Mariestad municipality participated in a global competition to become Volvo’s site for a new lithium-ion battery factory. The competition was between eleven different countries and three different locations in Sweden. Aer declaring Mariestad and the site Korstorp as winners, extensive surveys of the site were initiated during which they did a rare find of the protected species the great crested newt. However, Volvo is still planning on going through with building the factory the way they planned, which implies asphalting an area of 140-150 ha and constructing a box like factory of one or two floors. The newts are now under great threat and will have to be moved in order to make room for the factory. Building battery factories is something we strive for on a global scale, but what happens when global sustainability opposes local? In the example of the battery factory in Mariestad Agenda 2030’s sustainable development goals biodiversity and economic growth seem to be in opposition to each other and here it becomes clear that the value of humans and non-humans are different. How are we to remedy the unequal distribution of power and how can we turn the conflict zone in Korstorp into a zone of diplomacy? The convention of the rights of the child became Swedish law in 2020 and here it is relevant taking a look at article 12, which says; “All children have the right to express their opinions, adults shall listen and consider the children’s opinions”. The children are our future and they have to live with our choices. Building in a sustainable manner implies listening to who will be affected. The society’s measurement of success needs to be altered from economic growth to one which everybody has the right to be part of. To reach that place we have to practice at an early age to think and act in a democratic manner. If children feel as if they have been heard they could come to appreciate democratic processes in which they trust their ability to alter the society and feel obligated towards it. Furthermore, the unlimited imagination of children and the fact that they are not yet indoctrinated in the routines and customs of our society might bring the innovation needed to create a new kind of factory in symbiosis with the local environment.

The thesis analyzes the theory of Steady-State Economy based on a research of literature as well as principles and starting points for its application in practice. The central question revolves around the viability of the theory. First, however, the thesis focuses on the context, i.e. the background and needs for the emergence of this theory. Thus, the research begins at a time of industrial revolution and the rise of modern economies. In the course of the research, the analysis also points out the phenomenon of cooperatives, which arise in the early days of industrialization, as examined at the start of the work. Later, after a comprehensive introduction of the steady-state economy theory, the thesis returns to cooperatives, as during the research certain parallels in both of the phenomena emerge. Consequently, the conclusion recapitulates and examines whether steady state economy has been proven to be viable, what could support its functioning and whether one of the answers might be cooperatives - considered they have been shown to realize certain assumptions of this economic theory in practice. After a review of criticism of both of the phenomena, a final evaluation and decision may be reached, i.e. the research questions may be answered.