Yesterday’s agave plant. Today’s scrubbing sponge.

For the indigenous peoples of the Southwest United States, Mexico and South America, the agave plant was nature’s all-purpose flower. Its root was cooked and consumed as a nutritious food. Its leaves were converted into a paste from which paper was made, and it was also used to create a thatched roof for their dwellings. Pins and needles were made from the thorny ends of the leaves, and the agave’s nectar was converted into millions and millions of gallons of tequila for export all over the world.

More recently, 3Mers from France and the U.S. took the value of the agave plant one step farther. Looking for ways to manufacture 3M products with more sustainable materials, they partnered to create scrubbing fibers made of 50 percent agave leftovers from the tequila-making process. This was no small feat. It took a lot of creative thinking to adapt the tough agave material to manufacturing processes, but by applying science and persistence they were able to create Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Scrub Sponges.

Today, Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Scrub Sponges are helping make the world cleaner. And more sustainable, compared to 3M traditional scrub sponges. For every pound of agave fiber used in our Greener Clean Heavy Duty and Non-Scratch sponges, one less pound of plastic is needed. In addition, the Greener Clean product family is able to put the waste from the tequila making process to work. Did you know that one liter of tequila can result in as much as 5 kg of agave fiber waste? Thanks to the innovation of 3M scientists, this agave waste can now be turned into something useful.

Some other numbers we like: Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Scrub Sponges are made with 23 percent recycled materials, and one sponge outlasts 30 rolls of paper towels.

We’re always looking for creative ways to improve our products and the way we make them. And thanks to the tequila process, our Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Scrub Sponges will help make anyone’s world a little cleaner, and greener.