Human Resource Management Models for ESG Implementation in Food and Beverage MSMEs: A Systematic Literature Review

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles have emerged as critical frameworks for sustainable business operations.While ESG adoption among large corporations has gained momentum, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in the food and beverage sector, continue to face challenges in aligning their human resource management (HRM) strategies with ESG goals.Despite a growing body of research on ESG and HRM independently, there is a notable lack of integrative models that support ESG implementation through HRM in the MSME context.This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework.Relevant peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science, Q1 until Q4 published between 2016 and 2025 were collected using specific search strings combining keywords related to ESG, HRM, MSMEs, and the food and beverage industry.A total of 40 articles met the inclusion criteria after screening, deduplication, eligibility checks, and quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT 2018), with substantial inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa = 0.81).Three dominant themes emerged: (1) ESG awareness and organizational culture, (2) HRM practices fostering sustainability (e.g., green recruitment, employee training, and ethical leadership), and (3) challenges in ESG-HRM integration such as resource constraints and knowledge gaps.However, very few studies propose comprehensive HRM models tailored for ESG implementation in MSMEs.Most literature emphasizes large enterprise frameworks, indicating a contextual mismatch for MSMEs.The findings highlight a critical research and practice gap in developing contextspecific HRM models that operationalize ESG in food and beverage MSMEs.This review proposes a conceptual foundation for future HRM-ESG integration models that prioritize simplicity, scalability, and local cultural alignment.These insights contribute to bridging theory and practice, helping MSMEs build resilience and competitive advantage through sustainable human capital strategies.