<p>The increased demand for sustainable manufacturing practices has made the world more focused on the adoption of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concepts in the Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). This paper scrutinises the significant ESG-oriented drivers of GSCM, which in turn determine the sustainability of manufacturing companies. The reason is that the growing interests in protecting the environment, social responsibility, and good governance require a complete change of the industrial systems. To determine and rank these drivers, a stringent methodological framework that integrates thematic, substantive and bibliometric analysis was used whereby eight key criteria and twenty-two sub-criteria were identified. Stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) was used to measure the relative weight of these factors according to the expert ratings. A sample of 25 domain experts, who had over a decade of professional experience, was taken in the form of a purposive sample comprising academicians, sustainability consultants and senior managers to ensure that there was a balance between academic and industry viewpoints. The results indicated that Resource Management (D2-GSCM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (D3-GSCM) have the strongest impacts as the sub-criteria, and Efficient Resource Utilisation (D2-1-GSCM) has been identified as the most important sub-criteria. The findings conclude that the application of ESG principles in the practices of GSCM enhances the competitiveness and resilience of the companies in the long term as well as environmental and social performance through strengthened corporate accountability. Generally, the study adds to the emerging body of literature on sustainable supply chains by providing an organised method of analysis and an action plan, which can lead manufacturing organisations, policymakers, and researchers to develop sustainable, future-oriented industrial ecosystems.</p>