W. L. Gore & Associates
HQ US62% share
Maker of Gore-Tex/PTFE products; its Elixir brand pioneered polymer-coated guitar strings (1997), spun from research into coated push-pull cables.
manufactured · input
Waterproof-Breathable Membrane (Gore-Tex ePTFE/ePE)
Microporous laminate membrane that blocks liquid water but passes vapor — long dominated by W.L. Gore's ePTFE (Gore-Tex), now transitioning to PFAS-free ePE. The defining material of premium rainwear/tents.
12
Source countries
4
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
1 essential American goods rely on waterproof-breathable membrane (gore-tex eptfe/epe) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CACanada | 20% |
| KRSouth Korea (Republic of Korea) | 11% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 10% |
| CNChina | 8% |
| MXMexico | 8% |
| JPJapan | 7% |
| INIndia | 6% |
| TRTurkey | 5% |
| ITItaly | 4% |
| AEUnited Arab Emirates | 2% |
| TWTaiwan | 2% |
| VNVietnam | 2% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
4 companies produce waterproof-breathable membrane (gore-tex eptfe/epe).
Polartec LLC (Milliken)
HQ US
Maker of performance fabrics and membranes (NeoShell, Power Shield) for outdoor apparel.
Sympatex Technologies
HQ DE
Maker of PFAS-free (non-porous polyester-ether) waterproof-breathable membranes for apparel/footwear.
Toray Industries, Inc.(3402.T)
HQ JP
Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo; TSE: 3402; ~¥2.6T revenue) is Japan's largest synthetic fiber manufacturer and a major producer of SMS (spunbond-meltblown-spunbond) nonwoven fabrics for medical and hygiene applications. Toray's nonwovens business (Fibers & Textiles segment) produces meltblown and spunmelt fabrics at facilities in Japan, South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Toray's Eclat SMS fabric — a tri-layer structure with meltblown as the filtration core — is used in surgical gowns, drapes, and masks. Toray supplies SMS nonwoven to Kimberly-Clark, Mölnlycke Health Care, and major Asian mask manufacturers. Toray is also a major producer of polypropylene resin (feedstock for meltblown) through its petrochemicals affiliates, giving partial upstream integration.