Governance, a core pillar of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, is essential for promoting accountability, transparency, and ethical management. Despite its significance, the governance dimension remains less developed than the environmental and social dimensions. This gap arises from divergent interpretations, inconsistent standards, and changing stakeholder expectations. The comparability of ESG ratings is undermined, oversight mechanisms are weakened, and the risk of greenwashing increases. These challenges erode stakeholder trust and reduce the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. In response to these challenges, this study introduces the Governance–Life Cycle Assessment (G-LCA) framework, which integrates life cycle thinking into governance assessment. The methodology begins with textual analysis of international ESG standards to identify a universal set of governance indicators. Expert-derived weightings are then assigned to these indicators for the agriculture, food, and electronics industries using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A composite Governance Index (GI) is developed, and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is applied to construct governance impact categories. The framework is demonstrated through a case study of Malaysia's palm oil sector. Results are validated against SPOTT transparency scores and Sustainalytics ESG Risk ratings, strengthening the robustness and credibility of the G-LCA framework. The results highlight the governance strengths within an organization and also expose bottlenecks and gaps that require further attention to ensure timely improvement. A comparative analysis highlights how governance priorities vary across organizations, demonstrating the framework's ability to capture sector-specific contexts and governance dynamics. The study concludes that the G-LCA framework provides a systematic, replicable, and scalable approach to governance assessment. It enables cross-industry benchmarking, strengthens the comparability of ESG reporting, and aligns governance practices with stakeholder expectations. The outcome of this work enables practitioners to identify governance hotspots and bottlenecks in improving sustainability initiatives, informs policymakers in developing consistent and effective governance standards, and supports researchers in advancing theoretical and empirical studies on ESG governance.
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