The IAA Olive Crown Awards returned this year with a familiar tension: how far can advertising move from messaging to measurable environmental impact? The 2026 edition suggests that while intent is scaling, execution remains uneven—albeit with a few standout performances that dominated the night.
The evening was largely defined by Into Creative and Chupps Footwear, which together secured 12 awards, including 10 Golds and 2 Silvers. The tally marks the highest single-campaign haul in the awards’ 16-year history, with the duo accounting for 10 of the 15 Gold awards presented.
Into Creative was named ‘Green Agency of the Year’ and also took home ‘Green Campaign of the Year’, while Chupps Footwear was recognised as ‘Green Brand of the Year’ and ‘Green Advertiser of the Year’.
Santosh Padhi, chief creative officer and founder of Into Creative, said, “We are happy that in the first year of Into Creative, we were able to create such a significant impact by winning a historic dozen-metal haul. These meaningful awards will always remain special for us, as the partnership between Chupps Footwearand Into Creative has helped raise the standards of this kind of work.”
Yashesh Mukhi, founder of Chupps Footwear, added, “We didn’t set out to win awards. We set out to prove that comfort, design, and sustainability don’t have to be trade-offs. These recognitions tell us that people are noticing and that matters. But the real win is when someone wears Chupps and forgets they’re wearing sustainable footwear. They just know it feels right.”
The scale of their win points to a broader industry shift: sustainability narratives are no longer peripheral campaigns but central brand propositions. However, the concentration of wins also raises questions about the depth of competitive innovation in the category.
Broader participation, selective impact
Beyond the headline winners, established players including Ogilvy and The Hindu secured two Gold awards each. Ogilvy’s wins came for campaigns for Eveready and Coca-Cola, while The Hindu was recognised for ‘Glacier Melts Felt’ and ‘Stub The Habit’.
The Olive Crown Awards, launched in 2010 by the International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter, are Asia’s only platform dedicated exclusively to sustainability-led creativity. Their intent to push brands towards becoming ‘Custodians of Brand Earth’ has grown more relevant as environmental concerns move from advocacy to accountability.
This year saw close to 300 entries from around 60 brands, including agencies such as VML, FCB, and Havas, alongside companies such as The Times of India, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and Adani.
While participation has widened, the distribution of wins suggests that translating sustainability into compelling creative work remains a challenge for many brands. In a market with thousands of ‘green’ propositions, only a fraction are leveraging storytelling effectively.
The awards night also reflected a shift in tone, moving from celebration to scrutiny. Abhishek Karnani, president of IAA’s India Chapter, said, “Tonight should translate into a tangible idea that’s powerful. The awards prove that our industry is serious about showing the world that what’s good is good for business. They prove that creativity is not just about selling, it is about shaping behaviour, influencing culture, and inspiring change. Because communication is power. And when used right, it can move millions.”
From awareness to accountability
Janak Sarda, chairperson of IAA Olive Crown Awards, added, “Each year, when we come together and reflect on the year gone by, we celebrate the incredible work done by brands, agencies, NGOs, and the media. But this year feels different. This year, we have seen participation from industry associations as well, a clear sign that the cause has reached a point of real momentum. It is no longer just being discussed; it is being actioned, reviewed, and taken forward with intent. Just a pure celebration of effort towards protecting and honouring our planet.”
The inclusion of industry bodies signals a move towards collective responsibility. Yet, the gap between communication and operational change remains a recurring concern across sustainability discourse.
The event extended beyond awards, featuring a discussion on mindful living between Neeraj Roy and actor Vaani Kapoor, while Member of Legislative Assembly Aditya Thackeray called for greater environmental accountability.
Kapoor noted, “It’s the everyday choices that you make, being less thoughtless and more mindful. Individually, if we just work on our small habits, it’s going to have a much bigger impact”.
The evening also recognised the Envision Sundarbans Restoration Project, with Shibani Gharai honoured for her work on mangrove restoration. This inclusion grounded the event in real-world environmental action rather than brand narratives alone.
The road ahead for ‘green advertising’
Sixteen years into its run, the Olive Crown Awards reflect both progress and limitation. Sustainability is no longer a niche conversation within advertising, but neither is it uniformly executed with depth or rigour.
The challenge for most brands and their agency partners is shifting from episodic campaigns to sustained behavioural influence. Awards can spotlight intent, but credibility will increasingly depend on consistency between message and action.
As participation grows and scrutiny intensifies, the next phase for sustainability-led communication may hinge less on visibility and more on verifiability—where creative excellence is matched by measurable impact.
The final list of award recipients:
1. Press - Consumer Products
- Gold: Biodegradable Footwear - Into Creative (Easy Spirit)
- Silver: Works for the Planet. Works for You. – Underdog (RelWOOD)
2. Press - Services
- Silver: Plastic Wrapped Monuments - Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar - The Times of India (Yatra.com)
3. Press - Corporate
- Gold: Glacier Melts Felt - The Hindu (The Hindu)
- Gold: Stub The Habit - The Hindu (The Hindu)
- Silver: Call for Entry - Garage Worldwide (IAA Olive Crown Awards)
- Silver: The Last Pack - The Hindu
4. TVC / Cinema Consumer Products
- Gold: Earth - Into Creative (Chupps Footwear)
- Silver: Water - Into Creative (Chupps Footwear)
5. TVC / Cinema - Corporate
- Silver: Story of Suraj - Adani Group
6. Digital
- Gold: Biodegradable Footwear - Into Creative (Chupps Footwear)
- Silver: Biodegradable Lines - Into Creative (Chupps Footwear)
- Silver: Vanishing Chirps - Illumineye Communications (Climate Par Charcha)
7. Events
- Gold: Eveready Ultima Bahon - Ogilvy Mumbai (Eveready Industries India Ltd.)
- Gold: Coca-Cola Laal Paar - Ogilvy (The Coca-Cola Company)
8. Out-Of-Home
- Gold: Biodegradable Billboard - Into Creative (Easy Spirit)
- Silver: Coca-Cola Laal Paar - Ogilvy (The Coca-Cola Company)
9. Print Production
- Committee’s Special Mention: Green Thumbprint "I Will" - IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry
10. Press - Unreleased
- Gold: Poaching - VML Mumbai (WWF)
- Gold: AI the Water Demon - Tempest Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
- Silver: Surmai - Tempest Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
- Silver: Body by Plastica - FCB Interface (Plastoconomy Foundation)
- Silver: Home Invasion - FCB Interface (WWF)
11. Young Green Writer of the Year
- Gold: Tiya Padhi - Into Creative
- Silver: Mihir Shinde - FCB Interface
- Silver: Kokila Srivastava - HAVAS Creative
12. Young Green Art Director of the Year
- Gold: Devam More - Into Creative
- Silver: Pawan Kotian - FCB Interface
- Silver: Iman Sengupta - HAVAS Creative
13. Green Brand of the Year
- Gold: Chupps Footwear - Into Creative
14. Green Campaign of the Year
- Gold: Biodegradable World - Chupps (Into Creative)
- Silver: The Story Of Suraj - Adani Group
15. International Green Campaign of the Year
- Silver: 16th Greenstorm Global Photography Festival - Organic BPS (Greenstorm Foundation)
16. Corporate Social Crusader of the Year
- Gold: Envision Energy India Pvt Ltd
- Silver: Adani Group
- Silver: Dainik Bhaskar Group
17. New Age Green Initiatives
- Committee’s Special Mention: Eco Trophies - Awards with an Impact (WorkshopQ; Nilkamal Group, EarthDay.Org, Creative Economy Forum, Plastics Recycling Show, Intellecap Advisory Services, GreenLit Festival)
18. Green NGO of the Year
- Gold: Chirag Rural Development Foundation
- Silver: Rotary International
19. Green Advertiser of the Year
- Gold: Chupps Footwear
20. Green Agency of the Year
- Gold: Into Creative
- 21. Green Crusader of the Year
- Gold: The Art of Living
