Study goals
To identify, classify, and analyze procurement practices that contribute to ESG criteria in for-profit companies and examine their relationship with practices oriented toward maximizing shareholder value, highlighting areas of convergence and divergence.
Relevance / originality
This study integrates the fields of corporate financialization and sustainable procurement, which are often addressed separately, offering an original framework that bridges financial and socio-environmental rationalities in supply chain management.
Methodology / approach
A systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines, combined with thematic content analysis of 30 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2025, identifying 16 ESG-oriented procurement practices, and comparing them pairwise with 30 shareholder value-oriented practices.
Main results
Half of the shareholder value-oriented practices also support ESG objectives; six practices create significant tensions, and nine remain neutral. Convergences are mainly linked to efficiency, monitoring, and collaboration, while divergences often involve cost-cutting and global sourcing.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
The study offers an integrated perspective linking financialization and sustainability in procurement, revealing structural tensions and synergies. It provides a classification framework for future research and opens avenues for examining governance mechanisms balancing financial and ESG performance.
Social / management contributions
Findings help procurement professionals design strategies that align financial and ESG goals, inform supplier evaluation policies, and avoid excluding sustainable suppliers due to rigid financial criteria, fostering more resilient and responsible supply chains.