Our Standards

B Lab's standards are at the heart of the B Corp movement and our Theory of Change, defining social, environmental, and governance best practices for businesses. Our standards serve as the foundation for everything our network does.

Standards Development

B Lab recognizes that high-quality social and environmental business standards demand continuous improvement in order to meet principles of inclusion, independence, and credibility. Developed according to standards best practices and informed by stakeholder input and research, our standards have continuously evolved since our founding in 2006.

B Lab standards are multi-faceted and include: 

  • B Impact Assessment

    A comprehensive tool to measure, manage, and improve a company’s positive impact performance for workers, communities, customers, suppliers, and the environment. A required verified score of 80 on the B Impact Assessment also serves as a certification requirement for B Corp Certification.

  • Risk Standards

    An assessment of eligibility for B Corp Certification based on a review of potentially negative impacts associated with a company’s industry and other practices.

  • Multinational Company Standards & Baseline Requirements

    Additional baseline requirements for large companies which are defined as a parent company generating $5B+ in annual revenue.

Evolving Performance Requirements

We update and improve our standards on a regular basis. While specific revision mechanisms will vary by the nature of the project, all standards development projects are informed by research and multi-stakeholder input. B Lab’s standards are independently governed by B Lab’s Standards Advisory Council and Board of Directors, with input from external stakeholders and various Working and Advisory Groups.

Latest Update

B Lab is excited to introduce the draft version of the new standards for B Corp Certification for a preliminary consultation. We have invited the public to share feedback and help shape the future of what it means to be a B Corp and use business as a force for good, now and in the future.

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