B Corp Certified
GOVERNANCE
CONFIDENCE HIGH · ANALYSIS ONLY, NOT AN AUDIT OR CERTIFICATION
Our read
B Corp is the broadest company-level assessment in common use. It reaches governance, workers, community and environment in one instrument, and the legal requirement to amend governing documents is a real, durable commitment that most marks do not ask for. Its structural weakness is that B Lab writes the standard, runs the assessment and issues the mark, and under the legacy 200-point model verification was largely document review. The 2026 transition to B Lab Standards V2 changes the shape of the claim: the tradeable 80-point total is replaced by Foundation Requirements plus minimum requirements across seven impact topics, with third-party assurance providers involved in verification. That is a material tightening, and assessments of B Corps certified before 2026 should not be read as equivalent. The thing most readers get wrong: B Corp certifies the legal entity that applied, not its parent or its products. A multinational subsidiary can hold the mark while the group does not, which is what drove the 2022 objections after Nespresso certified. Paying an annual fee is a condition of holding the mark.
What it covers
- Whole-company assessment, not a single product
- Legal requirement to consider all stakeholders in governance documents
- Worker pay, benefits and conditions
- Community, supplier and local economic impact
- Environmental management across operations
- Governance transparency and mission lock
- From V2 (2026): mandatory minimum requirements across seven impact topics including climate action and human rights due diligence
What it leaves out
Not a criticism of the scheme. A standard is a scope, and this is where this one ends.
- No product-level claim; the mark travels on packaging but assesses the company
- No emissions threshold under the legacy 200-point model; climate performance was tradeable against other points
- No requirement that a certified subsidiary's parent company be certified or assessed
- Historically no mandatory third-party site audit; most evidence was document review
- No published minimum supply-chain labour standard equivalent to a labour certification
- No independent accreditation body sits above B Lab
- Score composition not disclosed at claim level, so a low climate score can be hidden by a high governance score
The scheme
| Issued by | B Lab |
|---|---|
| Where it applies | Global |
| Audit and renewal | Recertification every 3 years, with an annual certification fee |
| Cost | B Lab U.S. & Canada 2026 annual certification fee scales with revenue: approximately USD 2,100 at under USD 5M revenue rising to approximately USD 52,500 at USD 750M-1B, with USD 1B+ priced on application. A submission fee applies separately. |
What we read
B Lab Standards V2 / V2.1 (released 2025; recertification on V2 from January 2026, new certifications from March 2026), alongside the legacy B Impact Assessment 200-point model and its 80-point threshold
- what_it_covers, standard_version_read — Seven Impact Topics: Purpose & Stakeholder Governance, Climate Action, Human Rights, Fair Work, Environmental Stewardship & Circularity, Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Government Affairs & Collective Action
- standard_version_read, renewal_period — In January 2026, B Lab will begin recertifying existing B Corps on the B Lab Standards V2, and in March, new B Corps will be able to certify.
- cost_range — a portion of your total fee directly covers independent third-party verification
- what_it_omits (subsidiary certification), yko_assessment — the integrity and relevance of B Corp Certification is at risk
- what_it_omits (points tradeable), yko_assessment — Nespresso achieved the minimum required for certification
- what_it_omits (parent company conduct not in scope) — Organic Brands are Calling for Change
What we could not establish
Scores are the brief's fixed calibration anchor for B Corp (4/3/3) and were not adjusted, though the V2 introduction of third-party assurance providers is an argument for revisiting independence at the next review once the assurance model is observable in practice. Could not establish from primary sources the identity of the accredited assurance providers B Lab has appointed under V2, nor whether V2 requires site visits for any company tier. B Lab does not publish a decertification register comparable to a regulator's; sanction outcomes are handled case by case through its complaints process, which is why enforcement sits at 3.
Who holds it
Scored companies carrying this mark, highest first. Holding it is not the same as scoring well — the mark is one input of six.
| Company | Scope held | YKO score |
|---|---|---|
| Tony's Chocolonely | Not stated | 56.9 |
| Blueland | Not stated | 47.3 |
| Who Gives A Crap | Not stated | 39 |
| JUST Water | Not stated | 20.3 |
If you hold this certification, it is already on your record. What a buyer cannot see there yet is the evidence behind the parts this standard does not reach.