Plant Forward: a festival built for Asian communities

In 2022, ACTAsia launched Plant Forward, the first region-wide campaign led by Asian organisations to bring plant-based, sustainable living into everyday life. Plant Forward is an annual festival celebrating plant-based food, sustainable fashion and eco-friendly, cruelty-free living, and it is the flagship campaign of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network. Four years later, Plant Forward 2026 inspired more than 69,000 people to explore compassionate, plant-based sustainable living. That is Win #17 in our 20 Years, 20 Wins series, and the story behind the number matters as much as the number. #17 of 20

Promoting “Plant Forward” instead of “vegan”

The name is deliberate. ACTAsia chose Plant Forward over something like “vegan” or “vegetarian” because the campaign signifies a wider framework for living rather than a dietary label. Food is where many people start, but the festival also covers fashion, home life and travel, and it sits within ACTAsia’s wider work on sustainable consumption and consumer education. Animal welfare belongs in that picture too, because protecting animals supports sustainable development.

The ‘Plant Forward’ moniker also speaks to who the campaign is for. With Plant Forward, ACTAsia did not want to create another vegan movement for people in Asia to adopt. In much of Asia, plant-based living is still seen as a religious choice, a middle-class luxury or a Western trend, so Plant Forward starts from local food and culture and brings plant-based eating into mainstream thinking on those terms. It works from inside communities, because advocacy from the outside rarely lands long-term, and being part of the community is more convincing.

Change from within 

Events such as potlucks show what that looks like. Rather than asking people to change from the outside, Plant Forward goes into communities to cook and eat together. At a potluck in 2026, organised by a Youth for Animals club at a university in the Philippines, students enjoyed a welcoming, non-judgemental environment, whether they were fully vegan or not. They shared good food and good company, and several said they were surprised by the variety of plant-based dishes and how closely they resembled Filipino favourites.

Healthy food is often the way in. Research cited in ACTAsia’s impact report suggests many people in Asia first try plant-based eating for their health. The starting point can be very different from ACTAsia’s own, and that is fine.

From 2022 to 2025

Plant Forward has grown quickly since it launched. Between 2022 and 2025, the campaign grew from 2.7 million social media impressions in its first year to 158.4 million. This number is a huge part of this win. 

The fourth campaign, in 2025, ran in seven countries, with activities led by member organisations of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network in their own communities. The campaign recruited 109 partners across six countries, including 83 corporates. It also drew on eight high-profile supporters in China, including actors and an Olympic gold medallist.

There were more than 40 in-person events across six countries: a permaculture garden workshop in Indonesia, a vegan baking class for university students in Korea, and a cultural cooking competition in Tuvalu. Online, a bingo challenge on WeChat and Little Red Book asked people to complete three sustainable actions, and a ten-day meal swap in the Philippines invited participants to make one meal a day plant-based. In China, 78% of participants pledged to eat more plant-based food.

Growing in 2026

Plant Forward 2026 was its fifth year. Ten network members in eight countries ran 106 activities. New workplace challenges brought plant-based meals into company canteens in India, serving more than 12,000 employees.

Most participants were not already convinced. About 85% described themselves as meat-eaters before the festival. Afterwards, over 90% said they had tried plant-based food and planned to include more of it in their diets. Read the full impact report here. 

Beyond the plate

Plant Forward also covers what people wear. In March 2026, LUSH and ACTAsia launched the Paw Soap, available only in Greater China, to support a fur-free future. 75% of sales are donated to ACTAsia. An estimated 100 million animals are still killed for their fur each year, and the soap gives customers a simple way to take a stand. At the Taipei launch event, customers bought the soap and signed the Fur Free Pledge on the spot.

Try a swap

Plant-forward living does not need a big leap. It can start with one meal, one swap, or one meal shared with others. Visit the Plant Forward page and download the recipe book, with plant-based recipes from across Asia, to try one this week.

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