Blockchain technology can be used to record real data at various nodes in the entire supply chain and can achieve timely data sharing and full traceability of the whole lifecycle of products in the supply chain. This study conducts a systematic literature review based on the WOS database, focusing on the research topic of the application of blockchain technology in supply chain management. We propose clear search and screening criteria based on 4 research questions and finally obtain 591 target studies. We conduct a detailed study on the distribution of the target literature in this research area, country/region, institution, and journal. Different countries/regions cooperate with each other and, thus, are clustered into five significant countries regions’ cooperation networks. There is a strong coupling relationship between research institutions, forming four major institutional cooperation networks. According to the analysis of those papers with a high number of citations, most of such papers were published in 2019, while the cross-citation phenomenon between papers occurred more frequently in 2021 and 2022. We use VOSviewer for visual coupling analysis of all keywords, which are automatically clustered into three research hotspots. Using CiteSpace to perform timeline-based keyword cooccurrence analysis, we find that scholars have gone through a “discovery-acceptance-question-improvement” process for the application of blockchain technology in supply chain management. According to the intensity and duration of burst detection words in different years, we draw three key points for future research. (i) Blockchain technology should be used to restructure and optimize the high-end food and medical cold chain supply chains. (ii) Blockchain technology should be used to enhance the cooperative relationship between supply chain members and the overall competitiveness of the supply chain. (iii) Innovate blockchain encryption technology that should be used to reduce the risk of information and privacy leakage in the supply chain.

Because logistics is an important service industry with regard to national economic development, the development level of this industry has emerged as one of the most significant indicators of a country or region’s comprehensive strength. An in-depth study of the regional differences in China’s logistics efficiency and its evolution law in time and space can help promote the high-quality development of the logistics industry. To this end, this study collects data pertaining to the development of the logistics industry in China’s eight economic regions during the period 2009–2018. Moreover, it uses DEA models to calculate the logistics efficiency of 31 provinces and cities in these eight economic regions. Results indicate the following: (1) affected by external environmental factors, the pure technical efficiency is underestimated and the scale efficiency and integrated technical efficiency are overestimated; (2) it reveals that residents’ consumption level and the total retail sales of social consumer goods are negatively correlated with regional logistics efficiency, whereas the regional per capita gross domestic product is positively correlated with regional logistics efficiency; (3) in terms of space, the logistics industry in the same region displays characteristics of high aggregation and cooperation, whereas serious segmentation and opposition are found among different regions. The logistics efficiency of China’s eight economic zones is unbalanced. It displays a pattern of high efficiency in the east and low efficiency in the west on the whole. Moreover, valuable suggestions were propounded to improve regional logistics efficiency in China.

In China, the number of newly registered electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing steadily each year, especially since the issuance of the Implementation Plan for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) System. However, the country has not yet established clear standards for the recycling rate and management of retired new energy vehicle (NEV) batteries. Therefore, under the EPR system, how to select appropriate recycling and reuse methods to improve the efficiency of retired battery recycling and disposal is not only a current technical challenge but also an unavoidable environmental issue in the future. This paper discusses the key issues related to the recycling and reuse of used batteries within the EPR framework, such as the unclear delineation of recycling responsibility, poor recycling rates, and varying consumer preferences. The core of the paper lies in the analysis of stakeholder behavioral choices and a comparison of the efficiency of different recycling methods. It proposes four distinct recycling modes: the manufacturer’s independent recycling, commissioned recycling (outsourced to retailers and third-party recyclers), and joint recycling. The results of the model show that independent recycling results in a significantly higher waste power battery recycling rate compared to commissioned recycling. However, joint recycling proves to be the most effective method for achieving an optimal recycling rate. In terms of corporate profitability, joint recycling appears to be the most advantageous for NEV power battery manufacturers, even though retailers and third-party recyclers may not reap the same benefits. The influence of the market share of remanufactured products on the recycling and remanufacturing of NEV power batteries is contingent on the substitution effects of the two types of products. When product substitutability is low, an increased market share of remanufactured products can boost corporate profits; conversely, it can diminish profits. This study offers fresh perspectives for related research and provides a theoretical foundation for the development of efficacious NEV power battery recycling policies.

The carbon cap and trade mechanism is an important policy for reducing carbon emissions. This paper investigates the selection of carbon emission reduction and promotional strategies in the production and sales processes of home appliances under the carbon cap and trade mechanism. First, we find that cooperative emission reduction and promotional decisions enhance the operational performance of home appliance enterprises. Cooperative emission reduction benefits the profits of home appliance manufacturers, and cooperative promotions benefit the profits of home appliance dealers. Second, regardless of how carbon emission reduction costs vary, the level of carbon emission reduction positively correlates with consumer low-carbon preferences and carbon trading prices. Conversely, under different investments in carbon emission reduction costs, significant differences arise in the pricing of home appliances, the level of marketing efforts, and market demand volumes. Finally, compared to price, current consumers are more concerned about home appliances’ carbon emission reduction levels. At the same time, home appliance manufacturers must make reasonable investments in carbon emission reduction and effectively respond to the impact of changes in carbon trading prices.