Sustainable strategies for marine plastic waste remanufacturing systems under diverse carbon reduction policies

This study examines the challenges facing the marine plastic waste remanufacturing industry in improving ecological outcomes and reducing carbon emissions. It focuses on how to effectively incentivize the front-line collectors to participate in and comply with government carbon policies. Using a differential game framework, we analyze the effects of various carbon reduction policies and revenue-sharing mechanisms on waste management performance, carbon mitigation, and blockchain adoption. The results show that under a carbon tax policy, suppliers adopting fixed-price acquisition strategies invest more in blockchain implementation and carbon reduction. When carbon taxes are low, increasing them significantly improves waste management performance and supplier-level emission reductions. Manufacturers' carbon reduction efforts also rise with higher carbon taxes. Blockchain adoption enhances profitability across stakeholders in the system. Among the two carbon policies examined—the carbon tax and the carbon cap—the carbon tax yields the most effective outcomes for marine plastic waste management and emission reduction. However, this environmental improvement does not directly translate into higher profits for all supply chain members. An extension of the model demonstrates that cost-sharing contracts can effectively coordinate dynamic collaboration within the supply chain. Case studies support the model's findings and offer practical insights for advancing the sustainability of marine plastic waste recycling systems.