What can we learn about circularity from the UK and US?

Why is the UK leading the way in circular design?

In the leading architecture firms, sustainability isn’t a tickbox exercise. It’s a fundamental design principle. Specifiers, designers, and builders are now expected to ask at the start of every project: What materials can we keep? What parts can we reuse? What will happen to it at the end of its life? They’re holding building and construction companies to account.

At Clerkenwell, where I spoke about Autex Future Lab and our regenerative manufacturing philosophy, I met architects who are building disassembly into their design planning from day one. That means designing with the end in mind—not just the beginning. The UK also has robust regulations around this, which gives the industry both incentive and guidelines to do better for their clients and the planet.

This systems-based thinking is exactly what circularity demands. Because materials can’t be circular on their own, circularity only happens when the systems around the materials enable their reuse and reinvention. The UK gets that.

Not to mention, they care deeply about measuring carbon emissions, work to reduce or offset them (as a last resort), while considering modern slavery standards, and prioritising local initiatives to elevate the entire industry.

Is the US catching up in circularity and sustainability?

Meanwhile, in California, there’s exciting momentum too. That’s why it’s home to Autex Acoustics’ North American HQ. The LA Design Festival saw over 400 walk through our Autex Acoustics showroom, and we packed the space for our talk in collaboration with HOK (shoutout to their amazing speakers, Meng Gong and Nambi Gardner). It was genuinely energising to see the audience’s interest in circularity and sustainability. Though the US as a whole is generally further behind in this area, California is pushing forward with progressive design thinking. They are recognising that good sustainability is also good business—it can actually save money.

Where does New Zealand stand in the circularity conversation?

We’re a nation that prides itself on being clean, green and innovative, but we’re lagging dangerously behind in a space where there is so much opportunity. For each Kiwi, 615kgs of waste was disposed of in landfill in the last year. And sometimes that’s without doing anything—it’s the waste produced by industries.

But every day there are new innovations emerging to manage this waste, even ‘hard to recycle plastics’ that have traditionally been destined for 500 years in landfill. That’s right, 500 years.

What is Autex Acoustics doing to lead circularity in New Zealand?

At Autex Acoustics, we’re doing what we can. More than 80% of our production excess is recycled through our systems to create brand new products, accessories, or even their original components. We design for disassembly and work closely with our clients to build circular solutions from the ground up. But this is a team sport, and we can’t do it alone.

Does New Zealand have what it takes to lead globally in circular design?

New Zealand has every ingredient needed to lead the world in circular design: a small, interconnected population, agile industries, world-class talent, natural resources that lend themselves to clean energy and regenerative solutions. But our systems (and our leadership) haven’t caught up.

What’s holding us back—and how do we move forward?

What’s missing is fearlessness.

We’ve always believed that someone has to be first—just start, try, fail, and do it right. That’s the philosophy that Autex Acoustics was built on. We believe in pushing boundaries even when no one’s asking for it yet. And if we do it well, we can create the blueprint and confidence for others to follow.

We’re already seeing it at a grassroots level. I just had the pleasure of speaking as the opening lecturer for AUT’s ‘Shear Wool Power’ project to a cohort who were eager to learn about the future of circularity and creating change from the ground up. There is a whole generation of incoming talent who are on board, so we need to cultivate an industry where their innovative thinking can come to life.

But imagine what New Zealand could achieve if our government took the same fearless approach—supporting bold ideas, investing in waste infrastructure, and embedding circularity into policy and planning. Imagine exporting not just our products, but our thinking and IP as well. We need to show ‘the powers that be’ that if they help us build the infrastructure needed to create truly sustainable systems, they’re paving the way for the industrial re-evolution.

Because this is the age of circularity. And as the UK and US gain ground, we can’t afford to be left behind.