Platform private-label production modes and manufacturer sales strategy choices under green product competition

E-commerce platforms increasingly introduce private-label products that compete with green manufacturers’ products, while choosing among platform in-house production, outsourcing to green manufacturers, and outsourcing to OEM manufacturers. This study develops a game-theoretic model to examine how selling modes and production strategies affect green technology investment, platform–manufacturer cooperation, and private-label production choices, considering private-label market size, competition intensity, and consumer green preferences. Results show that when private-label market size exceeds a critical threshold, platform in-house production becomes optimal under both reselling and agency selling, with a lower threshold under reselling. As competition intensifies, green manufacturers reduce green technology investment. The platform adjusts its production strategy according to the cost difference between in-house production and outsourcing. From a supply chain perspective, agency selling achieves Pareto improvement over reselling within intermediate commission-rate ranges when no private label is introduced, production is in-house, or production is outsourced to green manufacturers. However, under outsourcing to OEM manufacturers, reselling achieves a win–win outcome over agency selling within an intermediate commission-rate range.