The construction industry is project-based and requires the cooperation of several stakeholders, mainly architects, contractors, and suppliers, to ensure that materials, finance and information move through the construction supply chain with minimal hurdles. The fragmented nature of the industry creates obstacles to integrating green practices into the supply chain to reduce the industry’s negative environmental effects. This study aims to review the literature on barriers to adopting green supply chain management practices in the construction industry, pinpoint research gaps and suggest directions for further research in the domain. The articles for the literature review were retrieved from the Scopus database from 2014 to 2024. The search was refined using PRISMA guidelines. 18 relevant empirical studies were reviewed for this purpose. The findings reveal that the major impediments were high costs of implementing green practices across different phases, namely, the design procurement, construction, operation and demolition phases, inadequate knowledge and awareness of green procurement, design and construction, insufficient technical expertise, lack of government incentives for adopting green practices, lack of availability of green building materials and technologies, lack of top management commitment and inadequate policies and regulations on green construction. Extant literature indicates that past studies have examined the most significant barriers in developed and developing countries, mostly using quantitative surveys. It is suggested that future researchers conduct an in-depth analysis of the barriers in different contexts by gathering qualitative data from the construction industry stakeholders. This would support the creation of policies and strategies by practitioners and policymakers to address the issues of incorporating environmental concerns into the building supply chain. It will, therefore, encourage the sector to strive for environmental sustainability.