Highlights • Five research domains are identified and categorized by using the objective review methods (i.e., Citation Network Analysis and Main Path Analysis). • A descriptive analysis is conducted to present the trend of SSCM with the statics of publication year, research area, and journal source. • The important role of organizations in SSCM are summarized from prior literature. • Four future research agendas are proposed with an innovative new research framework based on our review findings.

Abstract With the gradually increased awareness of sustainability development, external organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profit organizations (NPOs), and charity organizations, play an increasingly crucial role in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). The participation of external organizations not only helps the firms to improve reputation, but also regulates and improves their SSCM. Based on this motivation, we identify the major research domains and examine each domain's evolution by using the objective review methods, including Citation Network Analysis and Main Path Analysis in this literature review paper. Five research domains are recognized, namely, “sustainable supply chain framework design”, “supply chain coordination/collaboration”, “closed-loop supply chain”, “regulation”, and “subsidy and donation”. We review the most influential papers in each research domain to show the evolution of these studies. Based on our review findings, we successfully propose four future research agendas with eight specific issues and innovatively establish a new research framework. The outputs of this review paper can guide the researchers on future search topics and contribute to the development of SSCM with the consideration of organizations.