In 2026, the circular economy stopped being a green slogan and became a hard competitiveness issue: whoever secures materials, recycles and reuses better, and turns waste into industrial inputs wins on costs, resilience, and market access. For Mexico—deeply embedded in North American manufacturing—the question is no longer whether it should circularize its economy, but with whom it can accelerate. Australia emerges as a less obvious yet strategically powerful partner: it comb