B Corp Certification and Recertification – made clear

What B Corp certification actually involves

B Corp certification is an independent assessment of how your business treats its people, its customers, its community and the environment. It is awarded by B Lab, and it is one of the few sustainability credentials that looks at the whole company rather than a single product or process.

B Lab has replaced the old points based assessment with a set of requirements every certifying business must meet across seven impact topics: purpose and stakeholder governance, climate action, human rights, fair work, environmental stewardship and circularity, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and government affairs & collective action. What is expected of you scales with the size of your business, so a ten person firm is not held to the same standard as a large business.

Certification also requires a change to your governing documents so that you are legally required to consider all stakeholders rather than shareholders alone.

How I work with you

My Services

Who I work with

I work with clients across the United Kingdom, in person or remotely whichever works best.

Owner led businesses with roughly five to two hundred and fifty employees. Manufacturers, food and drink producers, professional services firms, agencies. Companies that want to build their business as a force for good.

Who you’ll be working with

FAQs

How long does B Corp certification take?

It varies with how ready you are and how quickly evidence can be gathered. For a well prepared small business it is usually a matter of months rather than weeks or it can be longer where policies and data need building from scratch. B Lab publishes current queue times. I will give you a realistic estimate for your business at our first conversation.

What changed with the new B Corp standards?

The old model where you gathered points towards a threshold has gone. Businesses now have to meet defined requirements across seven impact topics, with expectations scaled to company size. In practice it is clearer than the old system, though it does mean some things that were previously optional are now required.

Is my business too small to become a B Corp?

Almost certainly not. Businesses need to be ‘for profit’ and have been operating for at least twelve months to certify. There are thousands of certified companies in the UK with fewer than fifty employees. Smaller businesses often find the process relatively easy because standards are scaled to the size of the business.

How much does B Corp certification cost?

B Lab charges a submission fee plus an annual fee based on your revenue, so a small business pays considerably less than a large one. Current figures are published on the B Lab UK pricing page. My fees are separate and I will quote a fixed price for your scope, so you know the total before you commit.

Do I need a consultant to become a B Corp?

No. You can complete the whole process yourself but for many businesses, they are far too busy working in their business to work on their business – that’s where I come in.

Do you work with businesses anywhere in the UK?

Yes. Most of the work happens over video calls and shared documents, so location rarely matters. Where an in person session would help, for example a workshop with your leadership team, that can usually be arranged.

Why not book a free gap analysis

I’ll check your eligibility and provide you with an overview of what you need to successfully certify