Meet the New B Corp Standards
B Lab’s standards are at the heart of the B Corp movement, defining social, environmental, and governance best practices for businesses. Evolving our standards is something that B Lab has always done (six times, in fact) and will continue to do as we set the bar for people using business as a force for good.
As the climate crisis intensifies and societal inequality grows, we must transform the way we do business to meet the magnitude of the challenge ahead. The new standards for B Corp Certification (Version 7) establish a stronger, more transparent foundation for all businesses committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative global economy.
B Lab’s new standards raise the bar higher
The new standards give companies clarity to take meaningful and tangible action on issues facing people and the planet now and into the future.
These new standards (Version 7) ensure the B Corp Certification is relevant to the challenges of today and tomorrow by introducing future-fit minimum requirements all B Corps must meet. These requirements include both the Foundation Requirements and the seven critical Impact Topics:
- Purpose & Stakeholder Governance
- Climate Action
- Human Rights
- Fair Work
- Environmental Stewardship & Circularity
- Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Government Affairs & Collective Action
The foundation requirements for B Corp Certification
In a company’s certification journey, its first step is meeting the Foundation Requirements. This sequencing ensures companies are meeting fundamental eligibility requirements before they progress to the Impact Topic requirements.
Generally, the standards for B Corp Certification are tailored to a company’s context, including size and sector. However, all companies are required to meet the Foundation Requirements, which are:
- Meet Eligibility Requirements for B Corp Certification: A company must be legally incorporated, in operation for at least 12 months, and comply with local and national laws.
- Commit to Stakeholder Governance: Companies must adopt the B Corp Legal Requirement, ensuring accountability to all stakeholders. This involved embedding stakeholder governance principles into legal frameworks and signing the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.
- Conduct a Risk Assessment: Companies will create risk profiles using B Lab’s risk profiling tool. This process determines the number of additional due-diligence sub-requirements that the company must meet as part of the B Corp certification process.
The B Corp standards are tailored for your business
To ensure the standards remain relevant and actionable for businesses across industries and regions, B Lab has designed a range of tailoring strategies.
- Differentiated sub-requirements based on company size and sector
- Sub-requirements that provide different options or are inherently context-based
- Equity mechanism for countries/territories, ensuring fair and equitable implementation worldwide
All sub-requirements in the draft standards are differentiated by size, sector, and (in some instances) industry. We’ve designed the sub-requirements so that their number and rigor increase as a company’s size increases.
Improving impact over time
A roadmap for continuous progress in the new B Corp standards
Certification is no longer a one-time milestone, but a journey of growth. Companies must first meet the foundational Year 0 requirements, then progressively align with more advanced expectations in Year 3 and Year 5. This phased approach keeps B Corps accountable and continually raising the bar for positive impact.
Download B Lab’s new standards
Explore the new standards in their entirety, available to download in multiple languages.
