Overview

On September 25, 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit was held at its headquarters in New York, where 193 member states officially adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals address issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. This marked a historic commitment for humanity to unite its efforts to achieve these goals over the next 15 years. According to the UN Brundtland Commission, sustainability is defined as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

In 2024, the ZJU-China team is also reflecting on how to address sustainability challenges from social, economic, and environmental dimensions. By integrating sustainable goals into our project, Neovio Dye emerges as an effective tool to help us advance sustainable development. As our project continues to improve, we are gradually gaining a deeper understanding of the concept of a "community with a shared future for mankind."

SDG#6 clean water and sanitation

Dyes discharged in wastewater from dyeing enterprises can cause the receiving water bodies to become colored, obstructing visible light and potentially reaching harmful levels of photochemical ozone. These dyes possess carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic properties, leading to toxic effects on plants, animals, and humans. Neovio Dye utilizes violacein instead of traditional chemical dyes, significantly reducing the use and discharge of harmful chemicals during the dyeing process. The wastewater generated primarily consists of culture media, which, after appropriate treatment, has far less environmental impact compared to wastewater from chemical dyes.

Moreover, inspired by Huafu Fashion's method of dyeing before spinning, we believe that Neovio Dye should not only reduce water pollution but also achieve water conservation. Through the optimization of dyeing processes using our memory and random modules, along with the implementation of a closed-loop water recycling system, we will enhance water resource utilization efficiency, significantly reducing water consumption during production.

SDG#9 industry,innovation and infrastructure

The project utilizes Escherichia coli K12 as a chassis microorganism to produce various pigments, representing an exciting demonstration of synthetic biology in the dyeing field. By advancing biosynthetic technology through laboratory research, we are developing and applying more environmentally friendly and efficient production processes. This project will promote the continuous development of both the biotechnology sector and the green chemical industry.

From user orders on the app to production and delivery to customers, Neovio Dye integrates the upstream and downstream supply chains, including dye production, dyeing processing, and garment manufacturing. Throughout the experimental process, we conduct thorough data analysis and optimization. In production, we plan to introduce advanced production management systems to achieve automation and intelligence, facilitating the integration and upgrading of the industry chain.

We look forward to Neovio Dye making a profound impact in multiple fields in the future, promoting the production and application of eco-friendly dyes, and fostering the sustainable development of industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

SDG#12 responsible construction & production

Adopting a sustainable consumption and production model is essential. It is estimated that if the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, we may need nearly three Earths to provide the natural resources required for our current lifestyles. Responsible construction and production aim to "reduce consumption, increase output, and improve quality," meaning that while enhancing the quality of life, we strive to increase the net welfare benefits of economic activities by reducing resource consumption, environmental degradation, and pollution throughout the entire lifecycle.

Neovio Dye aims to provide stylish and high-quality dyeing products while striving to minimize pollution across all production stages. By using sustainable and eco-friendly materials, we promote the achievement of SDG#12 from the producer's perspective. Additionally, we advocate for consumers to adopt a more environmentally sustainable consumption mindset.

When selecting fabrics, we reached out to multiple companies and conducted extensive background research to choose materials that can ensure dyeing effectiveness while maximizing sustainability. Our ideal choices include linen, bacterial cellulose, and mycelium leather. Chemical synthetic pigments cause significant environmental pollution and can negatively impact human health. In contrast, violacein, as a biological pigment, is more eco-friendly and healthier than synthetic dyes. From production to sales, we hope to establish a fully green system that minimizes pollution at every step, fulfilling our commitments to consumers and society.

Practice and exchange

At the same time, we are thinking about how to show Neovio Dye's contribution to SDGs in a quantifiable way, and constantly improve the project based on the evaluation results to ensure continuous contribution to SDGs. One of the ways is practice and communication, and we continue to optimize the project according to the experience in practice.

We met Professor Xu, who is deputy director of the Institute of Translation Studies at Zhejiang University and has some knowledge of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, at a preview of the unido theme Day. The professor spoke highly of our project, and hoped to see neovio dye's contribution to environmental protection and culture. After the presentation, the professor put forward valuable suggestions, hoping to see more visualizations of the project's contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as how many people were affected by the project and how much water could be saved in the technical level. Instead of staying at the theoretical level of analysis.

Figure 1 Photo with professor Xu.

We also participated in THE 10th CHINA(SHANGHAI)INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FAIR at the UNIDO Theme Day booth, where we presented the neovio dye project design and its potential for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The participants agreed that this is an interesting project, but also look forward to seeing its landing in the future, at the meeting we also saw a lot of predecessors have landed industrialization of scientific research projects, Tongji University's photovoltaic cells let us impressed.

Figure 2 UNIDO Theme Day group photo.

Our team conducted research in the sandy regions of Ningxia, where the local specialty, selenium sand melon, has brought income to farmers but has also led to excessive soil moisture depletion, causing irreversible damage. In response, the government has shifted towards a policy of converting farmland from selenium sand melon cultivation, using intercropping with traditional Chinese medicine and goji berries to restore the ecosystem. This approach has greatly inspired us; we realized that ecological protection and economic development are not irreconcilable conflicts but can actually promote and develop together. Neovio Dye should also strive in this direction.

Figure 3 Sand land after the removal of selenium melon.

SDG#4 quality education

Educational inequality is still a big issue around the world, mainly seen in the gaps between urban and rural areas, regional differences, and economic disparities. China is vast, and educational resources are unevenly distributed between cities and the countryside. To help bridge this gap, university student volunteer teaching programs have come into play. The main goal is to make good use of resources by sending students to teach and mentor in rural areas, raising the learning levels and overall quality of education for students in impoverished regions, and promoting educational fairness.

In 2023, the ZJU-China team participated in many volunteer teaching activities, and in 2024, we teamed up with Tsinghua University's iGEM group to do the same in Quzhou, sharing a lot of scientific knowledge with local kids.

Unfortunately, we've realized that while the iGEM teams' educational efforts have significant short-term effects, the long-term impact is quite limited. We've been looking for ways to change that, as short-term teaching alone can't fundamentally solve the problem of educational inequality. Volunteer teaching is one approach we thought of. We encourage every future ZJU-China team to continue this work, so our efforts can last for decades and reach many areas. We're not alone in this; according to the "Research Report on the Development of Volunteer Teaching in China," around 100,000 university students take part in short-term volunteer teaching each year. This means there's a large group of students working together, and we believe that by joining forces with other educational policies and social resources, we can really help promote educational equity.

Figure 4 Class in Longyou County, Quzhou.

SDG#17 partnerships for the goals

In the past year, we were fortunate to engage with many iGEM teams from around the world. This collaboration was a process of different cultures colliding and blending, sparking new ideas. We experienced the richness of cultural diversity and gained a deeper sense of hope for the future of synthetic biology. Through exchanges with various partners, we facilitated technology sharing and resource integration, achieving mutual development. Interacting with iGEM teams and experts promoted the spread of scientific knowledge and enhanced public understanding of synthetic biology and sustainability. Moreover, these collaborations sparked innovative thinking, providing new solutions for the sustainable development of dyeing technologies and pushing the entire industry towards a greener direction. All of this not only helps us achieve our project goals but also paves the way for global cooperation in sustainable development.

Conclusion

Our project aims to achieve five sustainable development goals: