#20: Sway with Julia Marsh - How a design led company is making bioplastic from seaweed, what will drive adoption, understanding the supply chain, the flow of information and biological circularity.

Inside Seaweed

Californian designer Julia Marsh is the CEO and co-founder of Sway, a venture-backed materials company which produces compostable packaging made from seaweed. Julia's work is inspired by a lifelong affection for the ocean, and the belief that designers must take part in solving the planet’s greatest challenges. Sway is on a mission to replenish the planet by supporting healthy ocean ecosystems, eliminating plastic waste, and creating a more inclusive climate movement.

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Check out ⁠⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

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[1:05] Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize.

[7:55] Supply chain: sourcing ingredients and seaweed species.

[14:00] The price of raw seaweed biomass and materials.

[15:20] Using non-food grade biomass and benefits for farmers.

[17:00] Current and future challenges in supplying seaweed biomass and materials.

[20:40] Thoughts around the flow of information within the industry.

[24:50] Opportunities and untapped potential for entrepreneurs.

[28:35] Considering the holistic value of seaweed in developing subsidies and policies.

[31:35] Design as key factor behind Sway's success.

[32:40] Imagining a positive and exiting future and how this could be communicated.

[35:00] How those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution.

[36:25] What will drive B2B customers to adopt bioplastic in future.

[42:05] Competitors and competitive advantage of seaweed-based bioplastic.

[43:40] Biological circularity and how it can be applied to seaweed and bioplastic.

[46:35] Partnering with small-scale seaweed farmers.*

Useful Links:Julia Marsh: ⁠LinkedIn⁠Sway: ⁠Website⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize

Macro Oceans: website

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Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, or by emailing me directly at [e-mail] - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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