Transforming manufacturing sector: bibliometric insight on ESG performance for green revolution

In the era of the green revolution, the manufacturing sector faces intense pressure to adopt eco-friendly production practices, which can be achieved by implementing an ESG (environmental, social, governance) framework. ESG can enhance firms' performance and play an incredible role in promoting sustainable development practices. The current study conducts a bibliometric analysis to examine the ESG performance in the manufacturing sector to facilitate a green revolution. It extracted 314 documents from the Scopus and Web of Sciences databases from 1994 to 2023. The average age of the document is 34.78, and it was from 159 sources and involved 896 total authors. The study analyzed the prior literature and supporting theories, current conceptual development, and future research themes. The evolution process of ESG started in the 1960s and is still theoretically and empirically evolving to meet future challenges. Results show an increasing trend in ESG-related publications during the sample period. Journal of Cleaner Production is the primary source of publication, and China is the most prominent country in terms of correspondence and institutional affiliation. The continent-specific analysis indicates that almost 75% of the research was conducted in Asia and Europe. Four research themes were identified through co-occurrence analysis: (1) framework for social, financial, and environmental performance, (2) sustainable models for innovative environmental investment, (3) manufacturing practices and governance issues, and (4) application for eco-friendly production and economic growth. The findings suggest that the manufacturing sector can lead toward a more sustainable and equitable future through a steadfast commitment to ESG performance that can lead to a global green revolution. Further, it outlines the potential future directions integrated into the discourse on sustainable manufacturing.