--- description: Find out why Stella McCartney S-Wave is on TIME's list of 2025's best inventions. title: Stella McCartney S-Wave: The Best Inventions of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb377718e66a5b2a6/6998ca88e1ba00f4d498dfc8/Stella-McCartney-S-Wave-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 09, 2025 # Stella McCartney S-Wave A plant-based sneaker with a compostable sole by [Jenna Igneri](/author/jenna-igneri/) ## Jenna Igneri Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy Stella McCartney An estimated 22 billion shoes are sent to landfill every year—but Stella McCartney’s new S-Wave Sport Sneaker is one step toward a more responsible future. “Every part of it incorporates conscious materials,” McCartney says. Each shoe is vegan and features a pineapple leaf yarn-knit upper, but its biggest breakthrough lies in its sole, which is crafted from BioCir Flex, a non-toxic material made by Balena. Engineered from biodegradable polymers and plant-based components, it’s as durable as polyurethane and as flexible as rubber, but “can be recycled or composted—leaving no waste or negative impact on Mother Earth,” McCartney says. These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318325/stella-mccartney-s-wave/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318325/stella-mccartney-s-wave/"},"headline":"Stella McCartney S-Wave","datePublished":"2025-10-09T11:00:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T11:54:50.258Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318325/stella-mccartney-s-wave/","keywords":["Tech","E-Commerce","list","franchise","Magazine","best inventions","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","Best Inventions 2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb377718e66a5b2a6/6998ca88e1ba00f4d498dfc8/Stella-McCartney-S-Wave-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jenna Igneri","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jenna-igneri/"}],"creator":"Jenna Igneri","articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb377718e66a5b2a6/6998ca88e1ba00f4d498dfc8/Stella-McCartney-S-Wave-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318325/stella-mccartney-s-wave/","name":"Stella McCartney S-Wave"}}]}] ```