Tequila, weed, cash, and a Ford car could be the elements for a hell of a road trip, but they’re also part of the automaker’s efforts to be more sustainable. At a Ford-sponsored panel discussion August 16 in San Francisco, senior technical leader Debbie Mielewski showed how the company was working with famed tequila maker José Cuervo to use less plastic in its car parts.

Just to be clear, there is no actual tequila in Ford cars, nor is there any weed. What there might be is agave-fiber-infused plastic, thanks to the tons of it left over from José Cuervo’s tequila production. The company was using some of it for compost, as well as paper and local crafts, but much of it was going to waste. Because its operations happened to be near Ford’s automotive plants in Mexico, Mielewski and her team had a perfect opportunity to try the fiber as a reinforcing material for plastic.