About Stepwise Global
Helping organizations move towards attractive sustainable futures since 1989
Now is the time for the next step — fast spread at the global level of the latest and highest possible quality of developments.
Vision
A sustainable world — where people, nature and organizations can thrive in harmony.
Mission
Providing an operative system for systemic, systematic and strategic sustainable development, while increasing the value of every App out there.
Stepwise Global is a non-profit, non-governmental organization created in 2025. Its mission is to make FSSD accessible worldwide, empowering individuals, leaders at all levels, organizations, municipalities and governments to achieve ecological and social sustainability in an economically competitive manner from the outset of transitions.
FSSD was founded in Sweden by Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt, MD PhD, and has been evolving in the fields of science and leadership since 1989. Today it is a global network of organizations connected to Stepwise Global.
During its 35+ years of development the framework has been proven generically effective across all scales and contexts. To accelerate global change, it needs broader adoption.
With the assistance of AI, Stepwise Global is making its framework, methods and workflows open source and accessible to everyone — open like Wikipedia, and moderated by Stepwise Global with support from scientists and FSSD leaders across the world to ensure sustained quality.
Our legacy
Thirty-five years of science, leadership and practice
- 1989
The framework is founded in Sweden
Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt, MD PhD, initiates a consensus process among Swedish scientists on the first-order principles of sustainability.
- 1990s–2000s
Proven in business and public sector
Electrolux, Interface, Nike, Scandic Hotels, Starbucks, Volvo, whole municipalities and regions apply the framework in practice.
- 2017
35 years of science, peer reviewed
The FSSD review article in Journal of Cleaner Production consolidates decades of theory, practice and method comparison.
- 2025
Stepwise Global is created
A non-profit NGO with the mission of providing an operative system for systemic, systematic and strategic sustainable development.
- Today
Open, AI-assisted and global
Framework, methods and workflows are being made open source and accessible to everyone, moderated by scientists and FSSD leaders worldwide.
Some organizations that practise FSSD