Show Notes
This one’s for anyone who doesn’t want to consume 12kg of plastic, who likes the idea of the ocean as hero not victim, who’s into zines and radical imagination and composting. We're talking seaweed bioplastic! ♻️🦋
Sway is a material innovation company scaling compostable solutions for plastic made with seaweed. Their products match the performance of conventional plastics and plug into existing infrastructure - but unlike conventional plastics, Sway’s materials are made from regenerative seaweed and can be composted after use. Alyssa Pace, Sway’s Head of Marketing and Comms, is here to tell us all about it.
You can find Sway at swaythefuture.com on or socials @swaythefuture, and Alyssa on LinkedIn. Subscribe for updates or support the podcast at quietnightin.substack.com. You can find and contact me @seaweed.people. Donate to support the making of this show at buymeacoffee.com/seaweedpeople.
Links to other stuff in this ep:
Leah Thomas (Greengirl Leah - Intersectional environmentalism) Four wings of movement collaboration (the butterfly) - Christine Tyler Hill Leah Penniman - Soul Fire Farm Creating a New Sargassum Value Chain in Puerto Rico | Newlab Regenerative organic certification SeaTrees Native Conservancy Sway - Impact & guiding principles Macro Oceans Sway x Umaro Foods - extracting proteins from seaweed and turning them to foods Seaweed Stories film (Rewild/Lonely Whale) HOPE! documentary (Javier Peña)
This episode was recorded and produced on Gadigal & Bidjigal Country. I acknowledge and pay respects to First Nations people and their elders past and present as the ongoing custodians of Sea, Land and Sky Country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Seaweed People
Ep 25 🐙🌱 In part 2 of this chat with marine ecologist Zoe Doubleday, we start by asking - is eating a giant cuttlefish OK?! Among many things, Zoe’s contributed research to cephalopod fisheries and octopus aquaculture. She shares insights into the opportunities and challenges of humans starting to farm a new animal for the first time, and whether Australia’s new seafood labeling regulations are enough.
Ep 24 🫧🦑 Giant cuttlefish! This episode’s for you if you’re a cephalopod head , if you’re curious how octopus or cuttlefish can change textures or colours, and if you want to know what it’ll take to list the world’s largest aggregation as a species of concern. We talk about the disappearance of the Spencer Gulf giant cuttlefish aggregation this year, and some of the solutions and interventions that have been tested to mitigate the impacts of the algal bloom in South Australia.
🧑🎨🪸 Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation for HoldFast! You’ll like this episode if you’re curious about the thermal tolerance of kelps and a vision of the near future from a molecular ecologist, if you want a first-hand account of managing a coral restoration project during a cyclone, if you find the word ‘hydrocommons’ alluring.
🧑🎨🪸 This conversation is SO full of seaweed people I had to split it into two episodes. You’ll like this part if you’re interested in kelp forests growing on ancient coral beds, Scottish seaweed mythology, seaweed robots and trumpets, biobanking, how kelp makes babies, and stories about connecting scientists with communities and artists.
This one’s for early risers and big dreamers, those of you into kelp restoration fans, clothes made of seaweed, imagination, snorkelling and a fire by the beach, if you’re interested in how Indigenous Knowledges and ceremony can connect coastal communities, or how corporates can invest in the ocean 🌅🧶