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以綠色導向政策探討低經濟價值再生材料之回收供應鏈
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1. Introduction
Economically-disadvantaged recycled materials (EDRMs) refer to materials without
recycling value (Hawken, Lovins, and Lovins, 2000). Green supply chain management
(GSCM) and recycling practice have gained prominence due to global environmental
concerns. However, the current booming recycling business is completely driven by
profitability. Some materials have been recycled perfectly without any help from public
authorities, while the rest of the materials that lack economic value and bring damage to the
environment are only partially handled due to the limited financial rewards from the
government. Thus, the unprocessed parts become a cumulative burden for the general public.
For example, most precious metals are valuable and their recycling systems are efficient
and effective. The technologies and markets in metal materials recovery are usually
advanced. On the other hand, a mass of materials has long been left behind from the value
chains of the business world (International EPS Alliance [INEPSA], 2013). For example,
most composite materials are almost impossible or extremely costly to be processed (Smith
and Shiau, 1998; EarthTalk, 2013). Recycling glass products yields low financial return.
Plastic materials are complex in composition and mixing some of them may cause severe
consequences (Earth911, 2013). Scraps containing such materials have to be piled up or
dumped unless significant technological advances emerge (Gesing, 2013), or sufficient
financial aid from the government is expected (Nidumolu, Prahalad, and Rangaswami,
2009).
Some governments around the globe enact laws requiring minimum use of recycled
materials, such as the EcoMark in Japan (Japan Environment Association, 2007). Some
manufacturers such as Toyota (Pristin, 2003; Toyota, 2014) and Sharp (Sharp Corp, 2014)
promote the usage of recycled materials. Automobile manufacturers encounter fierce
competition on one hand (Toyota, 2014), and keep applying more recycled materials on the
other hand to create competitive advantage (Clean Auto, 2009).
This paper investigates the conditions that motivate manufacturers to reuse EDRM
under which the acquisition cost is high and the final product quality is low. With
deliberation, an intuition expects that individual governments can force producers to use
more EDRMs. However, unconditional coercion may force them out of the market. Another
intuition can create a reasonable tax-subsidy system, using economical means to absorb
regulation impact. Nevertheless, not all governments hold such superior power. This study
therefore tries to find further conditions that motivate producers to use EDRM while
maintaining their market competitiveness. EDRMs possess several disadvantages, preventing