Green financing strategies in a low-carbon e-commerce supply chain under service quality regulation

Green financing is an effective means to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve environmental efficiency in their operations. This paper studies two financing strategies of a carbon-dependent manufacturer in an e-commerce supply chain, which are called bank credit and cost-sharing with third-party platform that provides a marketplace. The optimal carbon emission reduction (CER) level, selling price, and service level are investigated. It turns out that the participants’ profits and environmental benefit under two financing strategies are higher than those without financing. In addition, when the commission provided by the platform is low, the manufacturer is more inclined to bank credit, and when the commission is high, it is more sensible to share CER cost with the platform. The impact of government service supervision policies on corporate decision-making is further explored. The results prove that setting an appropriate service threshold and reward-penalty factor is not only conducive to incentivizing the platform to improve service level but also beneficial to the environment and overall social welfare. This paper provides cooperation strategies for manufacturers in green financing in the e-commerce supply chain and provides policy recommendations for the government to implement e-commerce service regulation and promote CER.