Plant Forward 2026 – Festival Impact

24 July 2026

Inspiring sustainable, compassionate action across Asia

The only regional event of its kind returned for the fifth time to make the world a better place for the next generation

This May, thousands of people across Asia came together to discover how simple lifestyle choices can make a positive difference for animals, people and the environment. Through workplace initiatives, university activities, community events, cooking demonstrations and online challenges, Plant Forward 2026 inspired more than 69,000 people to explore compassionate, plant-based sustainable living.

Now in its fifth year, the Plant Forward Festival has become the flagship campaign of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network (CCN). What began as a pilot project encouraging plant-based diets, has grown into a collaborative regional movement celebrating plant-based food, sustainable fashion and eco-friendly, cruelty-free living.

Plant Forward brings together organisations, businesses, educators and communities across Asia to encourage healthier, more sustainable and compassionate choices.

A growing movement across Asia

This year’s Plant Forward Festival was delivered by 10 Compassionate Choices Network members across eight countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Together they organised 106 activities, ranging from community events and educational webinars to cooking demonstrations and online action challenges. The Festival also introduced exciting new initiatives, including the Workplace Challenge for companies and institutions in China and India, and the Culinary Challenge for cooking schools in India.

These activities reached an estimated 69,000 people, reflecting the continued growth of Plant Forward and the increasing commitment of CCN members to bringing compassionate lifestyle education into their own communities.

Bringing compassionate choices into everyday life

One of the most encouraging developments in 2026 was the expansion of face-to-face activities.

Across Asia, thousands of participants joined local events with friends, families, classmates and colleagues. From community festivals to university activities and educational workshops, and even a talk at VegFest Pilipinas, Plant Forward focused on creating shared experiences that make trying plant-based food enjoyable, accessible and socially supported.

The new Workplace Challenge demonstrated how organisations can help to change food systems to improve sustainability and work towards their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In India alone, the initiative reached 24,600 employees across companies and universities through workplace communications, seminars and events. More than 12,000 employees were served plant-based meals in company canteens, giving many participants an opportunity to experience first-hand how small changes to their diets can make a positive impact on animals, people and the environment.

By bringing people together in familiar settings, the Plant Forward Festival is helping compassionate choices become part of everyday life.

Moving beyond awareness to action

While raising awareness remains important, Plant Forward’s greatest strength lies in encouraging people to take action.

This year’s Plant Forward Festival recorded more than 27,000 individual actions, including participation in online challenges, community activities and workplace initiatives.

More than 8,400 people joined the online Action Challenges, while thousands more participated in in-person events across the region. Together, these activities encouraged participants to explore practical ways to reduce their environmental impact, improve their health and make more compassionate food and lifestyle choices.

These results reflect ACTAsia’s belief that education creates long lasting social change when people are supported to put new ideas into practice.

Encouraging meaningful behaviour change

Plant Forward also continues to demonstrate its ability to engage audiences beyond those already following plant-based lifestyles.

Pre-event surveys showed that approximately 85% of participants identified as meat-eaters. Following the event, over 90% said they had tried plant-based food and intended to include more plant-based meals in their diets.

These findings suggest that Plant Forward is successfully reaching mainstream audiences and helping people take their first steps towards more compassionate and sustainable eating habits.

Small experiences, lasting impressions 

The impact of Plant Forward is best reflected in the experiences of participants themselves. At a Plant Forward potluck organised by the Youth for Animals Club at the University of the East – Caloocan, in partnership with PAWS, students discovered that compassionate eating can be both familiar and enjoyable.

One participant admitted they had only attended because a friend persuaded them to come.

“I expected the ‘Plant Forward’ stuff to feel a bit preachy, but I was pleasantly surprised. No one was judging you if you weren’t fully vegan. It was just about making better choices. We just enjoyed good food and spent time with like-minded people.”

Another participant was amazed by how closely the dishes resembled familiar Filipino favourites.

“When I first saw the bistek, I thought, ‘Are you sure this isn’t meat?’ It really opened my eyes that Filipino food and our current lifestyle can transition towards more plant-based choices. I felt motivated to try more alternatives.”

Others praised both the food and the welcoming atmosphere.

“I was honestly blown away by the variety of plant-based dishes.”

“The recipes will definitely be added to my ‘to cook’ list.”

These reflections capture what Plant Forward is all about: creating positive, enjoyable social experiences that encourage people to explore compassionate food and lifestyle choices at their own pace.

Building partnerships for greater impact

Collaboration remains central to Plant Forward’s success.

In 2026, the Plant Forward Festival worked with 144 partner organisations, including 110 corporate partners. More than half of all corporate partnerships are mainstream brands from outside the vegan movement, demonstrating growing interest in compassionate and sustainable food and lifestyle choices across a wide range of sectors.

Universities also played an increasingly important role. This area was a new focus for the Plant Forward Festival as we recognise the value of reaching ‘micro-communities’ in a social setting. More than 2,800 students from approximately 1176 universities and colleges participated in Plant Forward activities, helping to inspire the next generation to become advocates for healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.

Celebrating compassionate lifestyle choices

Plant Forward has evolved significantly since its launch in 2022. What began as a small online pilot event has become a collaborative regional campaign led by an expanding network of partners who are adapting activities to their own cultures, communities and audiences.

The Festival’s increasing emphasis on in-person engagement, workplace participation and behaviour change, reflects ACTAsia’s long-term vision: Teaching compassion to enable the next generation to thrive in a more sustainable society.

Every meal and lifestyle choice is an opportunity to help build a more compassionate world. Together, thousands of individual actions are helping to build a healthier, kinder and more sustainable future for animals, people and the environment.

Thank you to every Compassionate Choices Network member, partner organisation, volunteer and participant who made Plant Forward Festival 2026 our biggest and most collaborative event yet. Together, we are showing that small, everyday choices can create long lasting social change.

Join us in helping to create a more sustainable world

ACTAsia’s ability to reach more people across Asia depends on people like you: volunteers, supporters and donors who believe in a kinder, more compassionate world.

Get involved with ACTAsia. Donate to help future Plant Forward initiatives. Your involvement helps build a future where sustainable compassionate choices really do make a difference.