You are among the first to experience seaweed packaging.

You probably have questions. We have answers!

WHO MADE THIS?

To start, we're Sway. It's nice to meet you!

We're the team of material scientists, designers, ocean lovers, and compost enthusiasts who created your package. Get to know us!

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

As an early recipient of our seaweed packaging, you're now part of that journey, which makes you pretty special.

Our co-founders Julia Marsh and Matt Mayes say "hello!"

 

WHY SEAWEED?

Seaweed packaging replenishes the planet, from sea to soil.

Seaweed is a renewable marine crop 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 and beyond!

Seaweed thrives off sunlight and sea water, requiring very few 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. Seaweed can also generate a whole lot of good 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 sequester substantial amounts of carbon!

HOW DO I DISPOSE?

Sway packaging can be disposed of in 3 ways:

Home Compost

Composting at home? You sustainability star. Sway packaging can be mixed in with your food scraps, creating a healthy soil amendment as it decomposes.

Industrial Compost

Have access to municipal composting services? Sway packaging can be tossed in your green bin, along with other compostables your service allows!

Landfill

While composting creates new material value, we've designed with reality in mind. If sent to landfill, Sway packaging will behave like a fruit peel.

 

All Sway packaging is home compostable.

That's right: home compostable! Toss our seaweed packaging in your backyard pile, worm bin, tumbler, you name it. In a healthy compost setting, it will decompose into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that circulates value back to Earth!

How fast does it break down?
Per TÜV Austria Home and Industrial Compost certification standards, all Sway products break down in under 180 days in compost environments. Some Sway packaging has been known to break down in as little as 6 weeks!
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 it into small pieces before placing in the compost!
What does it decompose into?
Soil Control Labs tests show beneficial nutrient content in Sway materials, including Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium — which are the 3 main nutrients plants need to grow!

• Nitrogen helps plants grow quickly, especially leafy greens.
• Phosphorus helps flowers and fruit develop, and helps roots take hold in the soil.
• Potassium promotes healthy root systems and helps plants resist disease, especially root crops.
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!
What if I don't compost?
While composting is the most planet-positive disposal method, we’ve designed our products with reality in mind. When compost isn’t an option, Sway products can be disposed of and sent to landfill, where they behave similarly to a fruit peel.
 
The great 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
Is Sway packaging recyclable?
Sway packaging is compostable, not recyclable. In the case of our recyclable retail box with a Sway product window, the entire box can be recycled — the Sway window is so small that like other common non-recyclable packaging additives such as tape or staples, will be screened out and landfilled during the repulping process.
 
For the most impact, remove and compost the Sway window, then recycle the box!

Pretty neat, right?

We think so too — and we're keen to hear feedback that can help improve our consumer experience!

Have 5 minutes to share your thoughts?

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