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.
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!).
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.
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.
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!
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.
Thanks to our production partner EcoEnclose for making these partnerships possible! You can expect to see Sway Polybags as a stock offering on the EcoEnclose website starting in 2025.
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?
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
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?
