With the increasing popularity of new energy vehicles (NEVs), a large number of automotive batteries are intensively reaching their end-of-life, which brings enormous challenges to environmental protection and sustainable development. This paper establishes a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model composed of a power battery manufacturer and a NEV retailer. The benchmark scenario of CLSC members without blockchain technology is analyzed, and the optimal recycling strategy of the manufacturer and retailer using traceability information based on blockchain technology is discussed. We generate our findings from three aspects, as follows: the manufacturer or retailer is more willing to take the responsibility of recycling when the proportion of retired batteries that can be used in echelons is relatively high. Meanwhile, when the recycling cost is large, both manufacturers and retailers should adopt blockchain technology to obtain greater profits. Furthermore, with the improvement of traceability information transmission efficiency, a higher profit growth rate will be achieved.

In the closed-loop supply chain, many suppliers opt for self-recycling or entrust retailers to recycle. Under both recycling channels, the member responsible for recycling can undertake or outsource logistics services. This paper investigates how consumers’ environmental awareness and recycling cost-saving affect the optimal combination of recycling channel and logistics-service strategy. To this end, we mathematically formulate the supplier-led Stackelberg game theoretical-framework, and apply the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions for constrained optimization. We examine the optimal combination under the impact of consumers’ environmental awareness and recycling cost-saving on profits, environmental impact and social welfare, using numerical analysis. Results demonstrate that as consumers’ environmental awareness and recycling cost-saving remain at a higher level, the supplier and retailer will both achieve maximum profits when the supplier entrusts the retailer to recycle and the retailer undertakes the logistics services. Meanwhile, the third party will choose to be entrusted with services by the supplier, rather than the retailer. To improve supply-chain performance, the retailer should assume social responsibility to recycle and build the logistics-service system.