ACT Responsible:celebrating the industry’s power to do good

This week's Cannes Lions is a special one for non-profit organisation ACT Responsible: it is marking 25 years of highlighting the advertising industry’s potential to raise awareness of social and environmental issues.

At the festival, its ACT Responsible Exhibition is featuring a range of campaigns that explore important issues of the moment, from public health and social inclusion to trust in institutions and environmental sustainability.

ACT, which stands for Advertising Community Together, was founded in 2001, bringing together a broad range of agencies, brands, NGOs, media and other institutions.

“For a quarter of a century, ACT Responsible has highlighted campaigns that use the power of creativity to give voice to communities, bring urgent social issues to light and inspire collective action,” said ACT Responsible co-founder Isa Kurata.

“We intend to continue.”

Among the campaigns in this year’s exhibition were ‘Corrupt Square’ by Publicis Groupe Hungary for Transparency International, which used augmented-reality technology to take corruption in politics to task. Studio Nuts’ ‘No One Is Disposable’ for CASA Portugal used a man made of cardboard as a metaphor for how society treats people facing homelessness, while ‘Bottle It Back’ by TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno exposed the hidden water consumption of AI services.

‘Trash Vegetables’ by McCann Worldgroup Athens for Wikifarmer, meanwhile, bundled still edible vegetables into rubbish bags to highlight the global problem of food waste. In ‘The Whole Picture’ by Lucky Generals New York for The Guardian, people were invited to physically uncover censored information, experiencing firsthand the value of independent journalism and thorough reporting. The campaign highlighted the importance of context,

transparency and critical thinking in today’s information landscape.

‘Invisible Homelessness’ by Havas Creative Canada for The Montreal Youth Refuge revealed homelessness not through shock or stereotypes, but through absence. As public spaces empty at night, young people with nowhere to go gradually become invisible.

In total, the 2026 edition features 102 campaigns spanning 71 agencies from 33 countries and representing 97 advertisers.

ACT Responsible hosted a two-hour Open House session yesterday afternoon in the Debussy Foyer, inviting delegates and non-delegates alike to discover the work.

“Our partnership with ACT Responsible has championed the idea that creativity can drive meaningful change, inspire progress and unite communities across the globe,” said LIONS senior vice-president Gaelle Comte at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Open House.

“Together we’ve demonstrated that creativity is not just an industry tool, but it’s also a transformative force for good.”