How to keep the Black Sea beaches clean?

A record number of Bulgarian beaches have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag for Summer 2022

Eighteen beaches and one marina in Bulgaria have achieved the prestigious world standard for beach and water quality "Blue Flag" for 2022.

This is a record number of honors in the history of the program!

 "Blue Flag" is the most established eco-label and standard in tourism, awarded to more than 4,000 beaches and marinas in the world. To deserve it, their owners (and the tourists who visit them) must meet a number of requirements - to maintain the cleanliness of the beach and sea water, a serious attitude to environmental information and environmental education, security, safety, services and amenities . It is a voluntary certification program that encourages the public to protect the coastal environment by contributing to environmental initiatives in their daily behavior. It unites the tourism and environmental sectors at local and national level.

The "Blue Flag" award is a testimony not only to a clean natural environment in the area of the beaches, but also to their excellent management, consistent with its preservation and development.

The star beaches of Bulgaria

The Blue Flag campaign started 35 years ago as a European initiative in ten countries. Today, its members are national organizations from over 70 countries around the world - from Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Blue flags have been flying on Bulgarian beaches since 1995, when Sunny Beach was awarded. Last year, only 13 beaches received the prestigious mark. This year, however, the "excellents" were joined by six new ones!

Here are the five-star Bulgarian beaches for this season (from north to south):

- The White Lagoon;

- Albena;

- Kranevo-North;

- Golden sands;

- Sunny day;

- Obzor-Central;

- Saint Vlas–New beach;

- Sunny Beach-North;

- Sunny Beach-Central;

- Sunny Beach-South;

- Nessebar-South;

- Pomorie-East;

- Camping Chernomorets;

- Sozopol-Central;

- Sozopol-Harmanites;

- Dunes;

- Dunes-South;

- Arcutino;

- Marina "Dinevi".

Fortunately, the principles of the circular economy and sustainable development are increasingly entering the field of tourism. The large Bulgarian seaside resorts invest in educational eco-initiatives, reduce harmful emissions in the air by limiting car traffic, develop their own production of organic products, separate waste, introduce integrated energy solutions and rely more and more on renewable energy.

Keeping the sea beaches clean is part of the mission of the "Sun Like" brand, along with safe sun protection and health care. We know that sunscreen packaging is among the most common pollutants on the sandbar. To reduce the carbon footprint of our sunscreen cosmetics, we have introduced climate neutral packaging. We used the most advanced technology in Europe. The Sun Like sunscreen tubes we offer this season are developed on the basis of bio-based, recycled and certified kraft paper. Plastic is reduced by 48% compared to existing solutions. The caps are eco slim and contain 50 per 100 less plastics. In addition, they are completely recyclable - ie. ready for a second life after processing.

We apply the Reuse - Reduce - Recycle green philosophy to the packaging of children's sunscreen products, as well as to the cooling after sun gel lotion Sun Like. All of them are in the "Green Leaf" tube, which reduces the impact on the environment - with 37% less harmful emissions and with 17% lighter weight (extremely important for the release of harmful emissions during transport). It is created from 100% recyclable material, certified by the Plastics Processors Association, which is suitable for reuse in production, with no residues.

Each of us leaves an imprint on the planet that affects living and non-living nature. "Climate neutrality" is our brand's commitment to the carbon pollution of nature left behind by our products.

We are happy that the symbol of the Sun Like eco campaign is the uniquely beautiful sand lily

can still be found on the wild beaches of our southern Black Sea coast. This wonderful sea flower is listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species and is under the protection of the Biodiversity Act. It is said to be among nature's most impressive species - sung in legends to have magical powers and ward off magical spells. Today, the sea edelweiss-like beauty can be seen, albeit rarely, on the beaches of the Southern Black Sea.

That's why Sun Like reminds you - whether you're on a blue flag beach or camping in the wild south grasses of Silistar, keep nature clean! Try to generate a minimum amount of waste and dispose of it only in a garbage container. For the empty packaging of the Sun Like sunscreen products, use the yellow containers.

Let's keep the beaches clean to preserve nature for the generations after us!