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Meet Taobao Head Honcho Jack Ma

Jack Ma is an English teacher turned billionaire who created the two most successful websites in China: the Alibaba and Taobao marketplaces.  His biography is a national bestseller.  And being the most famous entrepreneur in a business-crazed culture, he is probably China’s most respected man.  I don’t know if that’s been put to an official vote, but if it ever is, I will throw my hat in for him.

Trade in China, be it B2B or B2C, is colored Alibaba orange.  Alibaba and Taobao have the power to set the tone for how business is done, and that’s a responsibility that Ma takes seriously. In a really interesting interview with Ma on the Nature Conservancy website, Ma talks about his commitment to corporate social responsibility.

“Alibaba has helped a lot of small business owners make money through our platforms. But now our challenge is to help more people to make healthy money, ’sustainable money,’ money that is not only good for themselves but also good for the society. That’s the transformation we are aiming to make.”

For one, that has meant banning sale of nasty products such as shark’s fin on Alibaba platforms. But there is another dimension to his claims which could end up having substantial impact on Chinese manufacturing.

“I’m going to use the power of the Internet and my wonderful platform to let the whole world know about companies that are polluting rivers. I think raising awareness will make hundreds of people start to challenge the companies’ unethical behavior and banks will stop their funding.”

That quote may not have much impact until you consider the fact that certification systems ‘TrustPass” and “Gold Supplier” are an important part of supplier selection on Alibaba. Gold Suppliers get 22x as many inquiries as non-verified suppliers. But currently, Gold certification requirements are focused more on eliminating potential scammers.

If another “Green Certification” was to be added to the website, verified by a task force of antipollution investigators, I think you would find suppliers very quickly aligning themselves with Ma’s CSR priorities.

I’m so eager for this feature, I even made them a new badge to use: