What is the Doughnut?
An introduction to the concept at the heart of Doughnut Economics
Version 1.0 (September 2020)
Overview
This tool is an introduction to the concept at the heart of Doughnut Economics. It's been designed as both a document that can be shared and a presentation that can be given in a classroom, a workshop or a meeting. Either download it as a pdf (below), open it within Google drive (links below) or scroll down to read on this page.
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What is the Doughnut?
Think of it as a compass for human prosperity in the 21st century, whose goal is to meet the needs of all people within the means of the planet.
It consists of two concentric rings:
- A social foundation – to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials.
- An ecological ceiling – to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot planetary boundaries.
Between these two boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just – a space in which humanity can thrive.
The essence of the Doughnut
1. The social foundation – below which lies critical human deprivation
2. The ecological ceiling – beyond which lies critical planetary degradation
These two boundaries are foundational in the sense that humanity should always seek to avoid critical human deprivation and critical planetary degradation. But how best to define their specific dimensions and measure their current status relative to desired outcomes will keep evolving over time.
The Doughnut’s dimensions
(as of 2017)
The Social Foundation
The 12 dimensions of the social foundation are derived from the social priorities agreed in the Sustainable Development Goals (UN, 2015).
The Ecological Ceiling
The 9 dimensions of the ecological ceiling are the nine planetary boundaries defined by Earth-system scientists (Steffen et al., 2015).
Quantifying the Doughnut
The image below reveals the current state of humanity and our planetary home: think of it as humanity’s ‘selfie’ in the early days of the 21st century.
Each dimension is measured, where possible, with 1 or 2 indicators, and the red wedges show the extent of shortfall and overshoot of the Doughnut’s social and planetary boundaries.
It shows us that millions of people still fall short on all 12 of the social dimensions, and that humanity has already overshot at least four planetary boundaries (air pollution and chemical pollution are currently unquantified).
To achieve the 21st century goal of meeting the needs of all within the means of the living planet means eliminating all of the red from the Doughnut diagram, and this must be done from both sides at the same time.
Find out more
- Explore the dimensions of the social foundation and ecological ceiling
- Explore the selection of these dimensions, including their limitations
- Read chapter one of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist
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The 'For ReGenerations' Story
This story contains personal anecdotes from one of the project heads, as well as learnings and insights from the event.
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How we apply Doughnut Economics in Berlin
Talk: How to Think like a Doughnut Economist and Transform the City - a Journey of Donut Activism in Berlin
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London Doughnut Economy Coalition - Meeting Three
A summary of the third meeting of the London Doughnut Economy Coalition - Exploring London’s indicators and partners.
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First California DEAL Meetup
Californians get mobilized to co-create a DEAL coalition for California
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London Doughnut Economy Coalition - Meeting Two
A report back on the second meeting of the London Doughnut Economy Coalition - Developing Visions and Organising
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Member
Una FitzGerald
Galway, Connacht, Ireland
Lecturer, Neuroscientist, Principal Investigator and promoter of green lab practices in Ireland. Led initiative in 2019 to have our CÚRAM lab (Centre for Research on Medical Devices) certified as 'green' by 'My Green Lab'. See https://vimeo.com/375847945
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Member
Jordan Hodgson
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Member
Francesca Milocco
Amsterdam (The Netherlands) & Udine (Italy)
I am Italian, living in the Netherlands. My ambition is to contribute to develop a truly sustainable society by connecting people and projects within an international and interdisciplinary context. My background is in chemistry (master in Chemistry at the University of Trieste (IT), PhD in Chemistry and Postdoc in Chemical Engineering at the University of Groningen (NL) and next to my work as R&D Project Manager I like to engage myself in volunteering activities where I can use both my scientific background as well as my social skills in projects focused on sustainability. Therefore, with a group of people from the italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia, we recently founded a non-profit organisation "ReGeneration Hub Friuli" with the aim of connecting people who want to become the Generation of ReThinking, ReDesigning, ReCycling, ReDistributing, ReGenerating. In this context, we organise a yearly annual festival “NanoValbruna” (www.nanovalbruna.com), which brings together scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers, professionals and young people in a small mountain community of the Julian Alps, where they engage themselves in activities focused on ecosystem protection, sustainability, and circular economy.
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Member
ELENA PIANI
Firenze, Toscana, Italia
Sustainability facilitator, specific areas include circular economy, diversity & inclusion, soft skills, marketing communications event and campaign development, internal communications and employee engagement, identity (vision, mission, values - developing purpose), stakeholder engagement, sustainable cities & communities, health & wellbeing, corporate social responsibility.
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Member
Nichole Schantz
The University of Bath
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Member
Rob Harrison-Plastow
St Agnes, England, United Kingdom
Founder of The Doughnut Agency - digital marketing and strategic support for impact start-ups, investors and green businesses. Doughnut Economy entrepreneur, digital marketer and climate activist. Host of The Doughnut Economics Club on Clubhouse. Host of The Doughnut podcast and newsletter. Spent 10 years at the University of Exeter focusing on Education for Sustainable Development, engineering and entrepreneurship, now working to realise a Doughnut Economy one business at a time.
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Member
Heather Griffis
Orlando, Florida, United States of America
My professional background is digital marketing strategy, CRM, and data. I've worked across many industries & countries and I cannot morally 'sell more products", "grow market share", or talk about how to influence consumers to use their "disposable income" to purchase more disposable things. These things that end up in the landfills and during production contribute to pollution and social injustice. However, in our digital world, I feel that I have a part to play in the role of social change by helping elevate awareness, inspire action, and contribute to a positive impact. I want to help empower sustainable consumers to buy from sustainable and eco-conscious companies. I am a sponge and learning more & more about sustainability each day through books, articles, documentaries, online courses, and certification programs related to green building, food systems/ agriculture, and natural systems.
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Member
Kenan-Ivan Brinc
Im a human who loves planet earth.
