Why Are the B Corp Standards Changing?
Global challenges related to climate change, biodiversity, and human rights are evolving. To remain relevant and impactful, B Corp is raising the bar, ensuring that certified businesses take stronger, more consistent action across key impact areas.
As B Corp itself puts it: "The new standards will provide clarity for companies, galvanizing the most impactful business actions and focusing on what really matters, meaningfully demonstrating the leadership role that B Corps and the B Corp movement play in the world."
What’s changing in the new B Corp standards?
In our view, the following changes are the most important ones.
- Less flexibility in scoring. Currently, businesses have the freedom to choose how they reach the minimum 80 points required for certification. However, this has led to gaps, where certain impact topics receive little to no attention, or where companies performing very low on environmental topics for example, could still become B Corp certified. The new standards introduce stricter requirements that all businesses must meet.
- Eight mandatory impact areas. B Corp goes from five to eight impact areas. Companies must now meet minimum requirements across all eight categories, rather than being able to combine them in order to pass 80 points. The eight impact areas will very likely be:
- Climate Action
- Fair Wages
- Purpose & Stakeholder Governance
- Workplace Culture
- Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Human Rights
- Environmental Stewardship & Circularity
- Government Affairs & Collective Action
- Stronger focus on action rather than intent. The new framework places greater emphasis on tangible actions rather than good intentions or commitments, ensuring businesses truly start acting as a force for good
- More structured compliance. The old standards left a lot of room for interpretation. For many tasks, it was up to the certifying companies themselves to decide what and how to implement a task. The new standards provide clearer, more prescriptive guidelines on how businesses should meet their requirements, reducing room for interpretation.
Are the new B Corp standards an opportunity or a challenge?
For businesses truly committed to leading the way toward a more just and sustainable world, these changes are a great opportunity, in our opinion. The stricter standards enhance the credibility and prestige of B Corp certification, making it an even stronger differentiator in the market. Companies that proactively align with these requirements will be well-positioned to show their leadership in corporate responsibility.
However, for B Corps that were able to get certified by scoring very well on one or two impact areas, while lagging in other impact areas, will have to put their best foot forward to get recertified. Start preparing for the new standards now to prevent running into difficulties during recertification.
What can you do to prepare for the new B Corp standards? (New Alchemists can help!)
Starting your preparation for the new standards today should give you enough time to step up your efforts if needed. The following steps help you prepare.
- Conduct an impact assessment based on the draft standards. The draft standards are already available. Use them to assess where you stand and what adjustments are needed to ensure compliance.
- Start tackling long-term projects now. Some tasks require extended preparation time. Think of tasks in the supply chain or tasks that require heavy stakeholder involvement. Start with those tasks now.
- Prioritise projects with specific timelines. Some tasks require reporting for a specific financial year. Since recertification happens after three years and you often report on the previous financial year, this can mean you already need to start gathering data a year after certification.
- Engage your employees. Lasting change starts from within. Ensure that sustainability is embedded across all levels of your organization. This was true for the old standards, but this becomes even more important with the more rigorous new standards.
- Enhance transparency and accountability. These elements will be more crucial in the new standards. Develop stronger systems for tracking and reporting impact, something New Alchemists has extensive experience with. We’re happy to jump on a call to help you get started.
The first companies will (re)certify under the new standards in 2026. Is your business ready for the change? Now is the time to act!
