Purpose This paper aims to explore the interplay between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-driven supply chain finance (SCF) and Islamic tenets to shape future research directions. It provides stakeholders with a comprehensive perspective for building trust, advancing ESG-driven practices and enhancing business performance. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a systematic review incorporating bibliometric analysis (SRuBA) to assess and synthesise research in Islamic finance, halal logistics, SCF and ESG. The SRuBA technique combines traditional systematic review methods with bibliometric analysis to provide a thorough, structured overview of the literature. This approach helps identify trends, gaps and future research directions. Findings After screening and analysing 6,534 documents using visualisation software, it is evident that among 1,000 keywords, 15 stand out in both frequency and link strength. The paper highlights significant academic interest in themes such as “Islamic finance”, “halal logistics”, “supply chain finance” and “ESG”, emphasising their interconnected importance. The findings bridge a gap in Islamic finance by linking operational values with religious principles. Integrating SCF in halal logistics enhances sustainability while aligning with both operational and Islamic finance principles. Ethical conduct and transparency emerge as key enablers of this alignment. Research limitations/implications The proposed integrative model of ESG-driven SCF was developed using secondary data and therefore requires empirical testing. Testing this model across different industries and countries will enhance its generalisable value. Furthermore, the findings imply that scholars can use these theoretical concepts as a guide to embed Sharīʿah and sustainability criteria across both upstream and downstream supply chains. By using Islamic financing structures such as murabaha and sukuk, firms can incentivise ethical sourcing in procurement, while the deployment of blockchain traceability alongside maqasid-aligned key performance indicators will ensure transparent, measurable, ESG-driven supply chain governance. Practical implications This paper has gained momentum in SCF by establishing a new research focus on ESG-driven SCF and Islamic tenets. It not only opens a new research avenue but also provides guidelines for industry best practices and stakeholder well-being. The results highlight customer behaviour, Sharīʿah compliance and the importance of sustainability in modern corporate operations. The paper offers insights into integrating Islamic values with global environmental and governance requirements. The authors suggest adopting blockchain-enabled ESG-driven SCF to make halal supply chains more responsible. Originality/value This paper is among the pioneering works, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that explore and conceptualise ESG-driven SCF through the lens of Islamic principles. The authors propose a framework that connects Islamic tenets with ESG and sustainable SCF. The result presents a new direction in Sharīʿah-aligned financing. Additionally, the authors outline future research areas, including aligning Islamic finance with sustainable supply chains and ESG frameworks. The authors also highlight the role of blockchain in enhancing transparency and Sharīʿah compliance.
Fernando et al. (Fri,) studied this question.