The world has taken another step forward in the journey of limiting plastic waste thanks to the work of a United States start-up company that has created a new type of bio-degradable seaweed based alternative.
California based company Sway has announced that its new technology has the potential to replace flexible plastic packaging at a large scale, and in a way that will blend “seamlessly with the most scaled plastic manufacturing systems available”.
On Sway’s website the company boasts the ability to harness “the power of seaweed to create home compostable replacements for plastic”, which it has done with its groundbreaking thermoplastic seaweed resin packaging, named TPSea.
TPSea is a compostable and microplastic-free type of packaging material that Sway have used to make polybags and retail bags, as well as food wrappers — products which make up a huge amount of plastic waste worldwide.
Honestly at this point is there anything seaweed CAN’T do? It can be used in packaging, fertiliser, on seaweed, and to scare your friends at the beach. Versatile stuff!
In order to make TPSea, Sway sources the natural product from seaweed farmers who 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,” states Sway.
The technology has already been approved to get used in even more types of products, as thanks to a USD $5 million funding grant it received from a firm that invests in renewable technologies.
Hopefully this additionally funding will mean the start-up is able to have its bio-degradable technology adopted by mass production industries.
“Clean oceans, abundant biodiversity and thriving coastal economies all intertwine with Sway’s success as we accelerate production in 2024. We believe everyday materials should help to replenish the planet from sea to soil,” Sway’s CEO Julia Marsh said.
“The launch of our thermoplastic seaweed materials, along with an influx of new capital targeted at scaling production, signifies tangible progress toward a more circular future”.
Honestly would LOVE for this tech to be adopted worldwide and used in in more types of products.
The way that everyone complains about how bad cardboard straws feel, just imagine how much better seaweed straws could be!