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– This study embarks on a comprehensive journey through the factors influencing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance by employing a two-fold approach: a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. Scopus, a prominent scientific database, was utilized to examine publications spanning the years 2014–2023. The article selection process followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Biblioshiny, R Studio software, version 4.2.0, was used for bibliometric analysis. – Bibliometric analysis identified the most influential articles, journals, countries, authors, and themes in the field. The systematic literature review established seven key themes as the fundamental factors influencing ESG performance. Moreover, future research directions were suggested and discussed in this article. – The findings offer valuable guidance to the academic community, industry practitioners, and policymakers for real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood-based panels are products used in various applications with the potential to replace energy-intensive materials while promoting carbon sequestration. This article aims to systematically review the scientific literature assessing the impacts of wood-based panel manufacturing from a life cycle perspective. It intends to identify different methodological choices and challenges, compare impacts on the climate change impact category and provide recommendations for future assessments. The reviewed articles were identified using search strings in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, focusing on the different wood-based panel sub-types (veneer sheets, plywood, particleboard or chipboard, fibreboard). In total, 53 articles were selected for qualitative and 36 for quantitative synthesis. Most articles were published in the United States of America, Spain, Brazil or China, which are among the largest wood-based panel producers. This study's assessment shows that the published articles' methodological choices varied widely, specifically concerning the functional unit, system boundaries, procedures to deal with multifunctionality, biogenic carbon modelling and impact assessment methods. Further, its quantitative synthesis reveals considerable variability in the results, even within the same panel subtype. Laminated veneer lumber tends to be the least carbon-intensive wood-based panel. However, a lack of uniformity in previous articles' methodological choices precludes comparisons of results. For this reason, elaborating Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for wood-based panels to harmonize methodological choices is critical for obtaining comparable results regarding multiple environmental impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]