Operational and Technical Leadership Strengthen EMPEL®’s Distinct Approach to Scale
[Albuquerque] — [January 15, 2025] — EMPEL®, the performance-driven, PFAS-free durable water repellent (DWR) platform that is redefining textile finishing with a wastewater-free application process, today announced a leadership alignment reflecting the company’s ongoing momentum as it expands its global adoption across performance-driven industries.
From the outset, EMPEL® approached the PFAS challenge from a fundamentally different place. Rather than developing a drop-in surface coating, the company built a platform designed to bond at the fiber level—enabling durability, longevity, and performance that conventional fluorine-free (PFAS) alternatives struggle to achieve —while eliminating wastewater during application.
As PFAS-free solutions have become the industry baseline, the performance gap has shifted from compliance to real-world durability and repeatability. EMPEL® was built to address that gap.
Barrett Mooney, PhD, who joined EMPEL® as Chief Operating Officer, has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. In this role, Mooney leads global operations and commercial execution, with a focus on scaling EMPEL®’s platform across mills, brands, and manufacturing partners worldwide.
“PFAS-free is no longer the differentiator—performance is,” said Mooney. “Our focus is executing with discipline and speed, ensuring EMPEL®’s fiber-level advantages translate consistently through industrial manufacturing—without introducing wastewater into the finishing process.”
EMPEL® operates as an ingredient brand, working directly with performance brands to specify and validate its technology, while deploying a growing family of chemistries across mills, finishing houses, and Tier 1 manufacturers to enable scalable adoption.
Tom Lopez continues to serve as Executive Chairman, focusing on long-term strategy, key partnerships, and capital alignment. His role supports continuity and governance as the company expands.
“EMPEL® was never designed as a quick substitute,” said Lopez. “It was architected differently from the start, and this leadership alignment ensures that approach scales without compromise.”
Alongside this operational leadership, EMPEL® has rapidly accelerated scale under Chief Technology Officer Vasav Sahni, PhD. In a short period, the platform has expanded from initial market deployments into a family of technologies compatible with traditional continuous finishing lines. This enables EMPEL®’s performance advantages to scale through existing mill infrastructure while maintaining a wastewater-free application process.
“Our focus has been translating EMPEL®’s differentiated technologies into repeatable, high-throughput production,” said Sahni. “That combination of fiber-level bonding and continuous processing is what enables durability to hold up in real-world use—without generating wastewater.”
Unlike conventional fluorine-free (PFAS-free) DWRs that rely on surface coatings and water-intensive processes, EMPEL® interacts at the fiber level and is applied without producing wastewater—placing the platform in a distinct performance category beyond traditional PFAS-free alternatives.
Together, EMPEL®’s leadership reflects the company’s momentum and focus—aligning strategy, execution, and technical depth to support sustained commercial expansion across apparel, footwear, and other performance-driven industries.
For inquiries, contact:
Courtney Harold
Director of Marketing
Courtney.Harold@greenthemetech.com
