Abstract: This study considers a green supply chain consisting of a commercial bank, a capital-starved manufacturer and a capital-rich retailer. We investigate the impact of bank credit modes (ordinary credit vs. green credit) and types of green credit thresholds (single vs. composite) on the green information disclosure and green R&D financing strategies of the manufacturer, and the operations of the supply chain. Research indicates that in the absence of a threshold for green credit, its lower credit rate can effectively incentivize the manufacturer to engage in green R&D and information disclosure. The manufacturer consistently prefers green credit to ordinary credit, and the retailer also benefits indirectly from the free-rider effect generated by green credit. Banks, in turn, have incentives to provide green credit only under a substantial interest-rate discount factor. A reasonable setting of the discount factor can thus achieve a Pareto improvement in the system. We further consider that the bank establishes green credit thresholds, with single-type and composite-type thresholds being designed on the basis of whether the manufacturer is included in the green industry guideline catalogue or not. It is found that: under the single-type threshold, the financing preference and disclosure level decision of the manufacturer are related to the size of the credit threshold and the optimal disclosure levels under the two types of credit; under the composite-type threshold, there are three thresholds regarding the disclosure cost coefficients, which makes the financing preference of the manufacturer is different under different coefficients; under both types of thresholds, too high a threshold set by the bank will lead to the loss of profits and the decline of supply chain operation performance of each member, while too low a threshold will not be able to effectively exert its incentive effect.

Key words: green supply chain, green credit, green information disclosure, credit threshold