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In this Live Labs 2 blog, the Wessex partnership team look at their work on applying new economic thinking to support the decarbonisation of highways in the UK.

Net Zero Corridors Live Lab, is an ambitious decarbonisation project being carried out by our team, the Wessex Partnership as part of the ADEPT Live Labs 2 programme.

An essential part of the project is trialling a new economic model known as Doughnut Economics. In essence the approach focusses on finding balance by ensuring that ecological goals work hand in hand with social wellbeing.

The Wessex Project has been crafting tools for the highways sector based on the principles of doughnut economics to enable a broader assessment of its activity beyond just the usual financial metrics. This comprehensive approach considers not only the bottom line but also emphasises the wider impact of highway activities on communities and the environment.

Here are some of our key insights from the journey so far and a call to action for key players in the UK highways sector to form an alliance. 

What is doughnut economics? 

The Doughnut model offers a vision for how humanity can thrive while respecting both social and ecological limits. The term was introduced by Kate Raworth in her 2017 book ‘Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist’, bringing together diverse economic ideas into an accessible framework.

The Doughnut consists of two rings: a social foundation ensuring everyone has life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling that prevents humanity from exceeding Earth’s planetary boundaries. Between these two boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped zone - a “safe and just space” - where humanity can thrive.

The challenge of the 21st century is to get into this space to achieve both social justice and ecological safety, and to do this we need to rethink economic models that no longer serve us.

Figure: The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries

Putting Doughnut economics into practice in cities

Since its introduction, pioneering cities around the globe have begun to explore how to implement the principles of Doughnut Economics in their communities. For any city or region embracing the Doughnut model, it all starts with a fundamental question: 

How can our region/city/municipality be a home to thriving people, in a thriving place, while respecting the wellbeing of all people, and the health of the whole planet?

This crucial question unfolds into four interconnected lenses, through which we can analyse the city. The lenses help bridge local aspirations with global responsibilities, intertwining social and ecological considerations into a new "Portrait" of the city.

Amsterdam was the first city to adopt Doughnut Economics in 2020, developing its Amsterdam City Portrait as a guiding tool for policymaking. Inspired by Amsterdam's initiatives, over 90 cities worldwide are now exploring the concepts of Doughnut Economics, with more than 50 actively incorporating these ideas into their strategies and policies. This growing movement showcases the potential for cities to balance human well-being with ecological integrity, creating places where both people and the planet can thrive.

Figure: Doughnut Unrolled

How does this apply to sectors, and specifically to highways?

Sectors represent different areas of the economy, from food and tourism to transport and energy. Each sector is a complex system designed to meet human needs, involving businesses, government bodies, civil society organisations, households and communities. Transforming an entire sector requires shifts at multiple levels, from adopting new technologies and materials to rethinking product design, governance models, partnerships and financing strategies that encourage innovative practices.

The Wessex Live Labs project is pioneering one of the first initiatives globally to adapt and apply the Doughnut model at a sector level, with the aim of transforming the highways sector by balancing its social and ecological impacts. 

The local authority partners representing the counties of Cornwall, Hampshire, and Somerset have teamed up with academic institutions and the private sector to develop tools that equip local authorities to assess the social and ecological impacts of their highways projects and strategies. This supports more informed decision-making that balances environmental goals with social priorities.

Figure: Highways Doughnut

At the heart of this effort is an adapted Doughnut framework - the Highways Doughnut- specifically tailored to address the unique language and themes of the highways sector. It introduces two assessment processes that enable authorities to evaluate their strategic approach along with the impacts of individual projects. 

Prior to final release, the toolkit is being tested and refined, in a workshop setting using example services, projects and strategies from across the three local authorities.

“The goal is to balance environmental and social needs alongside decarbonisation. This is a greater challenge for highways compared to other sectors, but we’ve developed a comprehensive toolkit, guidance, and resources to support our efforts. This toolkit is the first of its kind for highways decision-makers and can be applied to everything from entire services to specific projects.

“Our first test involved Somerset’s Winter Service and Emergency Plan. Collaborating with our colleagues at Kier Transportation, the Doughnut tool helped us think more widely about the impact of our current operations and establish some beneficial changes which will reduce carbon emissions, reduce cost and continue to meet operational needs,” notes Mike O’Dowd-Jones, Net Zero Corridors Live Lab and Service Director of Infrastructure and Transport for Somerset Council.

A collaborative approach driving transformation across the sector

After closely collaborating with local authorities, the focus is now expanding to the wider UK highways sector. This journey began from the ground up, starting at the county level, and now the aim is to work from the top down by engaging stakeholders on national and regional levels. 

Local authorities can’t transform the entire sector alone; real change requires cooperation among all key players, from policymakers and material producers to contractors and financial institutions.

An excellent example is asphalt; it’s the most widely used material in UK highways, with about 20 million tonnes produced each year. However, only 20% of that comes from Recycled Asphalt Planings (RAP), leaving the sector heavily reliant on raw material extraction. According to Doughnut Economics, the goal should be balancing the ecological limits with social well-being. Increasing the use of RAP can achieve this by reducing carbon emissions, cutting energy consumption and minimising waste while creating social benefits such as local job opportunities and improved health in local communities.

To enhance social well-being, policymakers must go beyond simply revising regulations and procurement standards to boost the use of Recycled Asphalt Planings (RAP). It’s also essential that these changes ensure equitable working conditions and guarantee that our roads, footways and cycle paths are accessible to all, particularly vulnerable groups and communities. 

Material producers and contractors should actively seek innovative methods to incorporate RAP into their designs, ensuring that the raw materials sourced are obtained ethically and responsibly throughout the entire value chain. Meanwhile, financial institutions and regulators need to foster an environment that supports the commercial viability and competitiveness of these new materials, making them a preferable choice over traditional, unsustainable practices.

Coordinating these shifts across the sector is key and exactly what the next phase of this project aims to achieve.

A dynamic group of forward-thinking leaders from all corners of the highways sector, representing a diverse range of key stakeholders is coming together to:

🔹 Identify the systemic barriers to decarbonising highways  

🔹 Explore how the already developed Highways Doughnut Tool can be applied more broadly to inspire sector-wide change  

🔹 Define the essential steps needed to make this transformation a reality

If you represent a key stakeholder of the highways sector in the UK, and want to be part of this important movement, please get in contact with the Wessex Partnership team via one of the links below. 

Next steps

As the journey toward transforming the highways sector unfolds, embracing the principles of Doughnut Economics provides a promising roadmap for balancing environmental sustainability and social equity. The Wessex Live Labs project aims to be a demonstration of the power of collaboration among local authorities, academia and the private sector. Highlighting the potential for innovative tools that empower decision-makers to create meaningful change.

By engaging the entire sector this initiative aims to address the systemic barriers that have historically hindered progress. The challenge is substantial, but the commitment to building a more sustainable and equitable highways system is stronger. 

Further information

• For more information on ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, please look at the Live Labs 2 section on the ADEPT website
• Find out more about the Wessex Partnership project here https://www.adeptnet.org.uk/live-labs-2/wessex-partnership-net-zero-corridors
• If you are interested in joining the alliance looking at the sector level please reach out to Kristin Strandberg from Circle Economy Foundation on [email protected]

Authors

Ilektra Kouloumpi, Doughnut Economics Action Lab & Sreeja Raghunathan, Circle Economy Foundation with the support of Wessex Live Labs Project Team