While traditional plastics contribute to climate change at every step of their toxic existence, Sway materials are made with process in mind. We strive to undo the harms of plastic pollution everywhere, from the ocean to your backyard.
Rather than viewing the ocean as a victim, we believe solutions for some of our biggest climate challenges have been underwater all along. Our sourcing impact is reflected through 3 primary categories:
Sway sources responsibly cultivated, ocean-farmed seaweed grown in harmony with the ocean. We make a couple exceptions for certain types of seaweed, like sargassum – an invasive equatorial species that Sway is exploring as an underutilized resource through the Puerto Rico Studio project. We require all prospective suppliers to report data including certifications, ecosystem impacts over time, processing footprint, and much more.
Sway uses a diverse set of red and brown seaweeds from around the world as the base of our packaging technology. Seaweed is naturally rich in polymers (agar, alginate, and carrageenan), all of which Sway is exploring in our formulations. With diversity as a top priority, we help support the positive impacts of expanded seaweed cultivation while avoiding over-reliance on any one region or species.
Sway works exclusively with suppliers who provide dignified employment to farmers, meaning fair wages and good treatment. We are hard at work to support and help scale up suppliers for whom impact is the number one priority, such as supporting the transition to climate-resilient coastal economies with lobster fishermen in Maine, Indigenous communities in Brazil and Chile, and tourism-reliant communities in the Caribbean. And that’s just the beginning!
Sway sources seaweed around the world, from commercial suppliers to small-scale farmers in emerging blue economy zones. Meet a few of our fantastic partners, each of which exemplifies the great diversity of social and environmental impacts seaweed can make.
Sway works in tandem with on-the-ground impact partners to ensure that as our product scales, so does our impact.