Ma Jun

“It has been shown that public participation can limit powerful interest groups, while competing interests can help find a reasonable balance between development and environmental protection.”

“If you publish something in traditional media, it's one-way. With social media, we get all this info coming back from those who read our posts.”

“When I look at China's environmental problems, the real barrier is not lack of technology or money. It's lack of motivation.”

“Like in those cancer villages, a group of old ladies kneeling down in front of me, you know, holding a bottle of polluted water and hoping that they would get help, this is the voice that got drowned in this complex, globalized supply chain system.”

“Pollution is a serious one. Water pollution, air pollution, and then solid hazardous waste pollution. And then beyond that, we also have the resources issue. Not just water resources but other natural resources, the mining resources being consumed, and the destruction of our ecosystem.”

“I tell them the rules are made by the government. Every firm should comply. It doesn't mean they can't compete.”

“Of course, as consumers, we want cheap and good products; however, if these production processes are exceeding wastewater discharge standards and even causing heavy metal pollution, they will cause long-lasting damage to the ecological environment and public health.”

“China's energy is very much focused on coal, and the economy is very focused on heavy industry, which is carbon intensive, so restructuring won't be easy.”

“We're manufacturing to meet the demands of our own people but, in the meantime, for the entire world as well, and that definitely put a lot of extra pressure on our environment.”

“In some cases, it's not just about cleaning up the factories. It's about cleaning up the nearby rivers and lakes that have been tainted with heavy metals.”

“Even the government understands that the environmental challenge is so big that no single agency can handle it. It needs collaboration among all the stakeholders - companies, governments, NGOs and the public. Public accountability will be the ultimate driving force.”

“We haven't seen the turning point yet, but we're sticking to our bottom line, for the environment and the health of the country.”

“They pollute. It's not because morally they have a problem, but more because the mechanism now is rewarding those who cut corners to save cost.”

“We want to use the environment to shift the way our society works.”

“We must strictly enforce the Environmental Law, closing down the polluters that fail to meet the standards.”

“I know the government needs to ensure economic growth... we just hope it takes care of the environment, too.”

“I think there are a few brands like Nike and Patagonia which are quite progressively minded.”

“We can't go to courts in China, so we have to find alternate ways, like working with brands to try and create a level playing field by identifying the most obvious polluters.”

“The situation is quite serious - groundwater is important source for water use, including drinking water, and if it gets contaminated, it's very costly and difficult to clean.”

“Ever since we published the first Apple report, we've had some other brands turning more proactive.”