Due to global warming, there are more sunny days on earth each year. According to the German Weather Service, 2022 was one of the sunniest years on record. It is expected that this trend will continue. More sunshine means higher UV radiation that can cause life threatening skin cancer. German Cancer Aid and collaborating organizations wanted to raise awareness for the risk of skin cancer in summer to keep people safe in the sun. Especially on the beach where many people expose themselves frequently to the sun during their summer vacations or leisure time. Data proves that every year hundreds of thousands of people die worldwide by drowning. But 8 times more die of skin cancer, caused by the sun and its UV radiation. It is time to act.

On the beach, there are warning flags for all dangers. A red flag means: high hazard – no swimming. A yellow flag means: medium hazard – swimming is dangerous. But there is no flag for UV radiation, the greatest hazard of all. That’s why we introduced the world’s first Sun Warning Flag: a warning to every beachgoer, that gets raised when UV radiation reaches a critical level. The aura on the black flag shows the color code of the UV index, an international measurement for UV radiation, standardized by WHO. People can see immediately how dangerous the sun is and how to behave accordingly. They can check the UV level by checking a display on the flagpole. Additionally, a microsite gives information about how to stay safe in the sun. The new beach warning system is fully scalable, we rolled it out in Germany, next steps are implementing it globally.

Data proves that the number of people newly diagnosed with skin cancer has more than doubled since the year 2000. This goes hand in hand with a longer sunshine duration caused by climate change and global warming. Our strategy was to increase awareness when and where it’s really needed: while people are spending many hours in the sun on the beach. Our key message was “Check UV index on site” – because many people still underestimate the carcinogenic effects of UV radiation. By raising a flag, we are raising awareness for one of the greatest dangers on the beach. Our insight was that we need to draw immediate attention to the topic on site, as people often don’t think about appropriate safety measures beforehand. The flag is black to generate the greatest possible stopping power. As we are preparing for global rollout, the target audience are beachgoers worldwide.

Sun Warning Flag was launched on 21/07/22 on several beaches of the Baltic Sea, a hot spot for German vacationers. Every year more than 7 million people spend their summer holidays there. The new beach warning system was implemented by German Cancer Aid together with Germany’s Lifesaving Society DLRG, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, the Association of Dermatological Prevention ADP and many other partners. Its black-on-black design is based on the concept of ‘melanoma’, which comes from the ancient Greek term for black: „μέλανος“. The first production run was 180 flags – enough to cover all the beaches of Germany’s Baltic Sea. The flag is currently subject to a standardization process at the International Organization for Standardization ISO. Next step is the global rollout.

The impact of Sun Warning Flag was huge, nationally and globally. In total we had 154 earned media placements (TV news, press, podcasts). We achieved 128M total reach and $1.1M earned media. Sun Warning Flag got officially listed in beach warning flag compilations. We had press coverage in 34 countries worldwide. Especially countries with access to the sea stated that Sun Warning Flags are urgently needed at their beaches as well. A survey showed that beachgoers liked the flag and the idea behind it. 95% rated it as “Very useful” and applied adequate protective measures. 89% stated that they will use more sunscreen. In summer 2023 approx. 7.2M people will travel again to Germany’s Baltic Coast. These beachgoers now can watch out at the beach for the Sun Warning Flag and if they behave accordingly, the harmful effects of UV radiation can be minimized.