Stable Structure of Farsighted Manufacturers Coalitions Based on Blockchain Technology Considering Consumer Green Trust

To trace carbon footprint information, applying blockchain technology has irreplaceable advantages for improving the green trust level of consumers, but it requires a large investment cost. Cooperative coalitions can be formed among manufacturers to reduce the burden of blockchain investment cost. In this paper, the operational strategies of three manufacturers in terms of emission reduction competition are explored under different coalition structures concerning the green trust level of consumers, and the Largest Consistent Set concept is used to analyze the stable structure of the farsighted coalition of manufacturers. The results show that when the green trust is at a particularly high or low level, the structure of a single manufacturer applying blockchain is farsightedly stable; when the green trust level is low, a coalition involving two manufacturers applying blockchain is a farsightedly stable coalition structure; and when the green trust level is high, the structure of all manufacturers applying blockchain is farsightedly stable. Compared with cooperative coalitions, a single manufacturer applying blockchain is more likely to become a farsighted stable structure, and this possibility will increase with the improvement of the green trust level. As the green trust level rises, consumer surplus and social welfare are not always the highest when all manufacturers jointly apply blockchain, and achieving optimal consumer surplus or social welfare does not mean that the coalition is farsighted and stable.