The projected increase in the global population means that current consumption patterns are unsustainable. In this Insight, we explore how advances in plant biotechnology can help drive sustainability and tackle United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”.

The role of plant biotechnology in sustainability

The global population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, and experts estimate that maintaining present lifestyles at such a scale would require the resources of almost three planets. This highlights the urgency of UN SDG #12, which seeks to promote sustainable consumption and production by halving global food waste per capita, ensuring the environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their lifecycle, and reducing waste generation through prevention, recycling, and reuse.

Plant biotechnology is playing a pivotal role in transforming agriculture, offering innovative solutions to reduce food waste, optimise resource use, and enhance sustainability. Advances in synthetic biology and genome editing enable scientists to engineer crop traits that minimise post-harvest losses and improve nitrogen use efficiency. These approaches support both environmental sustainability and food security, aligning with global goals for responsible resource management.

Reducing food waste: Minimising post-harvest losses

A significant proportion of global food waste occurs post-harvest, often due to damage, spoilage, or disease. Genome editing, particularly CRISPR technology, is enabling scientists to enhance crop resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens that contribute to post-harvest spoilage. In tomatoes, CRISPR has been used to identify genes that improve resistance to fungal pathogens such as Oidium neolycopersici, Fusarium oxysporum, and Botrytis cinerea, all of which contribute to significant losses in food supply chains. These genetic traits can be engineered into tomato species or selected for use in traditional breeding programmes.

Beyond disease resistance, plant biotechnology has also been employed to reduce enzymatic browning in crops such as bananas, apples, potatoes, and mushrooms. Browning, which occurs when enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) are activated upon bruising or wounding, can lead to substantial food waste. Scientists have used a variety of different plant biotechnology and gene editing approaches, such as CRISPR and RNA interference (RNAi), to suppress PPO activity and extend the shelf life of these crops, thereby reducing unnecessary waste and improving food sustainability. Tropic, a Norwich-based agricultural-biotechnology company, has developed a non-browning banana that has the potential to reduce food waste and CO₂ emissions along the supply chain by more than 25%! These advances not only enhance food security but also ensure that more of what is grown reaches consumers rather than being discarded, supporting the objectives of UN SDG #12.

Improving nitrogen use efficiency: reducing dependence on fertilisers

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for plant growth, yet most crops cannot directly utilise atmospheric nitrogen. As a result, chemical nitrogen fertilisers are widely used to enhance crop yields. However, excessive fertiliser use contributes to environmental degradation by increasing nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, and causing soil and water pollution. Furthermore, the reliance on synthetic fertilisers imposes economic burdens on farmers, creating a need for more sustainable agricultural practices.

Leguminous plants, such as peas and soybeans, naturally form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria known as rhizobia, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use, such as ammonia and amino acids. There is on-going work to determine the underlying genetic circuitry that regulates such plant-bacterial interactions. Engineering similar nitrogen-fixing abilities into staple cereal crops, such as maize, wheat, and rice, therefore represents a promising approach to improve nitrogen-use efficiency and reduce dependency on synthetic fertilisers while maintaining high yields.

Striking a balance between sustainability and food security remains essential. While UN SDG #12 focuses on responsible consumption and resource efficiency, it is equally important to align these efforts with UN SDG #2 (as discussed in our earlier Insight), which aims to achieve global food security. Innovations in nitrogen-use efficiency offer a promising solution to this challenge by enhancing agricultural productivity while minimising environmental impact.

Innovation for a sustainable future

As the global population continues to rise, sustainable resource management is becoming increasingly critical. Plant biotechnology is at the forefront of agricultural sustainability, providing advanced solutions to food waste reduction and resource efficiency. These innovations not only have significant environmental benefits but also present commercial opportunities for agribusinesses, researchers, and biotech investors, ensuring that the sector remains at the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture.

How J A Kemp can help

For businesses and researchers pioneering advancements in crop improvement, robust IP strategies are key to maximising innovation, investment, and impact. However, patenting plant biotechnology inventions presents challenges, as discussed in detail in our Technical Briefing on Patenting Plants in Europe and the UK. We have several experts working in this area and are uniquely placed to advise on overcoming these challenges.

Our plant biotechnology insight series

In a series of Insights, J A Kemp’s Plant and Crop Science team will be exploring how plant biotechnology can drive progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) – a global framework aimed at creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

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