diff --git a/conan/tools/gnu/__init__.py b/conan/tools/gnu/__init__.py
index ad196253be6..a7c75b32404 100644
--- a/conan/tools/gnu/__init__.py
+++ b/conan/tools/gnu/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from conan.tools.gnu.autotools import Autotools
 from conan.tools.gnu.autotoolstoolchain import AutotoolsToolchain
-from conan.tools.gnu.autotoolsdeps import AutotoolsDeps, get_gnu_deps_flags
+from conan.tools.gnu.autotoolsdeps import AutotoolsDeps
 from conan.tools.gnu.pkgconfig import PkgConfig
 from conan.tools.gnu.pkgconfigdeps import PkgConfigDeps
diff --git a/conan/tools/gnu/autotoolsdeps.py b/conan/tools/gnu/autotoolsdeps.py
index 3f89f548c5e..8fc992c250b 100644
--- a/conan/tools/gnu/autotoolsdeps.py
+++ b/conan/tools/gnu/autotoolsdeps.py
@@ -4,79 +4,66 @@
 from conans.model.new_build_info import NewCppInfo
 
 
-def _get_cpp_info(deps):
-    ret = NewCppInfo()
-    for dep in deps:
-        dep_cppinfo = dep.cpp_info.aggregated_components()
-        # In case we have components, aggregate them, we do not support isolated
-        # "targets" with autotools
-        ret.merge(dep_cppinfo)
-    return ret
-
-
-def _rpaths_flags(deps):
-    flags = []
-    for dep in deps:
-        flags.extend(["-Wl,-rpath -Wl,{}".format(libdir) for libdir in dep.cpp_info.libdirs
-                      if dep.options.get_safe("shared", False)])
-    return flags
-
-
-def ordered_deps(conanfile):
-    deps = conanfile.dependencies.host.topological_sort
-    return[dep for dep in reversed(deps.values())]
-
-
-def get_gnu_deps_flags(conanfile):
-    """
-    Given a ConanFile object, this function returns all the GNU flags from all the
-    dependencies.
-
-    :param conanfile: The current recipe object. Always use ``self``.
-    :return: ``tuple`` of all the GNU flags.
-    """
-    deps = ordered_deps(conanfile)
-    flags = GnuDepsFlags(conanfile, _get_cpp_info(deps))
-
-    # cpp_flags
-    cpp_flags = []
-    cpp_flags.extend(flags.include_paths)
-    cpp_flags.extend(flags.defines)
-
-    # Ldflags
-    ldflags = flags.sharedlinkflags
-    ldflags.extend(flags.exelinkflags)
-    ldflags.extend(flags.frameworks)
-    ldflags.extend(flags.framework_paths)
-    ldflags.extend(flags.lib_paths)
-
-    # set the rpath in Macos so that the library are found in the configure step
-    if conanfile.settings.get_safe("os") == "Macos":
-        ldflags.extend(_rpaths_flags(deps))
-
-    # libs
-    libs = flags.libs
-    libs.extend(flags.system_libs)
-
-    # cflags
-    cflags = flags.cflags
-    cxxflags = flags.cxxflags
-    return cflags, cxxflags, cpp_flags, libs, ldflags
-
-
 class AutotoolsDeps:
     def __init__(self, conanfile):
         self._conanfile = conanfile
         self._environment = None
+        self._ordered_deps = []
         check_using_build_profile(self._conanfile)
 
+    @property
+    def ordered_deps(self):
+        if not self._ordered_deps:
+            deps = self._conanfile.dependencies.host.topological_sort
+            self._ordered_deps = [dep for dep in reversed(deps.values())]
+        return self._ordered_deps
+
+    def _get_cpp_info(self):
+        ret = NewCppInfo()
+        for dep in self.ordered_deps:
+            dep_cppinfo = dep.cpp_info.aggregated_components()
+            # In case we have components, aggregate them, we do not support isolated
+            # "targets" with autotools
+            ret.merge(dep_cppinfo)
+        return ret
+
+    def _rpaths_flags(self):
+        flags = []
+        for dep in self.ordered_deps:
+            flags.extend(["-Wl,-rpath -Wl,{}".format(libdir) for libdir in dep.cpp_info.libdirs
+                          if dep.options.get_safe("shared", False)])
+        return flags
+
     @property
     def environment(self):
         # TODO: Seems we want to make this uniform, equal to other generators
         if self._environment is None:
-            # Get all the GNU flags from all the dependencies
-            cflags, cxxflags, cpp_flags, libs, ldflags = get_gnu_deps_flags(self._conanfile)
-            # Create the environment
+            flags = GnuDepsFlags(self._conanfile, self._get_cpp_info())
+
+            # cpp_flags
+            cpp_flags = []
+            cpp_flags.extend(flags.include_paths)
+            cpp_flags.extend(flags.defines)
+
+            # Ldflags
+            ldflags = flags.sharedlinkflags
+            ldflags.extend(flags.exelinkflags)
+            ldflags.extend(flags.frameworks)
+            ldflags.extend(flags.framework_paths)
+            ldflags.extend(flags.lib_paths)
+
+            ## set the rpath in Macos so that the library are found in the configure step
+            if self._conanfile.settings.get_safe("os") == "Macos":
+                ldflags.extend(self._rpaths_flags())
+
+            # libs
+            libs = flags.libs
+            libs.extend(flags.system_libs)
+
+            # cflags
+            cflags = flags.cflags
+            cxxflags = flags.cxxflags
+
             env = Environment()
             env.append("CPPFLAGS", cpp_flags)
             env.append("LIBS", libs)
@@ -89,5 +76,5 @@ def environment(self):
     def vars(self, scope="build"):
         return self.environment.vars(self._conanfile, scope=scope)
 
-    def generate(self, scope="build"):
+    def generate(self,  scope="build"):
         self.vars(scope).save_script("conanautotoolsdeps")