Environmental, Social and Governance Strategies for Sustainable Development Goal 3: Enhancing Health and Social Wellbeing

The discourse on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies is growing, yet its ability to meaningfully advance health and social wellbeing (H&SW) in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) remains under-examined. Existing studies assume that ESG automatically strengthens SDG 3 outcomes, yet how the Governance pathways through which SDG 3 commitments translate into H&SW are influenced is weakly theorized. This systematic literature review (SLR), guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, synthesizes and analyzes findings from 36 relevant articles published between 2014 and 2025 across Scopus and Web of Science. Findings reveal a structural imbalance: data-rich regions and high-visibility sectors dominate empirical research, leading to a methodological bias toward regression and score-based approaches, and privileging quantifiable H&SW indicators. In response, the study outlines a multi-scalar governance framework where policy intent (macro), sectoral norms and value-chain tools (meso), and organizational practice and culture (micro) must align for SDG 3 outcomes to materialize. The study contributes to ESG scholarship by operationalizing the SDG Compass for leveraging SDG 3 targets and sub-targets for enhancing H&SW.