As different governments pass legislative bills to ban plastic straws in countries across the globe, businesses are looking for affordable plastic substitutes to carry on with their operations. Following the trend, the popular tequila brand, Jose Cuervo, has launched Agave Project to reduce plastic waste in the world.
Here’s how –
Jose Cuervo will be using the leftover agave fibers from their tequila distilling process to create biodegradable straws that will decompose 200 times faster than the regular plastic straws. These agave straws will be made from agave bio-based and FDA-approved composite that will take only one to five years to decompose in a landfill!
These eco-friendly straws will eliminate the usage of around 33% of polymers which are necessarily utilized in the production of plastic straws. Furthermore, these straws will reduce the plastic straws’ dependency on fossil fuels and freshwater bodies.
The 225 year old family-run tequila company, which is the largest producer of agave by-product in the world, collaborated with BioSolutions Mexico and the Mexico-based PENKA to design these biodegradable straws.
Jose Cuervo researched for years to find alternative uses of agave fiber, as plastic, paper, housing bricks and fuel, before implementing the sustainable straws project. The straws are set to hit the spirit industry this year, made available at bars, restaurants and Jose Cuervo events in the US and Mexico.
The agave straws are designed to be similar to plastic straws with respect to the texture, and will flaunt a natural tan colour.
It was high-time for plastic substitutes to hit the market and the launch of agave straws seems to be the perfect replacement. I applaud Jose Cuervo’s approach to the project and hope to see other spirit brands and labels follow the same.
