<p>The Sustainable Development Goals, established by the United Nations in 2015, provide a comprehensive framework for transitioning society from resource exploitation to sustainable usage, addressing issues of inequality, poverty, and hunger. This paper underscores the critical role of the sediment-water system, highlighting sediment as an essential and dynamic component with significant implications for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Despite its importance in protecting coastlines, managing floods, and ensuring water resources, sediment is often overlooked in policies and regulations due to low public interest and awareness. The paper emphasizes that the preservation of sediment quality is essential, given its role as a key water pollution indicator. It sheds light on the challenges posed by sediment management, considering the overestimation of risks based on total pollutant concentration and the importance of assessing bioavailability for accurate risk evaluation. The review explores the multifunctional approach to sediment usage, stressing the need for a paradigm shift from mere disposal to maximizing beneficial use. It examines the interconnectedness of Sustainable Development Goals, climate changes, and sediment content, emphasizing the urgency of managing sediment efficiently for sustainable development. The paper calls for a deeper understanding of sediment’s functions and their interactions with water to develop effective multi-scale methods for sediment management. In conclusion, the review seeks to contribute to the broader discourse on achieving Sustainable Development Goals by highlighting the significance of sediment management in the face of evolving environmental conditions and global challenges.</p>