Across North America, two accelerating waste streams are converging: a growing mountain of single-use plastic packaging and a mounting surplus of agricultural by-products from tequila and mezcal production. With this dual crisis comes a unique opportunity, one that companies like The Sustainable Agave Company are seizing by transforming some of the waste into regenerative packaging solutions.
Agave spirits production generates a substantial volume of solid waste. Most of this waste comes in the form of bagasse: the fibrous pulp left over after the piñas (agave hearts) are cooked and pressed for juice. In 2022, Mexico produced 651.5 million litres of tequila, according to the Consejo Regulador del Tequila, as cited in Forbes (Micallef, 2025). Given that each litre of tequila yields approximately 4.66 kilograms of agave bagasse (Valencia-Rivera et al., 2014), this suggests the industry may generate as much as 3 million tonnes of agave by-product annually. While some of this material is composted or reused locally, a substantial share risks ending up in landfills and contaminating soil.
Enter agave-fibre packaging: a circular economy solution that turns this biomass liability into a biodegradable, compostable asset. Unlike the petroleum-based plastic packaging that has become all too common, agave-fibre packaging degrades naturally and requires no virgin fossil input. Also, unlike some bioplastics that depend on food crops or carbon-intensive processing, agave fibre is a genuine industrial by-product that has already been harvested, transported, and is otherwise headed for disposal.
Its environmental advantages are compelling. By diverting agricultural waste from landfills, agave-fibre packaging can help to reduce methane emissions and decrease pressure on municipal waste systems. Additionally, it provides a pathway for brands to reduce their Scope 3 emissions and adopt more regenerative material sourcing strategies. Moreover, the fact that agave is grown predominantly in arid climates with minimal irrigation gives it a uniquely low water footprint among bio-based materials.
For North America’s packaging sector, this isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about scalability. With millions of tonnes of agave waste generated each year and tequila exports continuing to rise, the raw material stream is abundant. Companies like Sustainable Agave are proving that the future of packaging might lie not in inventing new materials, but in reimagining the value of the ones we already throw away.