Materials that
replenish the planet.

Our evolving portfolio of circular materials come from a regenerative resource and decompose into healthy soil.

✓ Made with responsibly sourced seaweed
✓ Nontoxic & GMO-free

✓ Home & industrially compostable
✓ Supports healthy ecosystems & communities

Thermoplastic Seaweed Resin (TPSea™)

Biobased pellets designed to go anywhere plastic goes – with a couple big differences. TPSea™ comes from the ocean, and is designed to return to the soil.

Traditional plastics have been around for more than a century, during which time they’ve become perfectly optimized and heavily subsidized. This industry is primarily fueled by petroleum-based pellets that are melted and formed into finished products through global manufacturing. It’s a huge challenge to shift away from a well-oiled system. And also a huge opportunity. 

After years of development, the Sway team is proud to share our breakthrough technology: TPSea™ – an entirely new, patented category of biopolymer resin that is home compostable and 100% derived from renewable sources. The #1 ingredient? Seaweed; a regenerative ocean crop that replenishes ecosystems as it grows.

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These pellets are full of golden potential.

✓ Melt Processable
✓ Scalable
✓ 100% Biobased
✓ Majority Seaweed

TPSea™ clears previously unsurpassed hurdles in replacing petroleum-based pellets. With heat, it melts and stretches just like traditional thermoplastics. This enables TPSea™ to work with existing plastic manufacturing systems, unlocking a streamlined path to impact at scale.
With excellent technical performance, our patented biobased resin is an entrypoint to solving the broad array of plastics present in our everyday lives. To start, TPSea™ serves as the base of Sway’s TPSea Flex™ Film.

TPSea Flex™ Film

First-of-its kind seaweed packaging, designed for scale.

While today’s plastics wreak havoc at every stage of the supply chain, the evolution of single-use plastics stemmed from noble intentions: convenience, hygiene, flexibility. We embrace these characteristics with one more addition: What if plastic could heal ecosystems rather than harm?

For the first time, ubiquitous plastic packaging can be replaced with Sway’s patented flexible film made with TPSea™. Produced using globally scaled manufacturing, TPSea Flex™ provides all the technical performance brands require, while adding ecological and societal value along the way.

Pairing the benevolence of seaweed with advanced materials science, our inaugural TPSea Flex™ film is strong and versatile, well suited for a range of packaging applications across industries – from fashion to beauty to food and beyond. Sway’s evolving product portfolio made with TPSea Flex™ includes thin-film packaging applications such as polybags, retail bags, and food wrappers, a category representing approximately 30% of all single-use plastic packaging.

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Delivers performance.
Decomposes naturally.

✓ Strong
✓ Versatile
✓ Luxurious Look & Feel

TPSea Flex™ is composed of seaweed, plants and compostable polymers. Strong and versatile, it can withstand a wide array of temperatures and exposure to moisture. The frosted finish is luxurious in both look and feel. Embodying true circularity, this material decomposes naturally in home, backyard, and industrial compost environments.
TPSea Flex™ represents the first big step towards a future we can all get behind – less plastic, more plants, and a healthier planet.

Firstwave™ Film

Made entirely from seaweed and plants, optimized for rapid decomposition back into Earth.

Did you know 5 trillion bags, wrappers, and pouches are made each year? That’s 160,000 bags every second! Many of these single-use plastics will only be used for mere seconds, but less than 3% are recycled – meaning the vast majority go to landfill or flow into nature.

That’s why we are committed to creating completely biobased, home compostable replacements for these pervasive flexible plastics.

Sway Firstwave™ film is our team's first pursuit towards a plastic-free future, using seaweed as our primary ingredient. By using a liquid-based production method, we’re able to honor seaweed’s inherent gelling properties. Ocean-farmed seaweed is harvested, processed, gelled, and cast into rolls of film suited for an array of solutions where flexibility and full transparency are desired. Unlike traditional plastics, Firstwave™ lasts only as long as it needs to before returning to nature as a soil amendment.

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Trusted and loved by brands dedicated to a plastic-free future.

✓ Certified Home & Industrial Compostable
✓ Certified 100% Biobased

✓ Majority Seaweed
✓ Full Transparent

Le Club uses Sway Firstwave™ to package swim trunks.
Noah uses Sway Firstwave™ to package shirts.
EcoEnclose uses Sway Firstwave™ as a product window.
Ales Grey uses Sway Firstwave™ to package shoes.
Graf Lantz uses Sway Firstwave™ to package greeting cards.

Ask Us Anything

What is resin?
Today’s plastic industry relies on resin: petroleum-based pellets that are melted and formed into finished products through global manufacturing systems. Sway's patented TPSea™ provides a 100% biobased alternative, made with seaweed.
What is "thin film"?
Flexible plastic film is under 10mil thick, typically made from polyethylene resin (LDPE or HDPE). Examples include shopping bags, polybags, bubble wrap, food wrappers, and cling wrap. Sway's patented TPSea Flex™ and Firstwave™ films provide a seaweed-based, home compostable replacement.
How does seaweed turn into "plastic"?
Sway sources seaweed from ocean farms and processors. Farmers harvest and dry the seaweed, and processors extract its natural polymers. We blend these polymers with renewable starches and sugars, then transform this proprietary formulation into resin and films with the help of manufacturers.
Where does the seaweed come from?
We source seaweed from a global network of vetted ocean farms and processors who cultivate seaweed responsibly.
How do I dispose of Sway packaging?
Composting is the way to go! Throw it in your home compost, green bin, or any other compost method available. Municipal offerings, farm programs, or private services are often available locally.
What is TPSea Flex™ Film made from?
Seaweed, plants, and home compostable polymers. We're currently working on a 100% biobased TPSea Flex™ film and plan to launch it in the near future. Until then, this home compostable material made with regenerative and renewable ingredients is a huge step in the journey away from traditional plastics!
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Feeling seaweed-curious?

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