Abstract: Carbon emissions have become a major concern for governments and businesses as global warming intensifies. Governments have implemented policies aimed at reducing and controlling carbon emissions, such as the carbon tax, which has proven to be an effective policy tool. Furthermore, consumer awareness of environmental protection has become an important factor in influencing market demand, with a preference for low-carbon products rising, and consumers are more likely to purchase greener products. Companies have become increasingly aware of the importance of incorporating environmental protection and sustainable development into their strategic plans. Remanufacturing is a sustainable and environmentally friendly method of production. Manufacturers and remanufacturers have different priorities, so the power structure of the supply chain plays a significant role in determining the level of emission reductions.
To analyze the impact of carbon tax policies on remanufacturing under different power structures, game models are constructed for the OEM-Stackelberg (OS), Remanufacturer-Stackelberg (RS) and Vash-Nash (VN) models, respectively. Initially, the paper examines how the carbon tax impacts prices, market demand, and profits for new and remanufactured products. In addition, the paper compares prices and market demand under three different power structures in order to determine which power structure is the most conducive to the sale of remanufactured products. Furthermore, the paper examines the effectiveness of carbon tax policies in improving the environment and compares the change in profits of supply chain members before and after the implementation of the carbon tax mechanism. Finally, a numerical analysis is also employed in the paper to evaluate the impact of the carbon tax on profits of enterprises as well as to assess their profits under three power structures. By exploring these issues, it will help clarify the impact of a carbon tax on the preferences of member firms’ power structures, and provide some implications for the formulation of government carbon tax policies, as well as suggestions for rationalizing market power structures.
Based on the results of this study, we can conclude that: 1)Unit retail prices of new products and remanufactured products have increased following the introduction of the government’s carbon tax policy. 2)Sales of new products have decreased, while sales of remanufactured products have increased. 3)Due to fierce market competition, retail prices for both products are the lowest in the VN model, while sales volumes are not the highest. 4)For the OEM and remanufacturer, to increase the number of sales of new and remanufactured products, the preferred strategy is the “active defense strategy”, the “market sharing strategy” is the next best strategy, and the “active offensive strategy” proves to be the worst strategic model. 5)The government should actively pursue a carbon tax policy to promote the development of remanufacturing industry. However, the profit level of an OEM will be reduced. Therefore, the government needs to grasp the extent of the carbon tax, in order to safeguard the stable operation of the supply chain system. 6)By implementing a carbon tax policy, the OEM and remanufacturer can minimize their environmental impact.
In summary, the government’s implementation of a carbon tax can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the magnitude of the reduction is closely related to the pattern of power allocation in the supply chain. In the RS model, there is a substantial reduction in environmental impact when consumer preferences for remanufactured products are low, reflecting the monitoring and constraining effects of the dominant power in the supply chain. In addition, the unit retail price of new products has increased following the implementation of the government’s carbon tax policy. Consumers will be less willing to buy, and OEM’s profit will decrease. Due to the lower price of remanufactured products in comparison to new products, the sales volume of remanufactured products will increase under the stimulation of the carbon tax policy. The remanufacturer will also benefit from higher acceptance of remanufactured products, thereby promoting the growth of remanufacturing industry.

Key words: carbon tax; power structures; remanufacturing; game model

摘要： 为分析不同权力结构下碳税政策对供应链决策的影响,构建了原始制造商主导(OS)、再制造商主导(RS)及势均力敌(VN)三种模式下的博弈模型。通过对比分析碳税政策对制造与再制造决策最优解的影响,发现:1)碳税政策的实施将导致新产品和再制造产品的零售价格上涨;同时新产品销量减少,再制造产品销量增加。2)在VN模式下,两种产品的零售价格均最低,但由于市场竞争激烈,其销量并非最大。而当供应链中存在主导者时,在碳税负担较小时,OS模式下两种产品的单位零售价格偏高;反之,在RS模式下较高。3)为促进新产品和再制造产品的销售,原始制造商和再制造商均宜采取主动防守策略。4)政府实施碳税政策有助于降低制造商生产过程对环境的影响。对比三种模式发现,在OS模式下对环境影响的降低程度最小。当消费者对再制造产品认可度较低时,在RS模式下的降低程度较大。反之,在VN模式下更能有效降低对环境的影响。

关键词: 碳税, 权力结构, 再制造, 博弈模型