Sway

A Sway carrier bag / Source: Sway

AlgaeFood & BeverageNorth AmericaPackagingTextiles

WHAT WE SAY:

Sway is innovating and scaling home-compostable, seaweed-based materials that replace the world’s most difficult-to-recycle, single-use plastics.

Using seaweed as a key ingredient across their products, Sway materials regenerate ocean ecosystems, support coastal communities, and work seamlessly within existing manufacturing systems. As their compostable materials scale, so do the environmental and social benefits inherent to seaweed.

Sway seaweed-based film / Source: Sway

ABOUT SWAY

Mission & Vision: Materials that replenish the planet, from sea to soil.
Biobased Content: Products contain 50–100% biobased content; core technologies TPSea™ and Firstwave™ are Certified 100% Biobased.
Materials: Formulated with responsibly cultivated seaweed, an abundant marine crop that requires no pesticides, fertilizers, or arable land.
Formulation: Created from regenerative, renewable, or certified compostable ingredients. Free of "forever chemicals" like PFAS, phthalates, and bisphenols.
Compostability: Designed to safely decompose in home and industrial compost systems; certification achieved or underway.
Key Technologies & Products:
Firstwave™ – Replaces PVA/PVOH; clear, water-soluble, oil/grease-resistant.
TPSea™ – 100% biobased resin made from seaweed and plants; replaces thermoplastic pellets.
TPSea Flex™ – Durable, flexible material replacing LDPE; puncture, oil/grease, moisture, and abrasion resistant.
Sway Polybags – TPSea Flex™ shipping bags for e-commerce and logistics.
Sway Retail Bags – TPSea Flex™ shopping bags for retail, markets, and events.
Coming soon: Firstwave™ coatings for compostable and recyclable packaging.
Sourcing Standards: Sway sources seaweed around the world, from commercial suppliers as well as small-scale farmers in emerging blue economy zones. While impact looks different with every supplier depending on the regional context and cultivation methods, our comprehensive seaweed sourcing framework universally commits to:
1. Protect and enhance ecosystem services
2. Employ non-extractive, sustainable harvest techniques
3. Ensure zero introduction of plastic or synthetic substances into natural environments
4. Support cultivation in open, integrated ecosystems
5. Preserve critical habitat integrity
6. Prioritise farmer welfare
Funding: $8.5 million raised to date, with backing from venture capital, prizes, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Recognition: Sway is a TIME Best Invention of 2025, Fast Company World-Changing Idea, and 1st place winner in the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize.
Media Features: Our work featured in Forbes, Vogue, Fast Company, Business Insider, WIRED; on ABC and CBS News; in documentaries featuring Jane Goodall and Forest Whitaker, and even on Leonardo DiCaprio’s YouTube channel. Online, we have a digital community of 200,000+ championing our seaweed-based solutions.