Gold Long John, a Taiwanese-headquartered supplier to global footwear brands, is now using the Empel No-Wick waterless and PFAS-free finishing system of Green Theme Technologies (GTT) for fabrics manufactured at its mill in Vietnam.

The finishing technology is said to prevent wicking more effectively than any competing chemistry while remaining 100% water and PFAS free.

Gold Long John installed Empel’s proprietary production machinery at its Vietnam factory in 2023 and is now planning to install a second system at its plant in Taiwan. The proprietary machinery changes the way in which anti-wicking chemistries are molecularly bonded to footwear and challenges the market perception that cleaner manufacturing processes mean loss of performance. The opposite is true, since the technology results in fabrics that perform better, reduce waste and last longer.

“Our Oeko Tex-certified Empel platform is a solution for the future,” says Martin Flora, president of global business development  at GTT. “Gold Long John is 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 No-Wick.  Because of Gold Long John’s input, we’re now able to scale our clean chemistry throughout South East Asia and make a real difference in the fight against water, carbon and chemical pollution.”

“Empel products will allow us to supply our footwear brand customers with cleaner, better performing materials,” adds 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.”

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