Ma Jun is a leading environmental researcher and social entrepreneur in China. In 1999, he published the influential book China's Water Crisis, which laid the groundwork for his lifelong commitment to environmental advocacy. In 2006, he founded the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) and led the creation of China’s first public interest environmental database.
To broaden public engagement, he launched the Blue Map app in 2014, enabling citizens to monitor air pollution and report black and odorous rivers, while promoting green activities such as waste sorting, climate action, and biodiversity data crowdsourcing. Under his leadership, IPE and NGO partners initiated the Green Choice Initiative, and have evaluated corporate green supply chain performance for 12 consecutive years.
Ma spearheaded the development of Blue Map for Zero Carbon in 2020, co-developed the Provincial and City-level Carbon Peak and Neutrality Index, and introduced digital platforms for corporate carbon accounting and product carbon footprint disclosure. These innovations have empowered green supply chains and finance, motivating over 37,000 suppliers to improve environmental performance and transparency.
Ma Jun’s contributions have been widely recognized. He was named "Green China Person of the Year" in 2006, received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2009, the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2012, and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2015. Since 2019, he has served as a Special Invited Observer for China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, continuing to drive digital and data-driven environmental progress.