Today, tech innovation and education are key drivers for a sustainable future. As challenges like resource waste, climate change, and industrial impact grow, the UN's SDGs call for global action towards a model that balances economy, society, and environment. This section presents how the NPU-CHINA iGEM team turned agricultural waste into value, developed bio-manufacturing solutions, and educated the public. Their work shows a clear path from idea to action—blending tech, industry, and public awareness. Through collaboration across fields and sectors, the team offers real ways to advance SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG13 (Climate Action), and SDG9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), sharing a repeatable model for global sustainable development.

"Responsible Consumption and Production" (SCP) is Goal 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is a crucial component in promoting the efficient use of global resources while ensuring harmonious development between ecological preservation and economic growth. SCP's core mission is to achieve lifecycle management of resources, minimize waste, optimize production processes, and facilitate the synergy between economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. However, the current state of agricultural production, particularly where a large amount of agricultural waste is generated annually, falls far short of this goal.

Agricultural residues such as corn cobs and straw are rich in xylan, a biomass resource with significant development potential. Yet, current disposal methods, such as burning or indiscriminate piling, fail to unlock its economic value and impose a heavy burden on the environment. The emergence of xylanase technology offers a promising solution to this dilemma. By optimizing the thermostability of xylanase, the NPU-CHINA iGEM team has transitioned from technological development to industrial application", exploring new pathways for the high-value utilization of agricultural waste. This effort serves as an innovative practice for implementing SCP in a concrete manner.

Using synthetic biology techniques, we have engineered Komagataella pastoris to enable the co-expression of high-performance xylanase and Pro-Xylane synthase. This system achieves high-value conversion of xylan into Pro-Xylane through a two-step enzymatic cascade. Furthermore, an intelligently controlled xylose-inducible expression system has been incorporated into this synthetic biology platform, allowing precise regulation of the two-step biocatalytic process via metabolic pathway modulation. By integrating synthetic genetic circuits with native pentose metabolism, we have established an intelligent biosynthetic system for cosmetic active ingredients, offering a novel paradigm for the biosynthesis of high-value natural products.

The low utilization rate of agricultural waste in word has been a longstanding issue, driven not only by technological bottlenecks but also by deficiencies in resource management practices. Take corn cobs as an example: these agricultural by-products contain 30–40% xylan. However, due to the lack of efficient conversion technologies, rural areas often resort to open-air burning or basic composting. Such low-efficiency disposal methods not only waste valuable resources but also contribute to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the global climate crisis.

Our team offers a green solution to this dilemma: through protein engineering we have increased the thermostability and catalytic efficiency of xylanase by 40 % and cut production costs by 35 % [3]. This breakthrough turns agricultural waste from “trash” into “xylan feed-stock” and builds a high-value “xylan-to-Pro-Xylane” chain. The xylose released by enzymatic hydrolysis is converted, via enzymatic catalysis, into the cosmetic active Pro-Xylane (bosonic), replacing the conventional petro-chemical route. Although the per-batch yield is ~20 % lower than that of the chemical process, The enzymatic route eliminates all hazardous reagents. Under current carbon-pricing rules, this approach proves more economical. In China, for example, a plant emitting more than 20 t CO₂ yr⁻¹ must pay a levy of 100 000 RMB per tonne [3]; our bio-enzymatic process is exempt from this carbon tax and qualifies for reduced environmental-management fees, giving an overall cost advantage of 12–15 % over the chemical method.

Building upon technological advancements, the team actively explored the practical application of xylanase technology in real-world scenarios, striving to bridge the gap between laboratory results and industrial needs. Qishan Tianyuan Enterprise provided a typical case for this exploration. Leveraging a "planting-brewing-tourism" integrated model, the company converts agricultural by-products into feed or organic fertilizer, achieving resource circularity.

The team proposed introducing xylanase technology into the company's production chain. By extracting xylan from corn cobs and using the remaining cellulose residues as fertilizer, this approach not only optimizes the utilization efficiency of agricultural waste but also reduces raw material costs for the enterprise, creating additional income streams for local farmers. Through research and refinement of this model, the team preliminarily established a closed-loop production system of "agricultural waste—enzyme-based conversion—by-product recycling," aligning with SCP's core demand for "lifecycle resource management."

Additionally, the team collaborated with Shaanxi Kelingen Enterprises to explore the potential of xylanase in clean production. They proposed replacing traditional chemical processes with xylanase for xylan extraction. This approach not only reduces the use of chemical reagents and minimizes the negative environmental impact of production processes but also opens new avenues for the efficient utilization of agricultural waste.

Achieving the goals of sustainable development requires not only technological breakthroughs and industrial promotion, but also the understanding and participation of the general public, especially young people. Just as SDG 4 (Quality Education) emphasizes, education is an important tool for achieving equity, inclusion, and sustainable development. While developing its technology, the NPU-CHINA iGEM team deeply realized the key role of education in promoting SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Therefore, the team has spread the concept of "high-value utilization of agricultural waste" to a wider social group through a series of science popularization activities and educational practices.

Realizing responsible production and consumption (SDG 12) cannot rely solely on technological breakthroughs; it depends more on whether the public is willing and knows how to make sustainable choices. The NPU-CHINA iGEM team regards "education" as the first lever to trigger behavioral change: first, explain SDG 12 clearly through science popularization, and then use interaction to allow students to take the concept away and use it, thereby transforming SDG 4 into the "soft infrastructure" for achieving SDG 12.

Under the theme of "Agricultural Waste and the Future of Sustainable Development", the team entered the Seventh Middle School of Xi'an High-tech Zone and split the technical story of "corn cob into feed" into a three-step experience: first, "it used to be burned" - demonstrating the resource waste and carbon emissions caused by traditional incineration; then, "it can actually become treasure" - simultaneously comparing wastewater samples from traditional bosonic production to help students understand the correlation between "resource waste" and "environmental pollution"; and finally, "I can also participate" - using optimized xylanase on site to process corn cobs, extract xylose solution, and show a microscopic video of xylose synthesizing bosonic - students visually witnessed the transformation process of "corn cob → transparent xylose solution → bosonic powder", overturning the perception of "waste = garbage".

Through these educational activities, the team not only spread the concept of SDG 12, but also practiced the goal of "ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education" in SDG 4. We believe that young people, as future decision-makers, mastering the knowledge and skills of sustainable production and consumption, are an important force in promoting global sustainable development.

The development and application of xylanase technology not only provide a new technological pathway for the high-value utilization of agricultural waste but also offer a practical framework for implementing SCP. From technological breakthroughs to industrial applications and idea dissemination, the efforts of the NPU-CHINA iGEM team demonstrate the potential of science and technology in driving sustainable development. Their work serves as an inspiration for more enterprises and the public to engage in the practice of SCP, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

Together, these elements form our sustainable framework, spanning from philosophy and technology to education. The true vitality of this framework is demonstrated through its application and impact in the real world.