Sustainable development of nanotechnology relies on the design and production of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with substantial benefits and manageable risks to the environment and human beings, and requires a thorough understanding of environmental health and safety (EHS) impacts. In this review, we elaborate the importance of improved understanding of EHS of ENMs for the sustainable development of nano-industries. Based on our analysis of the current knowledge gaps and challenges in nano-EHS research, we propose that future research directions should mainly focus on: elucidating the impacts of environmental exposure, transport, transformation and fate of EMMs on their toxicity and health risks; identifying more appropriate assays and biomarkers for ENMs risk assessment framework; taking a systems innovation approach for scaling up from laboratory to industrial level. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.