Autex NZ Delivers First NaturePositive+ Declaration Product for Construction Industry

Global GreenTag International has supported delivery of the first construction related product to receive certification under the Global GreenTag International NaturePositive+ Standard™.

The acoustic thermal and acoustic panel product made by Autex Industries New Zealand – Embrace™ Wool Felt - underwent the rigorous and holistic, GreenTag NaturePositive+ Declaration™ assessment process, successfully being certified at a PLATINUM level NaturePositive+ Rating of 160 percent. The key results from the investigation found that the product:

✔ Uses more than 99.5% of renewable resources with Autex giving priority focus to the protection of biodiversity during manufacture.

✔ Benefits the environment with minimal negative environmental impacts and of equal importance, delivers net positive benefits to the environment in its own right.

✔ Also, the product achieves high levels of product health that benefit human health and wellbeing along the product's supply chains, and for the lifecycle of the product to the end of its life, and beyond.

The GreenTag NaturePositive+ Standard and NaturePositive+ Declaration program marks a new benchmark in the certification sector for manufacturing in the built environment and other industries. It is a first of its kind in the world, marking also a new standard for manufacturing. It centers processes on nature repair, enabling progressive and conscientious product manufacturers like Autex to improve their value chain by not just using carbon measurements as a focus to counter climate change, but to use biodiversity as the primary focus of achieving carbon drawdown.

To achieve a NaturePositive+ Declaration and NaturePositive+ Rating, says GreenTag's CEO, Technical Director and Cofounder David Baggs, "nature is a non-negotiable that must be put on the table first, yet the fullness of the program also recognizes that we as humans are not separate from nature either, so consequently the process looks thoroughly at a product's impact on human health, as well as addresses where a product stands in terms of issues to do with Modern Slavery, ethical labour supply, community, social and innovation benefits."

Autex's Embrace Stretch Wool product achieved points across the ten assessment indicators used by the NaturePositive+ program to measure and uncover its profile and prominence as a NaturePositive+ made product. Benchmark points achieved by the product during and after its production include:

• Innovative product design that is Nature Positive forward in providing verified outcomes for Circular Economy projects for the construction industry.
• Majority use of renewable resources (>99.5%).
• Zero hazards for humans and the environment once the product is in use.
• Use of high level (99.5% ) non-hazardous raw materials throughout production processes.
• Full compliance by Autex and suppliers to Fundamental International Labor Organisation (ILO) conventions, including provision of a Modern Slavery Statement.
• Collaboration with an Indigenous Engagement Program set up by Autex during production of product.
• Reduced risk to workers through application of an Occupational Health and Safety policy.

"Achieving our Nature Positive certification is a significant milestone on our journey to becoming a beyond sustainable company. Our goal was to move beyond carbon neutrality and develop a model of abundance. We meticulously refined every step in our processes and supply chain, and this certification confirms our success. It serves as a benchmark and proof that we can create high-performing materials while supporting the very systems that sustain us." Says Jonathan Mountfort, Design Director from Autex Industries Limited.

David Baggs adds:

"The NaturePositive+ Declaration (NP+D) program in its fullness is a deep dive into manufacturing processes and we applaud the dedication and commitment of Autex to open the data of its Embrace product completely so that we could put it through our robust sequence of assessments. The process enabled us to not only measure the real-world Life Cycle Assessed (LCA) impacts of the product but importantly, it also allowed us and the manufacturer to see how far the product had come by sending it through a unique Life Cycle Benefits Analysis (LCBA) as well, which is provided by our Associates of many years, The Evah Institute.

LCBA allows us to see what a product has achieved in terms of how it benefits people, nature and resources. Tracking benefits and impacts is so important for the future of manufacturing to track and chart progress toward nature-repair because benefits are not being captured by any other system currently.

NP+Ds give manufacturers an assessment and certification pathway to scientifically investigate and holistically measure their own products' progress and plan for the future. The process ultimately encourages manufacturers to step up and provide products that can be verified as Nature Positive and ready for true Circular Economy and Nature Positive projects that align with both the World Green Building Council's 2025-2027 Strategic Plan and the Green Building Council of Australia's Building with Nature roadmap."

For further information or comment from Global GreenTag International, please contact Debra Robertson:

For further enquiries or comments from Autex Industries New Zealand, please contact Jonathan Mountfort:

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About Autex Industries New Zealand

From humble beginnings more than 50 years ago, Autex Acoustics® has grown to serve over 18 export markets, with manufacturing and finishing networks in four countries. Autex Acoustics is a leader in the development and manufacturing of non-woven architectural textiles, supplying an increasingly sophisticated range of products to the building industry.

The Autex design team has continued to grow, allowing the business to venture into even newer territory. While sustainability has been at the forefront of its operations for decades, the company has continued to push to achieve carbon neutrality and a desire to help improve the way it develops designer products for healthy built spaces.

About Global GreenTag International

Global GreenTag™ International Pty Ltd assesses products for all aspects of impacts on human health, ethical labour supply and the environment. The company was established in 2010 as a third party verified Conformance Conformity Assessment Body that conducts the award winning Global GreenTagCert™ certification program, and a third party, multi-criteria, consensus based and externally verified Type 1 Ecolabelling Program that complies and operates under strict International Standards. Global GreenTag is legally approved as a Certification Mark operator by the ACCC in Australia and by equivalent government agencies in NZ, USA, Canada, and South Africa.

Global GreenTag websites and all marketing collateral for every product certified by Global GreenTag is verified as 'fit for purpose' and compliant with ISO 14021. What's more, Global GreenTag's governance and its own external verification and certification against standards such as ISO 14024 (Ecolabelling), ISO 17065 (Conformance Assessment) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) among others, is unparalleled.

Voted one of the Top 100 Most Trusted Brands in Australia for 3 years running, Global GreenTag currently has more than 20,000 products in certification by over 250 manufacturers with factories in more than 20 countries. Global GreenTag™ certified products are determined as healthy for use using the best science available, with the results being peer reviewed by highly qualified, external consultant Toxicologists.