August 7, 2024 Waterless and PFAS-free footwear finishing solution takes big step forward
Empel Nø-Wick tech provides world’s leading footwear fabric supplier with what they claim to be the highest performance and most sustainable solution on the market.
In what could prove a win for global sustainability and footwear performance initiatives, Gold Long John, the world’s leading innovative supplier of fabric to global footwear brands, is applying Empel Nø-Wick waterless and PFAS-free finishing platform in their Vietnam mill supply chain.
The Empel Nø-Wick product stands apart by preventing wicking more effectively than any competing chemistry while remaining 100% water-free and PFAS-free. The adoption by top footwear fabric supplier Gold Long John is instrumental in creating sustainable, high performing footwear for many leading footwear brands around the world.
“Our Oeko Tex-certified Empel platform is a solution for the future,” says Martin Flora, President of Global Business Development with GTT.
“It creates the highest performing finishes available, all without the use of water or PFAS chemicals. Gold Long John was our first major footwear mill adopter in Asia and has been instrumental in providing the commercial readiness needed for major footwear brands to easily adopt Empel Nø-Wick. Because of their contribution and input, we’re now able to scale our clean chemistry throughout SE Asia and make a real difference in the fight against water, carbon and chemical pollution, all while providing the world’s best performance.”
Gold Long John is known as a market leader and innovator in the production of performance footwear fabrics and was the first major footwear mill that helped GTT commercialize Empel. In 2023, Gold Long John installed the Empel proprietary production machinery in their Vietnam factory and is now moving forward with plans to install machinery in their Taiwan facility. The proprietary machinery changes the way in which anti-wicking chemistries are molecularly bonded to footwear, protecting them from inclement weather.
“Green Theme and their Empel products will help us stay at the forefront of global sustainability solutions, allowing us to supply our footwear brands with highly innovative, cleaner, better performing materials for their products,” says Kevin Wen, President of Gold Long John.
“We see this as a win for us, for our partner brands, and for global environmental sustainability efforts.”
About Green Theme Technologies
Green Theme Technologies, Inc. (GTT) is a US-based textile innovation company with a global vision to increase performance and eliminate pollution. Their water-free and PFAS-free Empel textile finishing platform provides mills and brands with clean solutions that outperform all current water repellent, stain-release, and anti-wick technologies. Empel is very durable, bringing extended longevity to any textile or product using it.
Photo: Dani Leather / Gold Long John
