Why become B Corp certified?

Companies pursue B Corp certification to measure and improve their impact, strengthen their social commitment, and stand out as a purpose-driven brand. Whether you’re a scale-up or a large enterprise, becoming a B Corp is always a smart move. Using your business as a force for good comes with even more benefits: More customers – 56% of people in the Netherlands say B Corp certification positively influences their purchasing decisions.* Stronger employer brand – 42% of talent say sustainability and certifications impact their decision to join a company.* Credibility – B Corp is considered 68% more trustworthy than other major certifications in the Netherlands.* (*B Lab research)

How to become B Corp certified?

It starts with baseline assessment (status quo) which needs to be translated into a clear action plan for improvement. Next, companies need to complete the B Impact Assessment (BIA). B Lab reviews and validates information shared in the BIA. To certify, a company must score certain points per impact topic. The Terrace helps organisations navigate this process in a pragmatic yet inspiring way.

What types of companies can become B Corp?

B Corp certification is for companies that want to combine profit with positive impact. The Terrace has supported SMEs and multinationals across sectors like retail, food, fashion, and professional services to become B Corp certified.

Become a resilient organisation with B Corp™ certification

Q: What is B Corp?

A B Corp is a company that voluntarily meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. It shows that profit and positive impact can go hand in hand.

Make your positive impact visible

By becoming a certified B Corp

With a B Corp certification, you demonstrate that your organisation contributes to a more sustainable, inclusive, and liveable world. B Corp is unique due to its holistic approach: the certification doesn’t just focus on one area, but evaluates your entire organisation and provides guidance to help you improve.

Wide range of standards

From impact in the supply chain to the well-being of your employees, as a B Corp you prove that you meet standards across social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Set & reach ambitions

B Corp certification shows that creating positive impact is in the DNA of your organisation. It helps you embed goals, improve performance, and stand out in a market that demands real change. It’s a powerful signal of trustworthiness to customers, investors, and other stakeholders.

Our approach

At The Terrace, certified B Corp since 2018, B Corp consultants guide you through every stage of your B Corp journey. From assessing and improving your B Corp performance to guiding you through the audit and beyond. Because becoming a B Corp isn’t the endpoint, it’s the beginning of a sustainable transformation.

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How we can help

Towards B Corp (re)certification in three steps

We form a core team with your employees and our experts, define the scope of your B Corp (re)certification, and assess your current B Corp performance using the B Impact Platform. We also develop a concrete improvement plan.

With our tools and templates, we support you in upgrading your B Corp performance by executing the improvement actions and embedding them within your organisation. We also engage relevant stakeholders to make this happen.

Together, we fill in your B Corp assessment using the B Impact Platform, and double check all answers and supporting documentation. We then support you through the B Corp audit, celebrate your certification, and prepare you for recertification!

What others say about us

Manon Blom | LUMEN

Co-founder | COO

“The Terrace brings extensive B Corp knowledge and experience. Expectations were clearly defined upfront, and the delivery fully matched them. The collaboration was excellent: responsive, professional and clear in communication throughout.”

Amber Westerborg | The Social Hub

Director Sustainability & Impact

“Working with The Terrace was not only a pleasant experience for achieving our B Corp certification, but the recertification guide was also valuable for identifying opportunities for improvement towards recertification. We can now build on this internally in the coming years.”

Charlotte Halbe | bol.

B Corp Recertification Lead

“The consultants bring strong expertise, work in a no-nonsense and approachable way, and provide clarity on the B Corp requirements, who needs to be involved, and the level of effort required. It makes complex matters easy for us. A great partnership.”

Manuella Appiah | Sunrock

ESG Manager

“B Corp certification is an external validation of Sunrock's commitment to integrating social and environmental considerations into our business practices.”

FAQ

Answering the most frequent B Corp questions

The B Corp standards measure your performance across the Foundation Requirements and seven mandatory Impact Topics:

Purpose & Stakeholder Governance
Fair Work
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)
Human Rights
Climate Action
Environmental Stewardship & Circularity
Government Affairs & Collective Action

Yes, your organisation will have to meet all B Corp standards that apply to your organisation. These cover the Foundation Requirements and all seven mandatory Impact Topics.

In principle, all for-profit companies that meet the applicable B Corp standards on social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability can achieve the certification.

The biggest benefits are: attracting and retaining talent, credibility through independent assessment, learning and improving via the B Impact Platform, and access to a community of like-minded companies.

Other benefits include: increased trust with customers, cost savings through more efficient processes (e.g., energy, waste), and greater appeal to impact investors.

B Corp has moved away from the points system, where companies had to achieve a minimum score of 80 points. Companies must now meet minimum requirements for each Impact Topic as well as the Foundation Requirements. This provides more clarity, comparability, and credibility.

Want to learn more about the changes? Read it in our blog.

While this differs per organisation, we usually see organisations achieving B Corp certification within 6 to 12 months after starting their B Corp journey. This of course does depend on the internal capacity available at your organisation, the waiting times at the B Corp auditor, and your need for external support.

This depends on your company size – B Corp looks at your revenue and your number of employees. In most B Corp applications, you pay a one-time fee for the B Corp audit and an annual B Corp certification fee.

We hear this doubt more often, especially in relation to the old standards. Until recently, it was possible to score high on one theme and lower on another, compensating across topics. While this did result in positive impact, that approach is now being replaced by stricter, theme-specific minimum requirements.

From 2026 onwards, mandatory minimum requirements apply to each organisation per Impact Topic, tailored to sector and company size. The bar is set higher, aligns more closely with frameworks such as ESRS, GRI and CDP, and requires demonstrable progress after 3 and 5 years.

Especially for larger companies, B Corp acts as a lever: to remain certified, they must improve structurally. Their scale means that every step forward immediately has greater impact. The new requirements make B Corp certification more relevant than ever.

Stay up to date! Read our blog on the latest B Corp standards

Why become B Corp?

Whether you’re a scale-up or a multinational, becoming a B Corp is always a smart move. Companies go for B Corp certification because it:

✅ Build greater trust and confidence with stakeholders
Compared to other major certifications, B Corp was perceived as being more trustworthy by consumers in the Netherlands (B Lab 2023).

✅ Attracts more customers and sales
56% of Dutch people aware of the B Corp certification say it positively influences their purchasing decisions (B Lab 2023).

✅ Strengthens your brand and appeal to job seekers
Half of Dutch job seekers say sustainability certifications help guide their workplace choices (B Lab 2026).

✅ Make your impact measurable through demanding standards
B Corp helps you professionalise your organisation, set clear standards and identify where you are doing well — and where there is room to improve.

✅ Provides access to a global community of like-minded companies
Become part of a network of more than 11,000 B Corps across 160+ sectors, all using business as a force for good.

(*Source: B Lab research)