Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Microbiome innovations for a sustainable future

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 138–142 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being integrated into bioeconomy strategies around the world, including the European Green Deal. We highlight how microbiome-based innovations can contribute to policies that interface with the SDGs and argue that international cooperation in microbiome science is crucial for success.

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to improve the lives of people around the world. A 15-year programme for global sustainable development was set out, with the SDGs forming the backbone of this plan. Many nations incorporated the SDGs into government policies by adopting national bioeconomy strategies to achieve the SDGs and setting targets to mitigate climate change.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Microbiome services.
Fig. 2: Microbiome connectivity and impact pathways using dairy as example.

References

  1. A Sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the Connection Between Economy, Society and the Environment (European Commission, 2018).

  2. Food 2030. European Commission http://go.nature.com/3b4Fs5x (accessed August 2020).

  3. Berg, G. et al. Microbiome 8, 103 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Jiang, L.-L., Zhou, J.-J., Quan, C.-S. & Xiu, Z.-L. Bioresour. Bioprocess. 4, 11 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hussain, S. S., Mehnaz, S. & Siddique, K. H. M. in Plant Microbiome: Stress Response. Microorganisms for Sustainability Vol. 5 (eds Egamberdieva, D. & Ahmad, P.) 21–43 (Springer, 2018).

  6. Itelima, J., Bang, W., Sila, M., Onyimba, I. & Egbere, O. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. Rep. 2, 22–28 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Tamang, J. P. et al. Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 19, 184–217 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Teng, Y. & Chen, W. Pedosphere 29, 283–297 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Microbiome: The Missing Link? (FAO, 2019).

  10. Dittmann, K. K., Rasmussen, B. B., Castex, M., Gram, L. & Bentzon‐Tilia, M. Microb. Biotechnol. 10, 1279–1282 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Martiny, J. B. H. et al. Nat. Microbiol. 5, 2–3 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Małyska, A., Markakis, M. N., Pereira, C. F. & Cornelissen, M. Trends Biotechnol. 37, 1269–1272 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Suneja, G., Nain, S. & Sharma, R. in Microbial Diversity in Ecosystem Sustainability and Biotechnological Applications (eds Satyanarayana, T. et al.) 615–630 (Springer, 2019).

  14. Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act (Ministry for the Environment, 2019).

  15. Australia’s climate change strategies. Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources http://go.nature.com/38caCGo (accessed June 2020).

Download references

Acknowledgements

K.D., T.K., B.K.S., E.M., B.S. and A.S. have received funding from the European Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant no. 818116 (MicrobiomeSupport).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Kathleen D’Hondt, Tanja Kostic.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economy, Science and Innovation – Flemish Government, Brussels, Belgium

    Kathleen D’Hondt

  2. Bioresources Unit, Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tulln, Austria

    Tanja Kostic & Angela Sessitsch

  3. AgResearch, Lincoln Science Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Richard McDowell

  4. Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Richard McDowell

  5. Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

    Francois Eudes

  6. Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia

    Brajesh K. Singh

  7. Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia

    Brajesh K. Singh

  8. International Engagement Division, Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Sara Sarkar

  9. Bioeconomy & Food Systems Unit, Healthy Planet Directorate, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium

    Marios Markakis

  10. European Food Information Council, Brussels, Belgium

    Bettina Schelkle

  11. UMR1319 MICALIS, Université Paris Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Jouy-en-Josas, France

    Emmanuelle Maguin

Authors
  1. Kathleen D’Hondt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tanja Kostic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard McDowell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Francois Eudes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brajesh K. Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sara Sarkar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Marios Markakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Bettina Schelkle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Emmanuelle Maguin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Angela Sessitsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

A.S., K.D. and T.K. drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to the revisions and final draft of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Sessitsch.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

D’Hondt, K., Kostic, T., McDowell, R. et al. Microbiome innovations for a sustainable future. Nat Microbiol 6, 138–142 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00857-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00857-w

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing