This paper explores the sustainable manufacturing knowledge in the field of supply chain management in order to understand the best practices to diffuse sustainability across supply chain network. A systematic literature review was conducted, covering six databases by combinations of key-words between the periods of 1992 to November of 2013. A total of 92 peer-reviewed papers in English are reviewed. A lack of integration of the core SCM activities (purchasing, performance and collaboration) was found in the diffusion of environmental and social sustainability practices across supply chain. Thus, more studies are needed to cover the adoption of environmental and social practices into supply chain management activities and the process to diffuse them across the supply network. In addition, environmental issues have received more attention than social ones in both upstream and downstream supply chain management activities. Using the outputs of the literature review, a conceptual framework is proposed covered: 1) the interrelationship between the core upstream SCM activities (purchasing, suppliers´ performance assessment and collaboration with suppliers) and 2) the effect of internal cross function in upstream SCM activities.