B Corp Certification

B Corp Certification is administered by B Lab, a nonprofit founded in 2006 (Philadelphia), against a substantive multi-area standard (the B Impact Assessment, and from 2026 the seven-topic V7 standards). Under the historical model, companies must score at least 80 of 200 points and have documentation verified by B Lab analysts, with recertification every three years; failure is possible for companies that fall short. Under the new standards effective for applicants from 2026, verification moves to independent third-party assurance providers (SCS Global Services and To-Cert) using an ISO/IEC 17021-1-based hybrid remote/onsite audit with surveillance audits scaled by company size. Assessment depth is scored at the independent-audit tier (8) rather than the top tier because the independent third-party audit-plus-surveillance regime launched only in February 2026 and most currently certified B Corps were verified under the prior in-house document-review model. The certification outcome is independent of the fee, fees are publicly disclosed and scaled to revenue, criteria and process are published, and certifications are verifiable in the public B Corp Directory. The single assessed-but-undisclosed item is an aggregate applicant pass/denial rate, which B Lab does not publish and which is removed from the denominator. Attributed criticism (Dr. Bronner's, and commentators cited by Raconteur and CHOICE) concerns the rigor of the points-offset model and the certification of large multinationals; these are characterizations of standard design rather than documented misrepresentation, so no auto-fail or structural cap is triggered, and B Lab's status as an independent nonprofit standards body distinct from the companies it certifies keeps the structural cap from firing.

Founded 2006 · B Lab (B Lab Global), a nonprofit organization; regional partner entities (B Lab U.S. & Canada, B Lab Europe, B Lab UK, etc.) administer certification · HQ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (originally Berwyn, PA) · Sustainability & ESG · Entry Paid

B Corp Certification is issued by the nonprofit B Lab to for-profit companies that meet verified standards of social and environmental performance across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Under the historical standard, companies complete the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and must score at least 80 of 200 points, then have documentation verified before certification and recertify every three years. Under B Lab's new standards (V7), effective for applicants from 2026, the points threshold is replaced by mandatory requirements across seven impact topics, with verification moving to independent third-party assurance providers (SCS Global Services and To-Cert) working to an ISO/IEC 17021-1-based approach with surveillance audits.

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Industry Alternatives

Other certifications in the same industry (Sustainability & ESG), graded A or B -- real judging, disclosed criteria, and genuine selectivity.