The Race to Replace Plastic: 2026 SF Climate Week
June 4, 2026
As plastic pollution accelerates alongside climate change, innovators are racing to replace petroleum-based materials with scalable, climate-positive alternatives. In this live episode from the 2026 San Francisco Climate Week, Dylan Garrett speaks with Julia Marsh, CEO and co-founder of Sway, Molly Morse, CEO at Mango Materials, and Ryan Starling, Design Director at frog Design, about how seaweed-based polymers and methane-derived bioplastics could transform the future of packaging and consumer products.
They explore why sustainable materials must work within existing manufacturing infrastructure, how rigorous life cycle analysis helps win over brands and buyers, and why nature’s own materials often outperform engineered alternatives. The conversation also examines supply chain resistance, composting policy barriers, and the importance of designing climate solutions that align environmental impact with economic incentives and real-world adoption.
Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies.
To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!
As plastic pollution accelerates alongside climate change, innovators are racing to replace petroleum-based materials with scalable, climate-positive alternatives. In this live episode from the 2026 San Francisco Climate Week, Dylan Garrett speaks with Julia Marsh, CEO and co-founder of Sway, Molly Morse, CEO at Mango Materials, and Ryan Starling, Design Director at frog Design, about how seaweed-based polymers and methane-derived bioplastics could transform the future of packaging and consumer products.
They explore why sustainable materials must work within existing manufacturing infrastructure, how rigorous life cycle analysis helps win over brands and buyers, and why nature’s own materials often outperform engineered alternatives. The conversation also examines supply chain resistance, composting policy barriers, and the importance of designing climate solutions that align environmental impact with economic incentives and real-world adoption.
What you will learn:
- Why reduction alone won't solve the plastic crisis
- How seaweed becomes a viable plastic replacement
- The methane-to-plastic pathway that actually sequesters carbon
- How to overcome supply chain resistance through proof and brand alignment.
- The compostability policy trap that kills promising alternatives
- Why LCA comparisons are incomplete without context
Julia Marsh is CEO and cofounder of Sway, a biomaterials company revolutionizing packaging through seaweed-based plastic alternatives. With a background in design and packaging innovation, Julia recognized the environmental impact of traditional plastics and pivoted her career toward creating sustainable materials that perform as well as conventional plastics while being fully compostable.
Molly Morse is cofounder and CEO of Mango Materials, a biotechnology company transforming waste methane emissions into biodegradable PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) plastics. Holding a PhD in biodegradable materials and biocomposites, Molly combines deep technical expertise with entrepreneurial vision to address both the production and end-of-life challenges of conventional plastics.
Ryan Starling is the Design Director at frog Design, specializing in sustainable product and packaging innovation. With expertise in industrial design and life cycle assessment, Ryan bridges the gap between material science and real-world product adoption by helping corporations navigate the complex trade-offs between performance, cost, and environmental impact.
Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies.
To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!
Episode Resources:
- Julia Marsh on LinkedIn
- Sway Website
- Molly Morse on LinkedIn
- Mango Materials Website
- Ryan Starling on LinkedIn
- Frog Design Website
- Dylan Garrett on LinkedIn
- Synapse Podcast Website
- Synapse Website
- Hardware to Save a Planet Apple Podcasts
- Hardware to Save a Planet Spotify
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Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
If you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.
Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche Energy
- The Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESS
- Marine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon Marine
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