The Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation Adopts the Real Capital Framework
A new foundation for policy, budgeting, and investment in a sustainable Sweden

The Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation (TSSEF) today announces that it has formally adopted the Real Capital Framework (RCF) as the core model guiding its research, policy recommendations, and public engagement.

Developed to bridge the longstanding gap between science and policy, the Real Capital Framework provides a clear and actionable method for understanding the true foundations of national wellbeing — not just money flows, but the condition of the four forms of real capital that underpin society:

• Natural capital: ecosystems, soils, water, minerals, and climate stability
  
• Built capital: infrastructure, housing, transport, energy systems
  
• Human capital: health, knowledge, skills, and capability
  
• Social capital: institutions, governance, trust, and cooperation
  

“Money is not wealth — it is a signal system. Real capital is what actually sustains society,” says the Foundation. “By adopting the Real Capital Framework, we are committing to help Sweden build policy on the things that matter: functioning ecosystems, thriving communities, and resilient infrastructure.”

A new generation of decision tools

The RCF fills a critical gap in today’s economics-driven policymaking. Traditional budgets tell governments how much money they plan to spend —
but not whether the nation’s real foundations are strengthening or deteriorating.

The RCF provides tools to:

• Assess the maturity of each form of real capital
  
• Identify where capital is being depleted or strengthened
  
• Quantify the gap between current status and what is needed to achieve societal goals
  
• Reveal where regenerative investment is required
  
• Show which organisations and industries are material to real capital outcomes
  

This makes the framework directly useful for ministries, municipalities, and agencies working on climate, energy, health, education, infrastructure, and long-term economic planning.

A new logic for national budgets

TSSEF will begin promoting the RCF as part of a new approach to national budgeting, where each financial line item is paired with its real impact:

• Does this spending strengthen human capability?
  
• Does it regenerate natural systems?
  
• Does it maintain built infrastructure?
  
• Does it build trust, participation, and social cohesion?
  

This turns the national budget into a strategic renewal plan for the nation, rather than a yearly financial report disconnected from ecological and social reality.

“I’m proud to work with TSSEF. Few organisations have done more to redesign economic tools for a fair and ecological future. I’m excited to show how their approach can help nations protect their real capital and secure prosperity amid resource pressure and climate disruption.” — Stephen Hinton

A tool for the regenerative transition

By adopting the Real Capital Framework, TSSEF signals its commitment to an economy that:

• operates within planetary boundaries
  
• invests in long-term capability rather than short-term growth
  
• aligns with scientific understanding of ecological limits
  
• strengthens the resilience of Sweden’s people and institutions
  

“We believe that Sweden — and every nation — needs a transparent way to see whether the systems that support life and wellbeing are getting stronger or weaker each year. The Real Capital Framework provides that clarity.”

Next steps

TSSEF will:

• integrate the RCF into all reports and consultations
  
• provide guidance for government agencies wishing to apply it
  
• publish real capital maturity indicators for Sweden
  
• expand its work on real-capital-informed budgeting
  
• support municipalities in developing real capital dashboards
  

About the Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation

TSSEF works to develop and promote economic models that support sustainability, justice, and long-term societal resilience. The Foundation collaborates with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to create tools that align economic activity with ecological reality.

About the Real Capital Framework (RCF)

RCF bridges the gap between scientific insights and policy-making. It offers an approach for those creating decision bases for policy to better represent science. This is needed as traditional economic models undervalue non-monetary assets (e.g., ecosystems, social systems).

Policy makers have relied on economic thinking up to now. The result is clear: the very capital we need to live on Earth is degraded: water cycles, our forests, our fish stocks, many countries are even letting maintenance of railways and roads go. It is basically ignored by the economic sciences.

RCF offers a methodology to quantify and manage Natural, Built, Human, and Social Capital for rational and sustainable decision-making.

Read more here. Patreon.com/stephenhinton

Contacts.

Stephen Hinton (Originator of RCF) stephen.hinton@avbp.net

Bo Bergman, Chair of TSSEF bo.bergman@tssef.se