Empel Nø-Wick Tech supplies the world’s leading supplier of footwear fabrics with what it claims is the highest performing and most sustainable solution on the market.
In what could prove to be a success for global sustainability and footwear performance initiatives, Gold Long John, the world’s leading innovative fabric supplier for global footwear brands, is adopting the waterless and PFAS-free Empel Nø-Wick finishing platform in its factory supply chain in Vietnam.
Empel Nø-Wick is unique in that it prevents wicking more effectively than any competing product, while remaining 100% water and PFAS free. The acquisition by leading footwear fabric supplier Gold Long John is pivotal in the development of sustainable, high-performance 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 at GTT.
“It creates the highest performing finishes available, all without the use of water or PFAS chemicals. Gold Long John was our first major shoe factory adopter in Asia and has been instrumental in creating the commercial readiness needed for major footwear brands to easily adopt Empel Nø-Wick. Thanks to their contribution and input, we are now able to expand our clean chemistry across Southeast Asia and make a real difference in the fight against water, carbon and chemical pollution, while delivering the world’s best performance.”
Gold Long John is known as a leader and innovator in the production of functional footwear fabrics and was the first major footwear factory to help GTT commercialize Empel. In 2023, Gold Long John installed Empel’s proprietary production machines at its factory in Vietnam and now plans to install machines at its factory in Taiwan. The proprietary machines change the way anti-wicking chemicals are molecularly bound to shoes, protecting them from inclement weather.
“Green Theme and their Empel products will help us stay at the forefront of global sustainability solutions and enable us to supply our footwear brands with highly innovative, cleaner and higher performing materials for their products,” said Kevin Wen, President of Gold Long John.
“We see this as a win for us, for our partner brands and for global efforts towards environmental sustainability.”
Green Theme Technologies, Inc. (GTT) is a US-based textile innovation company with a global vision to increase performance and eliminate pollution. Their water- and PFAS-free Empel textile finishing platform provides factories and brands with clean solutions that outperform all current water-repellent, stain-resistant and wicking technologies. Empel is highly durable, giving any textile or product used with it a longer lifespan.
Photo: Dani Leder / Gold Long John
