Press release
Ljubljana, 15 July 2024 – This year once again, the Slovenian Torch, produced by the SIJ Group as part of our sponsorship cooperation with the Slovenian Olympic Committee, is travelling across Slovenia: reviving the mind of steel, spreading the Olympic spirit, uniting communities, strengthening solidarity, and inspiring all those who take part in its three-month journey. Amid the excitement, pride and togetherness generated by the torch travelling events, we at the SIJ Group have embraced a commitment to the future. We are driving it with our sustainable Mind of Steel bracelet. Together with our colleagues, sports clubs and primary schools, we collected more than 2,000 shoelaces and made 13,500 sustainable bracelets!
It all starts with steel
For over 35 years, the SIJ Group has adhered to the principles of the circular economy, manufacturing steel exclusively from recycled steel scrap.In the Olympic year of 2024, we decided to enhance the sustainability of our sports partnership at the initiative of the Slovenian Olympic Committee – Association of Sports Federations, with whom we have enjoyed a successful collaboration for over a decade. And thus, a new Olympic sport was born: caring for the future.
"Through our sponsorship projects, we are raising public awareness of steel as the world's most recycled material, so we are particularly pleased to be able to put our sustainability credentials into practice in our sporting partnerships. We are proud to have united so many diverse communities through this project: those who helped us collect the shoelaces, those who made the bracelets, the almost 10,000 Slovenian torchbearers and the Slovenian Olympians in Paris. We are all connected by a shoelace and a piece of recycled steel – a sustainable Mind of Steel bracelet."
Ksenija Štrancar, specialist for sponsorships and internal communication, SIJ Group.
This symbolic sustainability initiative is proof that small steps can make a big difference. But like sporting success, sustainable victories require a mind of steel.
Mission: Save the shoelaces!
Laces are a crucial part of sports equipment, yet they often get discarded with worn-out shoes, even when they are still in good condition.We decided that we would recycle scrap shoelaces in a new and innovative way, just as we recycle scrap steel into new types of steel.
In total, we collected more than 2,000 shoelaces! Connected by a piece of recycled steel, we have brought them back to life: in the shape of the sustainable Mind of Steel bracelet. A timeless reminder and inspiration that perseverance breeds sustainability.
Demonstrating our prowess as a great team
We are convinced that sustainability is a team sport, so we invited a wide variety of individuals to collect used shoelaces: SIJ employees, members of partner sports clubs, as well as Slovenian primary school pupils and their teachers. United by shared values and a common goal: to safeguard the future.
"Our school is eager to participate in your campaign promoting sustainability.We endorse all endeavours in this field and have been actively engaged for more than 25 years.Next week we are hosting 30 French pupils and their teachers at the school. The project centres around the Olympics. And since we have a former pupil in Janja Garnbret, the Olympic champion, we are all the more eager to participate," said the Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu Primary School in response to our invitation.
Again proving to be an indispensable part of our team in the new Olympic discipline were the users of the care and work centres for people with disabilities and social inclusion programmes: from the SIJ ZIP Centre social inclusion programme, from the Ravne na Koroškem Care and Work Centre of the Črna na Koroškem Centre for Education, Work and Care, from the social inclusion programme of the Association for the Culture of Inclusion, from the Janez Levec Centre in Ljubljana, and from the Jesenice Care and Work Centre of the Matevž Langus Radovljica Centre for Education, Work and Care.
The sustainable bracelets were crafted with heart and dedication over several months. Like true Olympic athletes, they say, they encountered numerous obstacles but conquered them all. The major initial challenge was knotting, but together they worked it out and mastered the winning technique. "At first, knotting was a problem, but naturally we didn't throw in the towel; we mustered up the mind of steel and finally mastered the craft," say the users and mentors of the Ravne Care and Work Centre.
After successfully mastering the technique, roles were assigned and labour was divided, akin to a sports team. “We even organised an event in the Jarše library, brought all the necessary materials and offered the most enthusiastic participants an additional chance to practice making bracelets alongside volunteers," shared the Association for the Culture of Inclusion.
"We started making the bracelets using an assembly line approach. The first group would remove the holes in the cardboard, the second group would make bracelets, and the third group would string them on the cardboard. We are delighted to have contributed to the creation of sustainable bracelets.An additional motivation for making the bracelets was the thought that one of the Slovenian Olympians would be wearing the bracelets we made," said the users from the SIJ ZIP Centre's social inclusion programme, who are also avid fans of all our athletes.
The Jesenice Care and Work Centre embraced the challenge of crafting sustainable bracelets. "The challenge allowed us to connect with the local community in a special way. And we have reaffirmed our motto: The world changes completely if you use things differently.”
13,500 sustainable bracelets with winning energy
The collected used shoelaces were carefully inspected, re-sorted, washed, and then sent to be cut and riveted. In addition to the collected shoelaces, scrap laces from production were also used in making the bracelets. And thus, a total of 13,500 sustainable bracelets were produced, of which more than 3,000 were made from collected shoelaces. Each string is enriched with a piece of our recycled stainless steel, imprinted with the dedication and perseverance of each individual who has joined us in the new Olympic discipline: caring for the future.
The sustainable Mind of Steel bracelet has been or will be given to all torchbearers of the Slovenian Torch project – almost 10,000 of them – and to all SIJ employees, and will also be given to the Slovenian Olympians in Paris.
May the sustainability bracelet unite us, inspire us and empower us with a mind of steel.
You are invited to watch the video about the sustainable "Mind of Steel" bracelet.
THE SLOVENIAN TORCH
Once again, the Slovenian torch, created by the SIJ Group for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, travelled across Slovenia, reviving the mind of steel, spreading Olympic values, uniting communities, strengthening belonging and inspiring all participants during its three-month journey. Amid the excitement, pride and togetherness generated by the torch, we at the SIJ Group have embraced a commitment to the future. We are driving it with our sustainable Mind of Steel bracelet.
The Slovenian Torch, a project of the Slovenian Olympic Committee – Association of Sports Federations, its partners and Slovenian municipalities, has once again achieved impressive figures: 72 days on the road, 203 municipalities visited, more than 8,500 kilometres covered, 10,500 torchbearers, 155 participating Olympic athletes, 34 Paralympic athletes ... With these achievements, the torch heralded the forthcoming Summer Olympic Games for the second time in a row and, through the hands of thousands of torchbearers, symbolically gave additional strength to the best Slovenian athletes who will be competing for Olympic medals in Paris in a few days' time.
The journey of the Slovenian torch began on 17 April in the municipality of Lendava on the tri-border of Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia, and ended on 13 July in the municipality of Kranjska Gora near the tri-border of Slovenia, Italy and Austria, when the torch descended in the company of Rajko Lotrič, Jure Vajs and Davor Mrvič, members of the Mountain Rescue Service of Mojstrana and the ambassador of this year's Slovenian torch project Jani Klemenčič, from the top of Triglav and concluded the largest unifying sports project in Slovenia in Mojstrana on the Olympic Square.
In addition to the 203 Slovenian municipalities, the project also involved the Slovenian sports federations of all four neighbouring countries, and the torch visited some of the OKS-ZŠZ's sponsoring companies along the way.
The Torch has been carried by bicycle, skateboard, horse-drawn carriage, cart, horse, motorbike, car, train, plane, helicopter, paraglider, ship, sailboat, boat, kayak, raft, by many firefighters, scouts, policemen, soldiers, elderly people, brass band players, climbers and dancers, and by thousands of volunteers in all corners of Slovenia. Runners from OKS partners also participated, including SIJ Group employees. SIJ – Slovenian Steel Group gifted sustainable Mind of Steel bracelets to all torchbearers, serving as a lasting memento of this remarkable project.
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SIJ – Slovenian Steel Group is one of Europe's leading producers of stainless steel and special steels. We are committed to global and European climate goals and operate in line with circular economy principles. With our steel and steel products, we are the right partner for facilitating the green transition in Europe. We confirm our commitment to sustainability with the ResponsibleSteel certification, the first global initiative to standardise and certify responsible and sustainable practices in the steel industry. This ranks us among the most responsible and sustainable steel producers in the world. Our two largest companies are modern recycling steelworks, and our steel is recycled because it is made from steel scrap. With 3,500 employees, we are one of the largest employers in Slovenia and a pillar of the Slovenian steel sector. We are one of Slovenia's leading exporters. About 85% of our revenue is generated in foreign markets.
Find out more at:
SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.
mag. Sara Wagner, Head of Corporate Communications
Corporate Communications
Phone: +386 1 242 98 27
Mobile: +386 41 313 532
E-mail: sara.wagner@sij.si
