How Greenprint Products Are Made
How Greenprint Agave Straws (and Our Other Products) Are Made
Background
More operators are switching to agave straws, but most cannot answer a basic question: what are they made of, and do they actually break down? That gap matters, because a sustainable claim only holds up if the product is designed for how waste systems really work.
According to the OECD, of the 460 million tonnes of plastic produced in 2019, only 9% was recycled. About 19% was incinerated, roughly half went to landfill, and 22% was mismanaged or leaked into the environment. Given changing regulations, limited consumer awareness, and patchy waste infrastructure, offering sustainable packaging properly depends on real material traceability. That is why we design each product for a specific end of life, composting or recycling, rather than a generic promise.
Agro-Industrial Waste Collection
Our products start as plant waste that has no other use. Agave Fibers, sugarcane, cassava, and wood fibers work best with our processes, and we primarily source FSC-certified waste fibers with little to no remaining nutrient content, so we are not competing with food or feed supply chains.
Our agave comes from post-tequila agricultural waste in Jalisco, Mexico, where the liquor industry drains the plant and leaves behind fiber that is otherwise purposeless. Unlike bamboo, which ships long distances, or wheat straw, which is diverted from animal feed, agave waste has no competing use. By upcycling it, we give that fiber a second life. Working across suppliers throughout the Americas, we built a recollection system that holds quality steady even as the raw material changes.
Material Compounding
Here is the direct answer to what our agave straws are made of. Each Green Dot Compostable Upcycled Agave Straw is a proprietary three-component compound: upcycled Agave Fibers at 30 to 50%, a PLA/PBAT polymer blend, and an enzyme masterbatch. We integrate the enzyme during compounding at 160 to 190°C.
The enzyme is the difference maker. It catalyzes hydrolysis of the PLA polymer chains, which lets the straw fully break down at ambient home compost temperatures of 20 to 30°C. This is what earns TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME certification. It is not a generic property of PLA: standard PLA without enzyme technology, including our Compostable Agave Cutlery, needs industrial composting at 55 to 60°C and cannot achieve HOME certification. Our straws are also certified by BPI for BPI Commercial Compostability, and you can review the straw certification from TÜV Austria directly.
We compound this material in-house at our vertically integrated facility in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico, which is 40% wind powered. That control lets us tie every claim to a specific certification, which is exactly what the FTC Green Guide asks of us.
Final Product Transformation
Once the material is compounded, we match it to the right process for each product line.
- Extrusion (Straws and Stirrers).
- Injection (Cutlery, bottle caps, and accessories).
- Thermoforming (Plates, containers, and lids).
- Paper transformation (Paper Cups), which use our Renewacups™ and Clearly Compostable™ lines, not Agave Fibers.
Our capabilities go well beyond straws, and coupling the right material with the correct process and parameters is what delivers a functional, sustainable product.
How Long Do Agave Straws Take to Break Down?
Start with the certification. Our Green Dot Compostable Upcycled Agave Straws are certified to TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME, so they break down in home compost conditions, not only in industrial facilities. Our internal biodegradation study, GP-BIO-001, supports this: it documented full breakdown by roughly Week 20 in home compost conditions of 20 to 30°C, validated in triplicate.
Per the FTC Green Guide, we are specific about scope. That home-compostable result applies to the Green Dot agave straws. GP-BIO-001 is supporting internal data, not a standalone certification, and the Blue Dot recycled line has a different end-of-life story, which we cover next.
Which Product Is for You? Compostable vs. Recycled
Choose based on your local waste systems. If your community runs a composting program and the nearby facility accepts bioplastics, our compostable line fits. If it does not, a compostable product will not break down in regular trash, so the recycled line is the honest choice.
| Feature | Green Dot Compostable Upcycled Agave | Blue Dot Upcycled Agave (Recycled) |
|---|---|---|
| Core inputs | Upcycled Agave Fibers, PLA/PBAT, enzyme masterbatch. | Upcycled Agave Fibers plus a minimum 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. |
| Certification | TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME and BPI Commercial Compostability. | Not compostable; sustainability is in the recycled and upcycled inputs. |
| End of life | Home compostable at 20 to 30°C. | Recycling or regular waste, not compost. |
| Best for | Operators with composting access or organics-diversion laws. | Operators without reliable composting access. |
This map can help you find a facility and confirm your local collection service. A compostable product only delivers if you actually compost it, regardless of what legislation might require. If composting is not realistic for you, the Blue Dot line keeps discarded materials in use without contaminating the waste stream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Greenprint agave straws made of? They are a proprietary compound of upcycled Agave Fibers, a PLA/PBAT polymer blend, and an enzyme masterbatch, compounded in-house at our Mexico facility.
Are Greenprint agave straws compostable, and how? Our Green Dot straws are certified to TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME and BPI Commercial Compostability. The enzyme masterbatch catalyzes hydrolysis of PLA, which enables home-compost breakdown.
How long do agave straws take to break down? They are certified home compostable, and our GP-BIO-001 study documented full breakdown by roughly Week 20 at 20 to 30°C. That study is supporting data, not a standalone certification.
Can you eat agave straws? No. They are food-safe drinking straws made from agave fiber, not food.
Are agave straws food-safe and gluten-free? They are made for food contact and are PFAS-free, third-party verified for the certified agave line. They are not intended to be eaten.
How are agave straws different from paper or PLA straws? They keep a plastic-like feel and do not get soggy. The Green Dot line is home compostable, rather than industrial-only like standard PLA.
End Notes
Understanding what we consume and disposing of it correctly is the defining factor in reducing plastic waste. The proper disposal of our single-use consumables, paired with product lines built around real waste-management limits, is how we cut the plastic that ends up on our streets, in our waterways, and in our food.
Explore our sustainable solutions in our store, or contact our team today to match the right Greenprint® product to your waste systems.
References
- https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2022/02/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling
- https://products.bpiworld.org/companies/greenprint-llc
- https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/olga2630/viz/CompostingFacilitiesintheUnitedStates/CompostingFacilitiesStory
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Of the nearly eight million tons of plastic waste, plastic straws make up about 4% of that total . They are also among the top 10 contributors to ocean marine debris. Plastic straws are not recyclable, partly because of their size but also because most are tossed into the trash and end up in a landfill.