Exhibitor interview Artex

2022-04-08

Who are you and what is your role in Artex?
My name is Björn Samenius and I am the owner of Artex, a textile manufacturing company. We work with processing and joining textiles.

How come Artex has decided to participate in Train & Rail?
We want to be seen more internationally and believe Train & Rail to be a good opportunity to do so.

What is Artex's goal with Train & Rail?
We want our way of thinking in a circular way to have a greater impact around the industry. It is important for us to reuse the resources we have as much as possible, for example if we take a train company that will replace its passenger seats. Looking at carbon dioxide equivalents, it costs about 80 kg CO2e to make new chairs, but only 20 CO2e to reuse the old ones. In a project with 10,000 chairs, there is then potential to save 600 tons of CO2e.

Which question is most important from your perspective for the railway of the future?
Because we want people to drive less car, the comfort of the trains is very important. It should be as comfortable or more to travel by train as it is to travel by car. You should sit well and experience the environment around you as sympathetic and appealing.

How do you work today to strengthen Artex's environmental work?
As we all should reduce our climate footprint, many are struggling with how to do it. A recurring problem is logistics. Even if you collect leftover material, the logistics costs can eat up the profit, which means that it will not be feasible. We have ready-made flows, as train seats that are to be renovated are already transported to us. Certain residual material from these we can grind down and reuse in our own products, for example, screen walls for offices. We give away other residual material free of charge to others who want to refine it. If we can then buy it back in a refined condition, we will do it. The environmental aspect is our competitive advantage. We want to give people a feeling that they are environmentally conscious if they travel collectively.

What do you want from industry colleagues / decision-makers so that society can better meet demand, economic frameworks and climate goals for the future of rail transport?
We wish that more people would think more circularly. Unfortunately, there is some inertia and is a bit conservative in general in the world. Many people should think more about what they can do and look into their hearts and souls - it's about our children, the future and the survival of the planet.

In the transport sector, it is generally good to think about renovation; if various assets such as toilets or furnishings can be renovated or reused. Otherwise, it is a matter of making demands. The train companies need to put pressure on the service companies, which in turn puts pressure on their subcontractors and in this way we can promote a circular approach at all levels. I see Artex as a forerunner and I am sure that more companies will follow and be innovative when it comes to making the best use of all resources.