Developing a Green Supplier Evaluation System for the Chinese Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Industry Based on Supplier Willingness to Participate in Green Collaboration

Abstract

To control the carbon emission problem arising from the manufacturing process of electric vehicle batteries, green collaboration with raw material and equipment suppliers is critical. However, Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturers are still unsure how to measure suppliers’ green collaboration willingness, and existing studies have also failed to develop an evaluation system for such measurement. Therefore, this article aims to build a supplier evaluation system based on the green collaboration willingness for Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturers. Based on the above, this article designs an analysis process based on the case study method concept and combines it with the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory, analytic network process, and best-worst method to develop a methodology. The research results show the following. 1) The evaluation system involves four criteria, including the ability to meet buyer needs, the relationship between manufacturers and suppliers, responsibility and commitment, and the implementation of environmental management, of which the ability to meet buyer needs is the most important criterion. 2) The relationships between manufacturers and suppliers are a critical criterion for measuring suppliers’ willingness to collaborate in green supply chain improvement. 3) Based on the abovementioned factors, we also identify a causal relationship between the critical criterion and other criteria. In contribution, in addition to filling the gap in the literature, the evaluation system proposed in this article can also help battery manufacturers select suppliers with high collaboration willingness to promote the decarbonization of battery production.