After four years of sustained work to advance biologically degradable alternatives to traditional thin-film plastic, we are proud to celebrate the impact achieved to-date by our award-winning Unwrap the Future program.

Together with our extensive community of partners and the winners of the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize powered by Lonely Whale, we helped advance the adoption of Prize-winning seaweed-based alternatives to traditional thin-film plastic – a ubiquitous and rarely recycled material.

Program highlights include:

- $1.2M prize purse

- 3 Prize winners from 3 different countries

- 4 seminars with 13 industry experts

- 10 pilots and value chain trials

- 2 showcases: Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit & our World Oceans Day salon with the Explorers Club

Our program impact report highlights both the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize powered by Lonely Whale and subsequent Accelerator, with a focus on lessons learned and actionable insights, illustrated through a series of case studies showcasing key takeaways from collaborations between Prize winners and members of our Early Adopter Coalition.

READ THE REPORT [[link removed]]

If this work has shown us one thing, it is the power of radical collaboration. This work was made possible by over 60 partners, advisors, judges and Early Adopter brands, with critical sponsorship from TOM FORD BEAUTY and The Estée Lauder Companies, alongside support from Phillip Sarofim’s Trousdale Ventures. We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who has been on this journey to help unwrap the future.

But our work is not finished yet. Now, we’re setting out to share our impact through storytelling – inviting an even broader circle of champions to accelerate awareness and adoption of Prize-winning materials. This third and final phase is anchored by Seaweed Stories, a short documentary we produced to catalyze conversation about solutions borne from nature – including those created by our Prize winners.

Narrated by Forest Whitaker and directed by Jake Sumner, Seaweed Stories is a vibrant, global look at the wonders of seaweed and the extraordinary stories of individuals whose lives have been shaped by this often overlooked marine organism. The film features insights from Julia Marsh, CEO and co-founder of first-place Prize winner Sway.

Seaweed Stories was executive produced by Phillip Sarofim, Trousdale Ventures, and MAVRIK, and co-executive produced by The Snider Foundation.

Following the film’s world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 13th, we will now be touring Seaweed Stories across the country to catalyze conversation. We hope to see you at an early screening.

ATTEND AN EARLY SCREENING [[link removed]]

Preview of 'Seaweed Stories' aboard RETI Center Barge, featuring Julia Marsh of Sway. [[link removed]]

Inspired by our work?

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Lonely Whale is a Fiscally Sponsored Program of Re:wild 501(c)(3).

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