Meet the Sway Polybag 

LAUNCHED BY THE SWAY INNOVATION COALITION

✓ Made with seaweed, plants & compostable polymers
✓ Designed to decompose in home & industrial compost
✓ Supports healthy ecosystems & communities

WHO MADE THIS?

We're Sway.
Nice to meet you!

Sway is a team of material scientists, designers, ocean lovers, and compost enthusiasts creating and scaling seaweed packaging. Get to know us!

Founded in 2020 and operating from the San Francisco Bay Area, our company is truly thrilled that Sway Polybags are out in the wild. It's been quite the journey to get here!

We believe in a future where materials can replenish the planet, from sea to soil — and so do our innovation partners.

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Our co-founders Julia and Matt say hello!

WHICH BRANDS ARE INVOLVED?

Sway Innovation Coalition

Meet the incredible crew of product companies championing regenerative, circular packaging by piloting seaweed packaging with their customer base (aka, you!).

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Alex Crane Logo_Blue

Banana plants, flax, organic cotton, merino wool, natural dyes, ethically sourced leather, cactus, natural rubber, corozo, alpaca wool, coconut. Alex Crane uses these ingredients throughout their clothing line, committing to natural products that are entirely plastic-free — and now, they're venturing into seaweed.

Sway x Faherty
Faherty Logo_Blue

Inspired by all-day surf sessions, road trips, and bonfires on the beach, Faherty is a family-led brand built on the highest quality products, making things better, and always spreading good vibes. In their continuous pursuit to innovate, they have become an innovation partner for Sway's seaweed packaging.

Sway x Florence
Florence Logo_Blue

The outdoor gear brand founded in partnership with World Surf Champion John John Florence designs products in harmony with the places we love. Florence offers modern utilitarian equipment for all sport conditions, with a laser focus on performance innovation. This is our second collaboration!

Sway x prAna_2
prana logo_blue

prAna creates durable lifestyle apparel for those who live authentically, love the outdoors, and engage in their communities. Based in Southern California, they prioritize nature-based materials, ethical supply chains, and plastic-free packaging to protect the environment and empower communities.

EcoEnclose Logo_Blue

Thanks to our production partner EcoEnclose — the leading provider in sustainable packaging — for making these partnerships possible! If you're a brand interested in using Sway Polybags for your shipping needs, start the conversation with EcoEnclose today.

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WHAT IS THIS?

A prototype making its first big debut into the world!

You are among the very first to experience this totally new packaging made with seaweed. While these bags aren't quite "perfect" yet, we launched them knowing our planet can’t wait — 160,000 plastic bags are created every second, and the clock is ticking.

As we actively improve this material, your perspective is critical! Help play a role in Sway R&D by sharing:

• What do you think of the look & feel?
• Did the bag tear or rip at all during its journey?
• How does it break down in your compost?

SHARE FEEDBACK

WHY SEAWEED?

Seaweed helps replenish the planet.

This renewable marine crop is plentiful in natural polymers, the building blocks of Sway’s material portfolio. When compared to common renewable packaging inputs like corn, potato, or sugarcane, the benefits of seaweed truly go above + beyond!

Seaweed thrives off sunlight and sea water, requiring little to no inputs — unlike terrestrial crops, farmed through systems of industrial agriculture. It’s abundant, fast-growing, space-efficient, and available on nearly every coastline in the world.

Plus, seaweed creates regenerative impact (giving back more than it takes) as it grows: increasing habitat for marine life, boosting biodiversity, and mitigating climate change impacts like ocean acidification and erosion. New science suggests that seaweed can also sequester substantial amounts of carbon!

Sway CEO & Co-founder Julia shares how seaweed became our hero ingredient with Imagine5.

HOW TO DISPOSE?

Compost this bag!

While the plastic version of this bag could take 800 years to break down (into microplastics!), your Sway Polybag is designed to fully decompose in a healthy compost with the help of heat, humidity, and microbes.

While we await certification from TÜV Austria, help us test this:

1. Place the Sway Polybag in your home compost.
2. Let it cook! Don't forget to turn your pile.
3. Share what you learn!

Please note: This bag is NOT recyclable. If compost isn’t available, please place in your waste bin.

 

FAQs

What is this bag made from?
Seaweed, plants, and home compostable polymers. It's the first material of its kind to be produced at scale, thanks to our incredible scientists and manufacturing partners achieving the previously unthinkable!
 
The majority of our formula is TPSea™, Sway’s proprietary technology which is made entirely from seaweed and plants, and certified 100% biobased. To make this film, we blend TPSea™ with a non-renewable, home compostable polymer.

While we work towards a 100% biobased version of this film, the addition of this home compostable polymer provides non-negotiable performance qualities that help our material run smoothly through industrial-scale equipment. Innovation takes time, and with further R&D, we’ll be able to phase out this non-renewable component. Each iteration of our product is designed to incorporate even more seaweed and plants!
 
Until our material is “perfect,” we recognize TPSea Flex™ as a huge first step towards a future we can all get behind: less plastic, more plants, and a healthier planet.
What does it decompose into?
This Sway Polybag breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, and sugars. It even contains trace amounts of valuable nutrient content, including Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium – which are the 3 main nutrients plants need to grow!
Will it decompose in any natural environment?
Sway packaging is designed for compost, where it breaks down with the help of heat, humidity, and microbes. Throwing it out in nature won't create the same magical decomposition formula — so please don't litter!
How fast does it break down?
Sway materials are designed in-line with TÜV Austria Home and Industrial Compost certification standards, which requires packaging to break down in under 6 months in healthy compost environments. The same bag made from plastic would take 800 years to break down – into microplastics!
 
While we await certification, help us test this! Place your Sway Polybag in your home compost and let us know how it breaks down over the course of 180 days through our feedback survey.
How can I make it break down even faster?
The smaller the piece of material, the easier microbes can break it down. To increase decomposition rates of Sway packaging, cut or rip your Sway Polybag into small pieces before placing in the compost.
What if I don't compost?
While composting is the most planet-positive disposal method, Sway designs our products with reality in mind. When compost isn’t an option, Sway Polybags can be placed in the waste bin.
 
The good news? Even when Sway packaging doesn't go to compost, it's already made an impact by displacing petroleum and uplifting renewable and regenerative ingredients, like seaweed! That's half the equation.
 
Even better news? Anyone can start composting, anytime! We share plenty of resources about composting on our social media, like this.
 
More resources:
• Composting at Home by The Environmental Protection Agency
• Pro-tip: Try searching “Compost Service Near Me” for local options! 🔎
Is Sway packaging recyclable?
Sway packaging is compostable, not recyclable — and that design choice was prioritized on purpose.
 
While still a critical piece of the waste management puzzle, plastic recycling can’t keep up with the volume of plastic on Earth. Less than 10% of all global plastics produced have been recycled, with most accumulating in landfills or flowing into nature. Only 1% of plastic bags are recycled, with the vast majority of thin film plastics rejected by curbside recycling programs. When thin-film plastic does end up in recycling centers, it’s difficult to sort and clogs machines.
 
Our planet desperately needs compostable solutions: those which come from nature and return to nature. Sway exists to fill that gap.
 
Perhaps one day there will be a recyclable version of our material. But for now: toss your Sway Polybag in the compost!
I want to learn more!
Amazing! Visit our website swaythefuture.com to learn more about our materials, impact, and team. We've even put together a Science Library for our fellow curious minds, which deep dives the worlds of seaweed, material science, composting, plastic, and more!

We can also be friends on social. Visit us on any platform @swaythefuture!
Can my brand use this packaging?
Yes! With successful feedback from initial pilots with the Sway Innovation Coalition, the Sway Polybag is now available for any brand to purchase via Ecoenclose. Learn more here!

If you are interested in other packaging formats, inquire about co-development opportunities through Sway's waitlist.

Pretty neat, right?

We think so too — and we're keen to hear your feedback from the first recipients of this packaging. This will help improve our consumer experience and help expand seaweed packaging solutions!

Have 5 minutes to share?

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