ESG IN SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION: A SCOPUS-BASED BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJIREV.825008Keywords:
ESG, Sustainable Construction, Eco-Friendly ConstructionAbstract
The incorporation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into sustainable construction has gained increasing attention as the built environment faces mounting pressure to align with global sustainability goals. Despite this growing interest, the field’s intellectual architecture, progression of research, as well as thematic trajectories concerning ESG within sustainable construction remain fragmented and insufficiently synthesized. This research seeks to bridge this deficiency by undertaking an extensive bibliometric examination to chart the development, key contributors, and emerging trends in this domain. A systematic data retrieval process was performed using Scopus, applying an advanced search strategy based on the keywords “ESG,” “sustainable construction,” and “eco-friendly construction.” The dataset, limited to the period from 2005 to May 2026, yielded a total of 164 relevant publications. The analysis was conducted employing Scopus Analyzer to perform an initial evaluation of research performance, OpenRefine to facilitate data cleaning and preparation, and VOSviewer to generate visualizations and map the resulting networks. The results demonstrate a pronounced increase in publication output, especially from 2020 onward, indicating the rapid emergence of ESG as a central research focus. Influential articles are predominantly review-based, contributing to the conceptual consolidation of the field. At the same time, leading countries such as China, Australia, and the United States demonstrate strong publication and citation performance. Keyword co-occurrence analysis further identifies “sustainability,” “green building,” and “corporate social responsibility” as dominant themes, alongside emerging topics such as ESG integration, stakeholder decision-making, and digital technologies. Overall, the study underscores a distinct shift away from conventional sustainability discourse toward a more integrated ESG framework, emphasizing the growing importance of multidisciplinary approaches in advancing sustainable construction practices. The findings offer meaningful insights for both practitioners and researchers by outlining current research trajectories and identifying future directions for ESG implementation in the construction sector.
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