Towards a Sustainable Society
Why the system must change
Towards a Sustainable Society
Why the system must change
This site presents a Swedish systems analysis of sustainability, economy and society.
The reports explore why many current policies and proposed solutions fail to address the root causes of ecological, social and economic unsustainability — and why incremental reforms are no longer sufficient.
The starting point is simple:
Sustainability cannot be achieved within a system that is structurally dependent on continuous economic growth, increasing resource extraction and widening inequality.
The analysis therefore focuses on long-term resilience rather than short-term efficiency, and on systemic balance rather than isolated indicators.
A sustainable society is not an abstract ideal, but a shared vision that few would reasonably oppose.
At its core lies the ambition expressed in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): to secure human well-being within planetary boundaries, across generations, and across borders.
The SDGs provide a democratically anchored reference point — not a political ideology, but a common framework for long-term societal responsibility.
Achieving such a society requires more than good intentions.
It requires decision-making grounded in scientific knowledge, critical inquiry and transparency.
Education is not the same as indoctrination.
Belief is not the same as evidence.
Political rhetoric is not the same as accountability.
When public debate is shaped by manipulation, selective truths or unquestioned dogmas — whether economic, ideological or religious — societies lose their ability to address long-term challenges. Short-term political gains are prioritised over systemic resilience, and complexity is reduced to slogans.
A central premise of this project is therefore that perpetual GDP growth cannot serve as the organising principle of a sustainable society.
Economic growth has become an economic and political mantra, often treated as an unquestionable good, despite mounting evidence of its incompatibility with ecological limits and social stability.
Furthermore, not all economic activity or employment is sustainable by definition.
A sustainable society requires continuous evaluation of what kinds of work, production and consumption contribute to long-term well-being — and which undermine it.
At its core, this project treats sustainability not as a political preference, but as a systemic condition for long-term societal viability.
The SDGs are used not as aspirational slogans, but as a scientifically and democratically grounded reference for what societies must achieve — and what they must abandon — to remain resilient over time.
The project consists of five interconnected reports that together form a coherent framework for understanding sustainability at different levels:
society and political systems
global structures and dependencies
social cohesion and equity
households and everyday life
organisations and practical decision-making
Each report can be read independently, but they are designed to reinforce each other.
The intention is not to provide ready-made solutions or political programmes, but to clarify the structural dynamics, constraints and trade-offs that shape current outcomes — and to identify the boundaries within which a truly sustainable society must operate.
Towards a Sustainable Society – Why the System Must Change
An overarching analysis of growth dependency, economic structures and political constraints.
Social Sustainability
Trust, equity, participation and the conditions for a resilient society.
Global Sustainability
Resource flows, power asymmetries and planetary limits.
Sustainable Organisations
How public and private organisations can operate within ecological and social boundaries.
Sustainable Households
Health, security, quality of life and everyday resilience.
Each report is available as an HTML text for reading directly in the browser.
This site is written in English to enable international access.
You may use your browser’s built-in translation function to read the content in your preferred language.
The original reports were written in Swedish.
The project is independent and non-commercial.
Contact: towards.sustainable.life@gmail.com