Julia saw how her work was contributing to the plastic crisis
So she decided to use her skills to solve that
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
The story of Julia Marsh and Sway
Startup of The Week: Climatize
5 Sustainable Personal Care Brands
News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
3 Ways I Can Support Your Sustainability Journey
🌊 The story of Julia Marsh and Sway
Julia Marsh was working as a designer, creating brand and packaging systems for various companies. Her job was to make things beautiful.
But she soon realized that she was making beautiful trash- things made of plastic that would be used for a limited number of times and then end up in landfills or oceans, lying there for decades or even centuries.
This realization conflicted with her upbringing, which was spent in white sand beaches, redwood forests, and rich wetlands.
So she knew she had to do something about this.
She started exploring the existing alternatives to plastic. This included packaging made from plant-based materials such as corn, potatoes, sugar cane, and wood.
But she quickly discovered that these alternatives often fell short: they were either too costly, didn't perform well, failed to decompose as promised, or weren't truly plant-based.
So the search continued until she stumbled upon seaweed.
Julia discovered seaweed as the most regenerative feedstock on Earth, rich in natural polymers.
She began exploring how seaweed's properties could be used to create a scalable plastic replacement and that’s how her company, Sway was born.
☘️ It has developed a bio-based, compostable resin Thermoplastic Seaweed.
☘️ It’s made by taking polysaccharides from seaweed. These make it gelatinous and stretchy like plastic.
☘️ They are bio-based and home compostable.
Sway's seaweed-based packaging offers a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastic. By designing it to be compatible with existing plastic production methods, Sway ensures a seamless transition for manufacturers. This approach not only facilitates adoption but also helps maintain cost competitiveness in the market.
But how exactly is seaweed a better solution?
Seaweed farming promotes ocean health.
Seaweed farms don’t require any land.
It can be grown without freshwater & fertilizers.
Sway focuses on replacing "necessary" single-use plastics like flexible films used in packaging. Their ultimate goal is to create sustainable food packaging, targeting items like snack wrappers that typically can't be recycled and often end up polluting the environment.
⌛ Time for the quiz of the week
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one (including me) can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the week: Climatize
With just $10 and 5 minutes, this startup can help you make a positive impact on our planet and your pocket…
Climate Collective…The climate crisis is a big, global issue that can feel overwhelming when we think about it as individuals. There are so many moving parts, right? But here's the thing: we need to tackle this together. The key is making our collective efforts easy and rewarding. After all, who doesn't like a little incentive to do good?
Solar Cents…That’s where Climatize comes in. This cool startup lets you put your money directly into solar projects. Why is this awesome? Well, it's helping us move away from fossil fuels, which are a big culprit behind those greenhouse emissions. So, you're not just investing - you're actively helping our planet. And here's the cherry on top: you can earn up to 10% annually on your investment. It's a win-win situation!
This is how Climatize works:
They receive applications from solar project developers who are looking for funding.
Their team then thoroughly evaluates each project. They look at everything from profitability and feasibility to viability and environmental impact.
Once they've given the green light, investors can jump in! Both retail and institutional investors can transparently invest in these solar projects right through the Climatize App.
There’s More…As investors, you'll earn interest while the project grows. And guess what? You're helping the world shift to cleaner energy sources at the same time! These projects are spread all across the US. You might be supporting anything from a family farm to your local hardware store, or even a place of worship. It's like being part of a nationwide clean energy movement!
✅ 5 Sustainable Personal Care Brands
Clean O2: Personal care products made from CO2 captured from buildings.
Saathi Pads: Turning banana plant waste into biodegradable menstrual pads.
Etee: Cleaning and personal care products in the form of concentrates.
Georganics: Cruelty-free and vegan toothpaste tablets in a glass jar.
Izzy: A line of zero-waste beauty products.
These brands may not be available in your country, but you can use these ideas as inspiration. Try searching for similar brands in your area. Feel free to share any local alternatives you find in the comments—it'll help others discover sustainable options near them.
😹 News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
Weather Woke-up Call…France Télévisions modernized its weather broadcasts, transforming traditional forecasts into Journal Météo-Climat, a climate-focused program. This change addresses the growing impact of climate change on weather patterns.
Lynx Leap…The Iberian lynx, once critically endangered, has been reclassified as "vulnerable" due to a remarkable population increase from 62 to 648 mature individuals between 2001 and 2022.
River Revival…The Maple River in northern Michigan, US, has been restored to its free-flowing state after two decades of conservation efforts, marking it as one of the first rivers in the country to achieve this status.
💁🏼 3 Ways I Can Support Your Sustainability Journey
Do you want to be featured in this newsletter and on LinkedIn, where I write impactful stories every day? Submit your story
If you’re a planet-friendly brand, I can help you with your blogs, newsletters, case studies, and whitepapers. Here’s some of my recent work
If you would like to chat about anything related to sustainability and climate change, you can book a free call
Click that 💚 or leave a comment if you learned something that you can share with others. It also motivates me to keep going..
Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week😊
Seaweed-based packaging, like the one developed by Julia Marsh’s company Sway, represents a truly transformative step towards sustainable materials. Not only does seaweed offer a low-impact alternative to petroleum-based plastics, but it also presents several additional environmental benefits that make it a superior solution:
1. Carbon Sequestration: Seaweed is incredibly efficient at absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. As it grows, it sequesters large amounts of carbon, helping to mitigate climate change.
2. Biodiversity Support: Seaweed farms create habitats for marine life, supporting biodiversity and contributing to healthier ocean ecosystems. Unlike land-based farming, seaweed cultivation enriches its surroundings rather than depleting them.
3. Rapid Growth: Seaweed grows quickly and can be harvested multiple times a year, making it a highly renewable resource. Its rapid growth cycle means that it can provide a steady and scalable supply for various industrial applications.
These properties, combined with the fact that seaweed farming doesn’t compete with food crops or require harmful inputs, solidify seaweed as a front-runner in the search for sustainable materials. Julia’s vision with Sway could indeed help redefine how we think about packaging and our responsibility to the planet.