EMPEL is on a path to remove water from manufacturing
Green Theme Technologies, Inc. (GTT) is a pioneering US-based firm focused on revolutionising the textile industry through sustainable innovation. Its flagship EMPEL technology offers a water-free and PFAS-free textile finishing solution, setting new benchmarks for performance and environmental stewardship in global textile production. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, President Global Business Development Martin Flora explains how the company’s technology lowers carbon footprint and contributes to sustainability.
Can you provide an overview of Green Theme Technologies (GTT) and its core mission?
GTT wants to change the way textiles are made and perform. Currently the textile industry uses outdated manufacturing processes that deliver poor performance and create excessive amounts of carbon pollution and toxic water contamination.
What inspired the development of the EMPEL technology, and how does it differentiate GTT from other textile innovation companies?
GTT is run by fashion and textile experts. Our market inspiration comes from years of seeing firsthand how dirtily, inefficiently, and wastefully the textile industry operates.
‘Innovation’ in the past meant working within the constraints of the existing water-based mill manufacturing processes. GTT creates technology without the use of water in the manufacturing process. GTT also creates the necessary methods and machinery to commercialise our technology to scale.
Once the technology is commercially ready, GTT partners with key mills spending months to make sure the technology is effectively deployed into factories.
What specific advantages does EMPEL offer over traditional water-based textile manufacturing processes?
The shortest answer: water-based manufacturing is archaic. Water is used as a solvent to wash chemistries in and out of fabrics. GTT avoids extra steps by only applying the correct amount of chemistry directly to the fabric without ‘any’ of the extra steps of the washing in or washing out.
Can you explain the significance of molecular bonding in EMPEL and how it contributes to the durability and performance of treated fabrics?
The best analogy is to consider how polymer paints are applied to cars. The coating is micro thin, lasts almost forever and does not impact the handfeel or breathability of the finished materials.
What consumer benefits does EMPEL provide, particularly in terms of water protection, breathability, and comfort?
EMPEL treated fabrics prevent water from passing through a non-membrane fabric 10-50X more efficiently than almost every other product in the world. The consumer feels ‘no’ change in how soft or luxurious the garment feels or how it breaths. EMPEL treated lightweight shirts and pants can be worn into the rain and provide a lot of protection from unexpected rain events.
Could you discuss the potential applications of EMPEL beyond water repellency, such as in fabric dyeing or other performance enhancements?
GTT is actively bringing multiple products such as water-free dye and other unique high-performance water-free products to market. The key to creating unique technologies is that they have to be compatible in production with every step in manufacturing and with other fabric treatments. That is one of the best long-term benefits of building on the EMPEL water-free platform.
What are the environmental impacts of GTT’s water-free production process, and how does it contribute to sustainability efforts within the textile industry?
GTT manages environmental impact in three parts: 1- chemical inputs, 2 product lifecycles, 3 manufacturing efficiency.
EMPEL works hard to ensure our products carry no PFCs or any other toxic chemistry for the future.
EMPEL products typically last for the lifetime of a garment – not just 5 washes.
EMPEL is on a path to remove water from manufacturing. The use of water creates most of the carbon and chemical pollution created during textile production.
Can you explain GTT’s commitment to being 100 per cent PFAS-free and the importance of avoiding PFC chemistries in textile treatments?
GTT never uses any fluorinated chemistries. We test each batch of chemicals sold to ensure this does not happen. Periodically, we also carry out third party tests to our own sources.
Can you discuss GTT’s plans for certification and independent testing of its chemistry and production processes?
GTT mostly uses OKEO-TEX. We recently went through a self-imposed third-party chemical scoring examination of our EMPEL chemistry to evaluate and improve any perceived weaknesses. We also work with brands to meet their consumer promises, as needed.
What future innovations or developments is GTT exploring, both in terms of product enhancements and manufacturing processes?
EMPEL was the best product on the market 8 years ago. Today, EMPEL is effectively 5X more durable than it was when the company started.
Product enhancements include replacing membranes, high speed through-put to meet our high volume customer needs while pushing the boundaries of multi-functional performance polymer cocktails.
How can advancements in textile technology contribute to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint?
Again – water is the problem. Using water adds time, energy, and manufacturing steps to the whole process.
So, if brands want to grow without creating more carbon they have to reduce water usage.
Are there any emerging trends or technologies in textile innovation that you find particularly promising for addressing environmental concerns?
The focus on water-free dye across the industry appears to be the most promising. GTT has also learned that all new technologies have to be compatible and easy to implement for mills in the future. When considering water-free dye, consider how flexible is the process and how many different dye chemistries must be tested before water-free dye can replace water-based fabric dyeing that has been developing for hundreds of years.
How do you envision the role of clean manufacturing processes in shaping the future of the textile industry?
Efficiency. For example, a brand wants to order 30 or 300 shirts. The fabrics sits ready in a warehouse, colour is quickly applied directly to the material, then finishing technologies are also directly added before the fabric is ship directly to the factories for garment construction. Thus, processes that currently take 3 months will take 3 weeks in the future and use a quarter of the current energy.
What are some of the key considerations for companies looking to transition to more sustainable manufacturing processes?
Think wholistically how the technologies will fit.
Consider how long the technologies have been in existence and have they been adopted into mills already.
Avoid chasing ideas that are barely emerging from proof of concept lab experiments. Proof of concept is the basic beginning to implement a technology into a commercial supply chain. Typical implementation of innovative solutions will take a minimum of 3-5 years.
Technology must be balanced with sound business models that provide profit for all parties involved.
How can companies balance the need for sustainability with maintaining product performance and competitiveness in the market?
GTT has found that the best manufacturing processes use less energy and pollute much less. Therefore, sustainability should be the benefit of high-performance manufacturing.
How do you think collaboration between industry stakeholders, such as manufacturers, brands, and regulatory bodies, can accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices?
Regulations and NGOs force industry change. Prior to the California AB1817 (PFC Free textiles), few mills felt a need to make serious changes. Many brands resisted the changes because they were costly.
In the future, brands need to drive innovation while focusing on fulfilling real consumer needs. In addition, brands need to support their mill partners more fairly with future order commitments and direct financial support as appropriate.
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