Case Study | Ocean & San
CASE STUDY
Ocean & San: Seaweed Packaging as an Embedded Giveback Program
Meet Ocean and San
Most importantly, this gear is made for those who love the outdoors — and want to protect it.
Reduce Waste, Increase Sustainability
Being a nimble team of 3 at Ocean and San means a few things when it comes to sustainability:
1. High exposure to behind-the-scenes operations, where they have become hyper-aware of how quickly waste can stack up during production.
2. Ability to make decisions quickly, but less time and resources available to devote to sustainability initiatives.
Seeking packaging that could reduce plastic waste, increase sustainability, and enhance the customer experience, Ocean and San discovered Sway.
Primary Motivators
Sway Polybags
“As people who prioritize the outdoors — and a demographic that does the same — plastic packaging is antithetical to our brand. Seaweed-based bags are not only inherently cooler, but truer to us.”
- ALEC WILIMOVSKY, FOUNDER
Key Benefits
1. Effortless Sustainability
While most sustainability initiatives are time and resource intensive, the Ocean and San team views Sway packaging as a solution to minimize waste and maximize sustainability in an unavoidable function of their business.
"As a small brand owner, using Sway bags is like an embedded give-back program. It's such an easy solution to implement — should be a no-brainer for brands, since we all need packaging." — Ocean and San team
✅ No complex program management required
✅ Addresses an unavoidable business need (everyone needs packaging!)
✅ ROI on sustainability and marketing value far exceeds any cost differential
✅ Perfect for bandwidth-constrained teams who prioritize impact
2. Elevated Customer Experience
Packaging is where brand meets customer. It's the last thing a brand controls in the product journey, and the first touchpoint a customer has with the brand.
"Plastic sets up a brand experience to fail. Seaweed sets it up for success. If we can stoke our customers out before they've even seen the product, we consider that a success." — Ocean and San team
What their customers love:
👍 Unique texture: Distinctive seaweed texture creates memorable unboxing
👍 Natural aesthetic: Aligns with cycling and outdoor lifestyle values
👍 Built-in storytelling: "Compostability" and "made with seaweed" messaging resonates with outdoors-oriented customer demographic
👍 Social shareability: Customers are posting their Ocean and San deliveries, generating organic brand advocacy
“As a small brand owner, using Sway bags is like an embedded give-back program. It’s such an easy solution to implement — should be a no-brainer for brands, since we all need packaging.”
- ALEC WILIMOVSKY, FOUNDER
The Seaweed Revolution
Ocean & San's adoption of Sway Polybags demonstrates how apparel brands can reduce plastic waste, enhance customer experience, and strengthen sustainability commitments – all while meeting necessary performance requirements and without disrupting operations.
Ready to become part of the solution?