Amsterdam Businesses Explore Doughnut Economics

Societal and environmental challenges cannot be solved by the government alone. For this reason, the City of Amsterdam actively collaborates with entrepreneurs, notably through Amsterdam Impact’s programmes. Together with the consultancy Regenalyze and the Amsterdam Donut Coalition, the City organised a workshop with 11 companies to explore how business practices can create a better impact. Companies from the IT, marketing, real estate, energy, and finance sectors analysed their “deep design”, how their companies are structured and operate. They explored how to better support both people and ecosystems while contributing to an economy in which the planet and its inhabitants can thrive. 

Why Doughnut Economics Matters for Companies? 

Willem van Winden, professor at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and founder of Regenalyze, led the workshop and opened with an introduction of the Doughnut Economics. Doughnut Economics provides a useful framework for transitions, aiming to meet everyone’s needs while staying within planetary boundaries.  He presented the latest version of the global Doughnut, which shows how much our world is out of balance: the global economy fails to provide for all (shortfalls of the inner ring) while depleting natural resources (overshoot of the outer ring). Drivers for this imbalance include consumerism, short-term thinking, exploitation of nature without consequences, poor policies and governance, and disconnection from nature. 

More than pointing at deprivations and degradations, Doughnut Economics also offers a transformative framework, shifting the economy from a degenerative and unequal system to a regenerative and distributive one. Several strategies can support this transition, including regulation, public pressure, enlightened leadership, new goals and indicators, and new approaches to doing business. 

Inspiring dialog with Sprinklr on Steward Ownership

The workshop continued with Suzanne van Straaten, who shared the story of her business and introduced a new ownership model, steward ownership, illustrating alternative models for companies. It all began with her dream of a green city where plants and biodiversity thrive, but quickly Suzanne realized many plants were treated with pesticides and harmed biodiversity. This inspired her to start Sprinklr, offering organic non-toxic plants. She wanted to avoid the typical “hockey stick” growth, slow at first, then rapidly steep, as it didn’t fit the company’s mission. Instead, Sprinklr adopted steward ownership, aligning with investors on salaries, dividends, control, and governance to protect the company’s mission.  Investments were structured as loans, which the company is gradually reimbursing, fully by 2026. This created independence from investors and avoided shareholder pressure, allowing Sprinklr to stay true to its mission. In this way, Sprinklr can continue its activism for biodiversity, as well as propose competitive pricing for its clients. 

Amsterdam’s special relationship with the Doughnut 

Mats Siffels from the Amsterdam Donut Coalition set the scene by describing Amsterdam’s close relationship with Doughnut Economics. Amsterdam was the first city to engage with the Doughnut through a City Portrait in 2020, assessing its social and ecological impacts at both local and global levels. The city is also home to the world’s first Doughnut Coalition. Its aim is to bring Amsterdam within the Doughnut’s boundaries by strengthening collaboration between pioneers, knowledge institutions, the municipality – and businesses too!  

Mats presented several examples of Amsterdam-based initiatives leading on social and ecological impact, including the housing cooperative De Warren, the industry-scale circular clothing repair centre United Repair Centre, the off-grid learning lab Kaskantine, and the social restaurant De Verbroederij. 

Co-reflection: from Bold Ideas to Structural Change in Business 

Participants actively engaged in the interactive part of the workshop. There were two exercises: a first “Doughnut mapping” exercise, in which the participants generated transformative bold ideas for their businesses; and a second exercise to understand their “deep design” barriers and opportunities.
 

Participants shared strategies such as becoming a B-Corp, reporting on their impacts like carbon footprint and ensuring transparent communication, implementing sustainable procurements, implementing safety policies, transitioning to renewable energies, and engaging in activism and green lobbying. Then, they co-reflected on what they could do to improve their impact.

Transformative ideas comprised: creating coalitions for data reporting, turning away from profit maximisation rationale, reducing waste, or better informing the client with more transparency. 

Next, participants reflected on their deep design, considering how it works “for” and “against” the Doughnut. Deep design can sometimes explain why previously suggested transformative ideas have not yet been implemented, as structural barriers exist. These are the five points explored during this second exercise: 

1. Purpose  

What is the company’s raison d’être, and what social and ecological value does it aim to create? Purpose should be visible in products, services, and pricing. Several participants mentioned ambitions beyond profit while others also noted that profit-driven rationale persists. 

2. Networking  

The Doughnut Economy often emphasises collaborative partnerships, where value is shared rather than extracted. Some companies highlighted working with unusual partners and public stakeholders, expanding and diversifying their networks. 

3. Governance  

Who makes decisions, and how is success measured? Conventional governance prioritises profit, while in a Doughnut model, governance aligns with purpose, giving employees, and sometimes nature, a voice. Some participants identified opposition here, while others described collaborative decision-making processes, with consultations. 

4. Ownership  

Who owns the company, and how does this influence its direction? Extractive ownership draws value out of the company, whereas generative ownership reinforces the mission and long-term objectives. Owners also determine the room available for social value creation. Some participants have transitioned to steward ownership, similarly to Sprinklr, or include employee participation. 

5. Finance  

Who finances the company, and what are the associated expectations? Traditional financing prioritizes maximum profit, whereas in a regenerative economy, financing supports purpose. Participants noted barriers such as intense competition, financial dependencies, profit maximisation, and employee salary expectations. Opportunities included reinvesting profits and lowering product costs. 

What do participants say about the workshop? 

Companies noted in their feedback that they appreciated learning from business examples working towards the Doughnut, having different types of organisations in the same room, and especially Sprinklr’s story. It sparked reflection on questions such as “When is earning enough?”.   

Catalin Buhai from KHOTYS commented on the workshop: 

" My experience at the donut economy event was quite pleasant. It was a small, cozy event, where different stakeholders came together to give their opinions on the donut economy model. It was quite surprising to see so many people interested in Sustainability, and quite honestly it was inspiring. One thing that stood out to me was the presentation given by Suzanne Straaten from Sprinklr on their business model and how they want to grow as a business. In contrast to the fast growth, fast burn model for most start-ups, they have chosen to grow organically and choose their shareholders. It goes to show that sustainable business models can be successful - something I am hoping to see implemented in the future.”  

The workshop generated dynamic conversations and engagement, motivating participants to continue and deepen their actions for better impact.  Margot van Hoek from Duurzaam Energie Perspectief also shared her experience of the workshop: 

“During the workshop, we were part of a group of motivated people with diverse backgrounds. Regenalyze’s preparation aligned perfectly: presenter Willem van Winden challenged us to reflect on our own companies, consider impactful improvements, and recognise our own role in this process. This made a scientific, and often abstract, framework tangible and practically applicable. 
I was already enthusiastic about the ideas and frameworks of Doughnut Economics. Through this workshop, I gained additional motivation, concrete tools, and a valuable network to apply these principles in my work. This enables me to ensure that the projects I work on contribute to a better world for both people and nature, here and elsewhere.”