Penka®, founded by a group of Mexican innovators, is the company that developed and created the world's first biodegradable straws made from agave fibers and distributes its products to several countries in more than three continents. Its technology has a patent granted for the biomaterial and the product, giving its customers certainty of its originality and functionality.

Penka® products are manufactured with PolyAgave®, which is a line of cellulose-based bioplastic composite materials made from vegetable fibers, by-products of agro-industrial processes in the tequila industry.

Penka® straws and cutlery are bio-based and biodegradable; that is, they are partially made from plants and when disposed of in landfills they degrade when they interact with bacteria and microorganisms. Their process lasts from one to five years depending on the conditions of the landfill, helping to reduce their carbon footprint on the planet and reducing the space they occupy within the landfill. 

The bio-based certificate complies with ASTM D6866 and the biodegradability certificate complies with ASTM 6954/20.

Some other products manufactured by Penka® are bio-based and reusable; that is, they are made with natural fibers and have been designed to be used many times promoting reuse practices and generating less waste, as dictated by the "Zero Waste" philosophy.

It is important that the consumer learns to dispose of biodegradable products correctly, since biodegradability does not mean having permission to dispose of products on the street or in gardens, but to do so responsibly. With Penka products you can enjoy your food and drinks without the guilt of affecting the environment.

By: Ana Laborde

At Penka we are proud to work with agave, although we must clarify that when we say "Agave" we are referring to a genus of plants native to the American continent, generally succulents that today are distributed all over the world. There are approximately 220 species in this genus, and Mexico is the center of origin for more of 75% of them.

Agaves are plants that are adapted to areas of low rainfall and prolonged droughts and can develop in semi-deserts regions, with species that evolved from the coast to the high mountain.

Agaves are made up of a central storage stalk known as a pineapple, and the leaves that surround it called stalks - hence the name we choose -, and underground stems from which they take the nutrients. At the end of its productive life, it produces a quiote with its flowers and fruits. -de ahí el nombre que elegimos-, y tallos subterráneos de donde toman los nutrientes. Al final de su vida productiva echa un quiote con sus flores y frutos.

In pre-Hispanic times, agaves were used for food, clothing, and housing, where our ancestors took advantage of the entire plant: the fiber from the leaves for ropes and fabrics, and the dried leaves as construction materials. The fermented sugars gave rise to pulque, a low alcoholic beverage.

After the conquest, agaves were cultivated in different regions of Mexico and their production became specialized according to their use. For example, in Yucatán henequen was cultivated for the manufacture of ropes and in Hidalgo and the center of the country its use was focused on the manufacture of pulque and alembic-distilled mezcal using local species.

In the area of Tequila, Jalisco a particular variety was found with high sugar content, a short life cycle and high production of tillers for propagation, characteristics that, together with the ease of grinding the cooked fibers and extracting the sugars, are excellent to produce distillates. This variety is distinguished by the bluish color of its leaves or stalks and is known as blue agave. Its botanical name is Agave tequilana Weber, Blue variety. Agave tequilana Weber, Variedad azul.

For years the waste from the tequila industry (what remains of the pineapple after processing and extraction of sugars) had not been of much use, only for feeding the cattle and fertilizer, but recently there has been a diversification from its applications, searching for a use to the bagasse from agave to use and take advantage of the biomass in the fabrication of building blocks, paper, handcrafts and what becomes our passion: biomaterials.

At Penka we give life to cellulose fibers from agave bagasse to make biomaterials with countless applications, as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastic materials, among these applications is our line of straws, stirrers, and other products that we invite you to learn more about at www.penka.eco 

By: Jose Ignacio del Real/ Eduardo Rivera

For José Cuervo®, as the father of tequila, the past, present and future is directly related to the agave plant; without it, we would not exist. As such, we are on an ongoing quest to partner our agave experts with innovative manufacturers to create new agave-based products beyond tequila, from juice to fibers.

The Agave project is an initiative that spearheads the company's long-term commitment to the agave, the people and the land of Tequila, Mexico. This year, the brand builds on its 21 years of philanthropic work through the Beckmann Foundation, supplying agave fibers for research on creating sustainable agave-based automotive parts with Ford Motor Company and working with big wave rider Gary Linden to create the first 100% agave surfboard.

As the first company within the Agave Project, José Cuervo® is the driving force behind the large-scale production of biodegradable agave-based straws, achieving the reuse of agave fiber through technology developed by BioSolutions scientists. México, manufacturers of bio-based bio-plastic compounds of natural fibers and the production and development team of new products from Penka México.

This project allows us to create a circular economy within the tequila industry. By incorporating agave fibers, which is a by-product of the tequila industry, in a product for the consumption of tequila and other beverages, José Cuervo is reusing waste and replacing up to 30% of the regular plastics in its composition.

Source: Cuervo: The Agave Project