as the method profile of the invention is concerned, it must be underlined that even very complex methodological articulations can be conceived, provided that the invention? the essential steps indicated in the claims (as well as in the present description) are included. In particular, the cos? said assignment of ?Carbon-sink? to businesses can? take place in many ways and pu? foresee forms of integration with other activities? of the company considered.

Other possible variants for the present invention could be linked to the evolution of the financial techniques of the liquid markets, or of the IT techniques associated with management control, given that the invention, in fact, proposes teachings which find applications also in the economic-financial field.

Therefore, above all in the context of evolutionary scenarios, currently unpredictable, the invention lends itself to incorporating and supporting further development and improvement efforts, capable of improving, or increasing, the performance of the described system and method.

Therefore, further developments could be made by a man skilled in the art without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as it results from the present description and from the claims attached hereto which form an integral part of the present description; or, if said developments are not included in the present description, they may be the subject of further patent applications associated with the present invention, or dependent on it.

Claims (7)

TITLE: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF A COMPANY CLAIMS 1. A system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of a company, which includes: to. a first subsystem of measurement of ?virtuosity? ecological? of said company, suitable for determining a measure, expressed in terms of ?CO2 equivalent? issued or absorbed by said company in the exercise of its own activities? operational; b. a second subsystem for determining the quantity? of CO<2 >that this company needs to absorb to improve its ?ecological performance? of a quantity? predetermined; and said system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of a? company ? characterized by the fact that it also includes: i. a plurality? of modules (?Carbon-sink?) made up of ecosystems in controlled environments which produce chemical reactions for fixing carbon, taken from CO2, in other organic molecules and release oxygen taken from CO<2> into the air or water; ii. being these modules (?Carbon-sink?) characterized by the fact that the quantity? of fixed carbon, and taken from CO<2>, ? objectively measurable; iii. and said system for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of a company also includes an aid subsystem for the assignment of said modules (?Carbon-sink?) to said company, in such a number that said modules (?Carbon-sink?) assigned are sufficient to fix a quantity? carbon taken from CO2 corresponding to the amount? determined in the previous point ?b.?. 2. System for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of an enterprise, according to claim 1, wherein said modules (?Carbon-sink?) comprise bioreactors for the cultivation of microalgae. 3. System for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of an enterprise according to claim 2, wherein said bioreactors for culturing microalgae are bioreactors for culturing spirulina algae. 4. System for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of an enterprise, according to claim 1, wherein said modules (?Carbon-sink?) are plots of agricultural land on which cultures of carbon-fixing bacteria taken from CO2 are spread. 5. System for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of an enterprise, according to claim 1, in which said modules (?Carbon-sink?) are plots of agricultural land cultivated with paulownia plants. 6. A method for the quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of an enterprise, which makes use of a system according to claim 1, and which comprises at least the following operational steps: a) determination of the measure, expressed in terms of ?CO2 equivalent? issued or absorbed by said company in the exercise of its own activities? operational; b) determination of a quantity? of CO2 that this company needs to absorb to improve its ?ecological performance? of a quantity? predetermined; c) assignment of a number of modules (?Carbon-sink?) to said company, sufficient to set a quantity? carbon taken from CO2 corresponding to the amount? determined in the previous point ?b)?. 7. Method for quantitative improvement of ?ecological performance? of a company, according to claim 6, wherein said step of assigning a certain number of modules (?Carbon-sink?) to said company also includes the installation of said modules (?Carbon-sink?) in an indicated environment by that company.