Remanufacturing has become an important and fast-growing industry. Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) cooperate with third-party remanufacturers (3PRs) through either outsourcing or licensing. They sell the new and remanufactured products either directly to the consumer or indirectly through a retailer. Our study compares the OEM’s remanufacturing strategy selection in different distribution channel structures. We demonstrate that outsourcing remanufacturing benefits the OEM when the new products are sold directly and remanufactured products, with a relatively low valuation, are sold indirectly; otherwise, licensing remanufacturing is more beneficial for the OEM. We further find that when consumers perceive the remanufactured products with a sufficiently high value, the selection of remanufacturing strategies benefits consumers, society, and the environment.

With the burgeoning growth of online retail, the issue of counterfeit products has become a significant threat to both consumer trust and brand integrity, posing challenges to sustainable market practices. Online retail platforms are promoted to redesign their channel structures and enhance brand traceability to tackle counterfeits using blockchain technology. To investigate the interactions between blockchain technology and the channel structures of online retail platforms, we design a game theory model incorporating a manufacturer with(out) blockchain participation selling products via an online retail platform that operates an agency channel and/or a reselling channel. We show that the critical trade-off of blockchain participation comprises the brand assurance effect of the blockchain, the channel competition intensification effect, and the blockchain adoption cost. The platform is capable of strategically designing the channel structure to encourage (while discouraging) blockchain participation by the manufacturer. Our analysis highlights the complementarity between blockchain participation and the channel structure. Furthermore, the effect of the consumer’s belief in the reselling channel, the commission fee in the agency channel, and the substitutability between channels are investigated in depth. The research provides valuable insights for online retail platforms and policymakers seeking to foster a sustainable and trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem.