In this video Business Insider looks at how Sway, a California startup, makes compostable replacements for thin-film plastic out of seaweed. Sway’s mission rests on four pillars: regeneration, innovation, dependability, and inclusivity. Regeneration represents the natural evolution beyond sustainability. It calls for new products, supply chains, and business models that actively replenish rather than destroy the planet. Sway’s plastic replacement serves as a case study in regenerative design — it’s a material that gives more than it takes.
To realize the thriving future Sway believes in, everyone in the company must become an innovator. Sway bonds science, design, and technology to reimagine plastic, one of the basic building blocks of modern society.
Replacing plastic is a tall order, and to replace it, Sway concentrates on designing a product that does everything petroleum plastic can do — but with added performance characteristics and broader appeal. They practice efficiency and transparency at every step of the process, from the ocean, to the grocery store, to the compost bin.
The Bay Area company is also aware that, as with many environmental challenges, the harms of plastic waste are felt most strongly among the populations least responsible for it. Too often, climate solutions are built with only the most privileged of us in mind. By replacing everyday plastic packaging, their goal is to make regenerative consumption accessible to all consumers, regardless of geography or income.
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