Autex Acoustics® net-zero by 2050

Autex Acoustics has always been motivated by curiosity and the desire to find new, better ways of operating. This pioneering spirit was the force that compelled founder David Robinson to start the business in 1967, and it’s the same force driving the Autex Acoustics team in their carbon reduction journey today.  

 

“Climate action considers the next generation. As a family-owned business and local manufacturer, we want to preserve the earth and influence a positive legacy for generations to come,” says Autex Acoustics sustainability lead Janae Featherstone.

 

“We started carbon accounting back in 2017. By 2021, we balanced all emissions from our acoustic products to zero, and in 2022 we achieved the same for all emissions from our global operations.”

The journey beyond zero

 

Autex Acoustics’ sustainability strategy features five sustainability pillars: Climate Action, Closing the Loop, Sustainable Supply Chain, Wellbeing in Buildings, and Community. These goals were chosen based on the impact the business could have in these areas, and were established using the United Nations Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) as a guideline.

 

Closing the Loop means transitioning from a linear economy, often referred to as ‘take-make-waste’, to a circular economy where waste is considered a valuable resource. For a manufacturing business working with polyester fibre, reducing and recycling waste is an important step towards carbon reduction.

 

“Closing the Loop focuses on our transition toward circularity. While true circularity remains a broader societal challenge, we see our role as actively progressing and advocating in this space. This includes increasing the recycled content in our products, exploring and developing recycling pathways for our materials, and analysing our current waste streams to identify opportunities for reduction and reuse. By better understanding where waste is created and how materials can live longer, we aim to design waste out of our processes and products wherever possible,” Janae explains.

Material, energy, and supply chain decisions made by manufacturers can have significant environmental impact, however, there is currently no climate reporting or emission reduction legislation for most small and medium-sized businesses.

 

“It is important that we choose to take the responsibility to align with global guidelines, such as the Paris Agreement,” Janae says. “By reducing our emissions now, we can show that climate action is possible (and necessary) in the absence of regulation, and hopefully this can inspire others to take early action as well.”

 

At Autex Acoustics, pursuing carbon neutrality includes both products and operations. 

 

“To achieve carbon neutrality, we need to understand our carbon footprint and how it changes year on year. We measure the embodied carbon of our products through a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) and publish it in our Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs),” Janae explains.

 

“EPDs are renewed every five years to ensure data remains current and accurate. Our operational footprint is measured every year in house. At the end of each financial year, we reach out to our freight and energy providers, and our markets in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and North America. Key aspects of this include, freight, energy use, staff travel, and waste. Essentially, we put it all in a big spreadsheet and use the guidance and conversion factors from the government, depending on each market. To ensure we are accurate in our reports, an external party audits our carbon accounting to ISO 14064-1:2018 every two years.”

While work is underway to reduce carbon in all areas of operation, carbon offsets allow the business to mitigate its current carbon footprint. Carbon offsets are purchased from the UN Carbon Offset Platform twice a year.

 

“Ultimately, our goal is carbon reduction. We have roadmaps to get to net zero in 2050 and be waste free by 2040, which aligns with the World Green Building Council’s goals for a 40% reduction in embodied carbon by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, and Australia’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. We’re on a journey committed to looking beyond zero. Carbon zero is a good starting point. But we can do better than aiming for zero by looking ahead at what’s next and how we can win for our planet.”