All about the new B Corp standards

The B Corp movement has always stood for businesses that balance purpose and profit. Since its beginning, B Lab—the nonprofit behind the B Corp Certification—has set a high bar for companies wanting to showcase their social and environmental impact. But as global challenges become more complex, expectations for corporate accountability and transparency are evolving. That’s why, on April 8, B Lab published a major revision of its standards—many are calling it the most significant shift in B Corp history. 

So, what has changed—and what does it mean for certified companies, aspiring B Corps, or companies curious about how to build a responsible business? 

Until now, the B Impact Assessment (Version 6) used a points-based system, requiring companies to score at least 80 out of 200 across five Impact Topics (e.g., Workers, Governance, Environment, Customers, Community). This allowed companies to compensate for high impact in one area with lower scores in others. While this approach has helped over 250,000 businesses worldwide improve their impact (of which 9,000 have actually become B Corp certified), B Lab recognised the need for greater clarity, consistency, and ambition. 

Therefore, the new standards (Version 7) aim to: 

• Strengthen accountability on key global challenges like climate, equity, and human rights

• Replace flexibility with clearer baseline expectations

• Ensure that certified companies are making meaningful progress on the most urgent issues of our time

1. The number of Impact Topics has increased from 5 to 7.

2. The new standards replace the points-based system: instead of reaching a minimum score of 80, companies are now required to meet minimum performance requirements across all 7 Impact Topics.

3. Companies must not only meet the minimum requirements at certification, but also demonstrate progress after three and five years.

4. The Impact Business Models (IBMs) are currently not included in the new standards—companies with IBMs are no longer recognised for them. However, B Lab is working on a redesign and may reintroduce IBMs at a later stage.

Under the new standards, companies will have to meet Foundation Requirements and specific, non-negotiable requirements across 7 Impact Topics.

While the specific requirements your company must fulfil will depend on your size, sector, and industry, the Foundation Requirements apply to all companies and include:

• Meeting eligibility requirements for B Corp certification: your company has to be legally incorporated, in operation for at least 12 months, and comply with local and national laws
• Committing to stakeholder governance: your company has to adopt the B Corp Legal Requirement, ensuring accountability to all stakeholders. This involves embedding stakeholder governance principles into legal frameworks and signing the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.
• Conducting a Risk Assessment: your company has to create a risk profile through B Lab’s risk profiling tool, which determines the number of additional due diligence sub-requirements you have to meet.

The 7 Impact Topics reflect the most critical issues businesses must address to be considered truly responsible in today’s world. While tailored to each business context, they center around:

• Purpose & Stakeholder Governance: You act in accordance with a defined purpose, embed stakeholder governance in decision-making, and create governance structures to monitor purpose, social and environmental performance
• Fair Work: You provide good quality jobs and positive workplace cultures, implement fair wage practices, and incorporate worker feedback in decision-making
• Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: You foster inclusive and diverse workplaces and value chains, contributing meaningfully to just and equitable communities
• Human RightsYou understand how your operations and value chain may involve negative human rights impacts, and take action to prevent and mitigate them
• Climate Action: You develop an action plan aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C and, for larger companies, include GHG emissions and validated science-based targets
• Environmental Stewardship & Circularity: You assess your environmental impact and take meaningful action to reduce it in both your operations and value chain
• Government Affairs & Collective Action: You engage in collective efforts to drive systemic change, advocate for policies that support positive outcomes, and—for the largest companies—publicly share your country-by-country tax reports.

The B Impact Assessment portal now includes a Self-Assessment on the new standards (Version 7), so you can begin preparing your company for the transition. Depending on your (re)certification timeline, you will need to (re)certify under either the old or new standards. There is still some unclarity here, and further B Lab guidance on this is expected soon, but for now, it seems to look as follows:

Are you an SME?

• You can certify as a new B Corp on the old standards* until 31 December 2025, or on the new standards from 1 January 2026 onwards
• As an existing B Corp, you can recertify under the old standards* **, or under the new standards from 1 July 2025. If you recertify on the new standards, you’ll receive a 12-month extension to your current recertification date.

Are you a large company?

• You can certify as a new B Corp or recertify as an existing B Corp on the old standards* until 31 December 2025, or on the new standards from 1 January 2026 onwards.

* If you sell products in the EU, we recommend (re)certification under the new standards, as the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT, in effect by September 2026) may no longer allow communicating about B Corp certification achieved under the old standards

** Recertification under the old standards is only possible if your recertification date is in 2025, or if your date is in H1 2026 and B Lab has notified you about this