Sustainability in Amsterdam: A Model for Doughnut Economics

Amsterdam is one of the world’s most inspiring sustainable cities. It was the first city to adopt doughnut economics, it topped the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index in 2024, and it is turning bold ambitions into concrete rules, from how it buys materials to how it welcomes visitors.

Here’s how Amsterdam is putting doughnut economics into practice, what it means for tourism, and what businesses and marketers can learn.

What is doughnut economics?

Doughnut economics is a way of thinking about the economy developed by economist Kate Raworth. She first published the idea in a 2012 Oxfam report and expanded it in her 2017 book, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist (Doughnut Economics Action Lab).

The model has two rings. The inner ring is a social foundation, so that no one falls short on life’s essentials. The outer ring is an ecological ceiling, so that humanity doesn’t overshoot the planet’s limits. The space between is where people and planet can thrive. In the words of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, the goal is to “meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet” (same source).

How is Amsterdam implementing doughnut economics?

Amsterdam was the first city to adopt Kate Raworth’s doughnut framework (I amsterdam). It put the idea to work through its Circular Strategy 2020–2025, approved by the city’s College of Mayor and Alderpersons on 8 April 2020 (European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform).

Clear targets

Concrete measures

The targets come with practical policies. According to I amsterdam, the city uses its €2.8 billion procurement budget to drive circularity, with a “reuse, unless” policy and mandatory CO2 pricing on investments over €1 million. From 2025, new buildings must use at least 20% timber or bio-based materials, and a Circular Economy Monitor, launched in 2022, tracks material flows towards the 2030 and 2050 goals (I amsterdam). The circular economy already supports around 140,000 jobs in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, about 11% of employment, compared with a national average of 8.1% (same source).

Is Amsterdam a sustainable city?

Yes. Amsterdam topped the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2024, which ranks cities on planet, people and profit, plus a new progress pillar that tracks how sustainability initiatives have changed cities over the past decade (Arcadis). What sets Amsterdam apart is that it treats sustainability as a question of wellbeing as well as emissions. The doughnut asks whether residents’ needs are met, not just whether the economy is growing.

Sustainable tourism in Amsterdam

Amsterdam applies the same thinking to tourism. amsterdam&partners, the public-private foundation behind the I amsterdam brand, works with more than 750 partners and names a sustainable visitor economy as one of its four focus areas.

Its approach centres on welcoming “visitors of value”: people who add to residents’ quality of life, support local businesses and explore beyond the busiest areas. It also encourages train travel within Europe and urges tourism partners to adopt practices such as electric canal boats and green energy (Destination Think, 2023).

The city is backing this with policy. In June 2024 it decided to cut ocean cruise calls at the city-centre terminal to about 100 a year from 2026, close that terminal by 2035, require docked ships to use shore power from 2027, and halve river cruise moorings to 1,150 a year by 2028 (DutchNews).

The organisations driving Amsterdam’s transition

• Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL), Kate Raworth’s organisation, which runs workshops with businesses and city departments and hosts a global community of practitioners.
• The Amsterdam Donut Coalition, a grassroots network co-created in 2019 that brings together more than 1,000 people applying doughnut principles in the city.
• Circle Economy, an Amsterdam-based non-profit founded in 2011, which publishes the Circularity Gap Report.
• AMS Institute, which researches and designs solutions to urban challenges and educates future engineers.
• amsterdam&partners, leading the city’s work on a sustainable visitor economy.

What marketers can learn from Amsterdam

At Growfish, we work on sustainability communications for purpose-driven organisations, and Amsterdam’s approach has a lot to teach marketers.

1. Redefine success. The doughnut measures thriving, not just growth. Ask whether your marketing serves customers’ real needs, not just sales volume.
2. Market repair, reuse and longevity. A circular economy needs marketing that celebrates products that last, spare parts and second-hand options.
3. Choose your audience, not just your reach. Amsterdam’s “visitors of value” idea is a brilliant brief for any brand: attract the people who add to what you’re building.
4. Publish targets and track them. Amsterdam’s monitor and dated goals make its claims credible. Measurable commitments are far more persuasive than aspirations.
5. Build coalitions. From DEAL to the Donut Coalition, Amsterdam’s progress is shared. Partnerships give sustainability stories credibility no advert can buy.

What hospitality businesses can learn from Amsterdam

Hotels, venues and tour operators everywhere can borrow from Amsterdam’s playbook:

• Attract guests who fit your values. Like Amsterdam’s visitors of value, focus your marketing on guests who respect the place and support local businesses.
• Make low-carbon travel part of the offer. Promote rail connections, bikes and electric transport, as Amsterdam does.
• Design for circularity. Refillable amenities, repair over replacement and local suppliers are all doughnut thinking in practice.
• Get certified and say what it means. By 2020, more than 50 Amsterdam hotels held Green Key certification (CoStar, 2020). Explain to guests what your certification covers.
• Keep claims specific. From 27 September 2026, EU rules ban generic environmental claims that can’t be backed by recognised excellent environmental performance. Our guide to sustainable vs traditional marketing explains more.

If you run a hotel, venue or travel business and want your sustainability story to reach the right guests, explore our travel and hospitality copywriting and services, or get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

What is doughnut economics in simple terms? An economic model that aims to meet everyone’s essential needs without overshooting the planet’s ecological limits.

Which city adopted doughnut economics first? Amsterdam, through its Circular Strategy 2020–2025, approved in April 2020.

How is Amsterdam sustainable? It has dated targets to halve new raw material use by 2030 and become fully circular by 2050, circular rules for procurement and construction, and policies to make tourism more sustainable, including limits on cruise ships.

Sources

• Doughnut Economics Action Lab, About Doughnut Economics
• I amsterdam, Key facts and figures on Amsterdam’s circular transition, updated 12 January 2026
• European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, Amsterdam City’s circular economy strategy 2020–2025, 16 April 2020
• NL Times, 8 April 2020
• Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, Amsterdam
• Arcadis, Sustainable Cities Index 2024
• I amsterdam, amsterdam&partners
• Destination Think, Beyond overtourism: how Amsterdam defines visitors of value, 14 September 2023
• DutchNews, Amsterdam gets tough on cruise ships, 27 June 2024
• Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Community Doughnut action in Amsterdam
• Circle Economy, Circularity Gap Report 2026
• AMS Institute, How Amsterdam will transform into a circular city by 2050
• CoStar, Dutch hoteliers push sustainability to new heights, 7 January 2020

For more information about growing your business, get in touch with a member of the team at growfish.co. We’d love to hear from you.

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