Breaking Barriers

Impermea Materials

Breaking Barriers is an original video series by Impermea Materials spotlighting the innovators driving the global shift from toxic to transformative materials. Through in-depth, in-person conversations with industry leaders, policy influencers, and partners, the series explores what it takes to eliminate PFAS, plastics, and outdated systems without compromise. Filmed at the front lines of change, Breaking Barriers captures the people, progress, and proof behind a high-performance, PFAS-free, and plastic-free future.

Episodes

  1. The Business of Regeneration: How Sway Aligns Performance and Planet

    11/18/2025 · VIDEO

    The Business of Regeneration: How Sway Aligns Performance and Planet

    What if the future of packaging comes from underwater forests instead of oil fields? In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Impermea Materials CEO, David Zamarin, sits down with Julia Marsh, Co-Founder and CEO of Sway, to explore how ocean-farmed seaweed is reshaping the possibilities for flexible packaging. Julia shares her journey from designing conventional plastics to realizing she was contributing to the waste crisis she hoped to solve. That realization pushed her to turn a grad school thesis into Sway, an award-winning materials startup. David and Julia discuss how seaweed rose to the top among other bio-based feedstocks such as corn, sugarcane, and tree fibers. They look at how Sway designed its materials to be home compostable, marine safe, and compatible with existing plastic manufacturing lines. They talk through the massive opportunity in polybags and ecommerce packaging and why performance must come first with sustainability built in. Julia provides a pragmatic view of biomaterials. Seaweed is a meaningful solution, not the only solution, within a diverse circular economy. Listeners will hear her advice for brands facing regulatory pressure and evolving consumer expectations. She explains why brands should start by eliminating unnecessary packaging and then choose the right mix of reusable, recyclable, and compostable formats. She also encourages companies to evaluate their true waste streams, embrace nuance, and use packaging as a lever for regeneration instead of simply protection. If you are a packaging engineer, sustainability leader, or brand owner looking to move beyond plastic without sacrificing performance, this conversation offers a clear and grounded roadmap for what better packaging can look like. Listen, share, and subscribe for more candid conversations with leaders who are transforming materials for the better.

    30 min

About

Breaking Barriers is an original video series by Impermea Materials spotlighting the innovators driving the global shift from toxic to transformative materials. Through in-depth, in-person conversations with industry leaders, policy influencers, and partners, the series explores what it takes to eliminate PFAS, plastics, and outdated systems without compromise. Filmed at the front lines of change, Breaking Barriers captures the people, progress, and proof behind a high-performance, PFAS-free, and plastic-free future.