B Corp Certification and Re-certification made simple

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 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, remotely and in person (in the UK).

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

Maria Hellyer L.L.B Hons

CEO, B shift  |  B Corp Consultant

• Founder of B shift, dedicated to making certification achievable for ambitious businesses
• Holder of a Law degree, Postgraduate studies in Sustainable Business Leadership – Cambridge University and Finance at the London School of Economics
• Specialist in B Corp certification and sustainable business practices
• Worked for both the Department of Business & Trade and New Zealand Trade & Investment scaling businesses internationally.

From the blog

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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.

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?

I quote a fixed price based on the size of your organisation. A small business, with under 10 employees, for example, pays considerably less than a larger business. B Lab charges its own certification and verification fees. These are paid directly to B Lab.

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.

Where are your clients based?

I work with companies in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. I work remotely and in person (in the UK). Most of the work happens over video calls and shared documents, so where you are based makes little difference. For UK clients I can also come to you, for example to run a workshop with your leadership team.

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