B Corp have announced a second public consultation to decide their future direction. I enclose their announcement from their web page below:
The second public consultation on the draft standards has now launched! We invite you to help shape the future of B Corp Certification by sharing feedback through a new, interactive website.
B Lab has reached a vital juncture in the evolution of B Corp Certification standards. We need your help to understand if the latest draft is ambitious, clear, and attainable for businesses globally whilst delivering the impact the world needs. Your feedback is mission-critical.
Purpose & Stakeholder Governance, Human Rights, Climate Action, Fair Wages, Environmental Stewardship & Circularity, Workplace Culture, Government Affairs & Collective Action, Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Complementary Impact Topics.
Your feedback so far has shaped our evolving standards. Now’s your chance to see the changes we’ve made.
The latest draft of the standards dives into the detail, sharing specific performance requirements across the Impact Topics (outlined above) that companies must meet to become a Certified B Corp, along with helpful terms, compliance criteria, and implementation guidance, including:
-
Cross-cutting changes that tailor performance requirements according to company size, sector, and operating context.
-
Clear, concrete performance improvement requirements at recertification to demonstrate ongoing compliance and share progress on topic-specific goals.
-
A new section of Foundation Requirements to assess eligibility to pursue certification, and identify those with Impact Business Models (IMBs) to qualify for recognition benefits.
Due to the comprehensive nature of the latest draft standards, B Lab has created a new website to share content and gather feedback in a way that is most relevant to your company’s size and sector. Start exploring the new standards and sharing feedback today.
The feedback questions on the website will remain open until 26 March 2024.
Note: We’ve translated this website into all the current languages of the B Impact Assessment, but please note that both the standards and the translations are still in draft form and some inaccuracies may exist.
3. Attend our webinars on 31 January 2024
Learn more about the development of the latest draft of the standards and guidance on how to engage in the second consultation. You can register on the links below:
Eastern Hemisphere: 7:00 UTC (in English) Western Hemisphere: 15:00 UTC (in English with live interpretation in Spanish and Portuguese
4. Register your interest to participate in our Virtual Focus Groups
For B Corps or companies aspiring to certify, you can sign up for the sessions most relevant to your company by clicking on the links below. There are 18 virtual focus groups taking place across multiple time zones, running from 25 January 2024 to 19 March 2024.
English Form Spanish Form Portuguese Form
Due to space constraints, not all who register interest in participating will be asked to attend but we are still looking for Virtual Focus Group participants from the groups listed here. Confirmation will be shared closer to the time and participation will require ~5 hours of time commitment.
Thank you for your ongoing support. B Lab believes that these standards are truly capable of raising the bar for businesses, galvanizing the most impactful business actions, and meaningfully demonstrating the leadership role that B Corps and the B Corp movement play in the world.
