It took just one meeting to commit to carbon neutrality for their business as well as their entire product range, says Aidan Hill, the global technical & sustainability manager at Autex Acoustics.
Founded over 50 years ago, the New Zealand-based family owned company, which specialises in the manufacture of high performance interior acoustics products, has embarked on a sustainability journey with a firm commitment to being a net-zero carbon organisation.
One of the first steps for Hill who joined the business five years ago was to establish a sustainability strategy to provide for a more structured approach. Following an assessment of their market and stakeholders, they came up with five key focus areas – the five pillars of their sustainability strategy – with carbon impact identified as one of the most urgent issues to address.
Understanding what their carbon footprint looked like was a massive undertaking, requiring them to view their business through a new lens, he recalled.
Today Autex is carbon neutral across their global business operations and products. And all it took was one meeting, speaking volumes about the company’s culture, Hill said.
“Circular economy is this idealistic view that everything gets completely reused.”
One of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry today is the current construction model, which is quite linear in terms of how raw materials are turned into products and used in buildings that are ultimately demolished and disposed of as waste. To become circular, we must stop waste from being produced in the first place, says Hill. It requires us to rethink how we choose products, how we use products, how we dispose products, rather, how we reuse those products.
Autex products are made from recycled polyester fibre from PET bottles, which can be recycled and reused several times over. Some of their products contain around 80% of recycled bottle chip. The company also takes back waste trimmings and recycles them into the next generation of products.
“Does that make money? No, it doesn't make us any money, but it's definitely the right thing to do,” Hill says.
The change is coming through from designers and builders who are aware of sustainability issues and know what is important to their build, says Hill. Manufacturers are being asked the right questions now, which will drive change through the industry. While there are early adopters – people who have their culture and beliefs and truly lead their business in that way, there will always be businesses that lag a bit, which would require some sort of regulatory requirement.
Businesses are nimble, and like Autex, can choose to become carbon neutral, says Hill. But ultimately, we will need a regulatory system for all sectors and businesses who don't adopt that change. Early adopters are inspiring others in the sector to transform and adopt this change. As consumers, the best thing people can do is to choose products that support that low carbon/circular construction goal.
Cube, one of Autex’s interior acoustic products, is made using a minimum of 60% recycled PET bottle flakes. Hill explains that the material is readily recyclable and all the waste trimmings and anything on that manufacturing line are recycled and do not go to the landfill. Cube is also carbon neutral.
Autex’s in-house design teams are working on several ideas that are really well informed by their sustainability strategy, and designed around product takebacks, using the best materials, maximising recycled content within these materials, and supporting the ‘Closing the Loop’ pillar in the strategy. Any product coming through will support the sustainable construction sector – that's the key part of our future, Hill concludes.
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