Main content section

Preparing for the new B Corp standards

Introducing a new series of free online legal pop-up sessions with a specialist lawyer

In May this year, B Lab released the findings of its public consultation* regarding updating the B Corp standards. The result is an overhaul of the current system, moving towards the assessment of specific performance requirements against 10 key topics that B Corp considers "universally applicable and most relevant towards achieving an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative global economy".

These topics are:

Purpose and Stakeholder Governance
Worker Engagement
Fair Wages
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
Human Rights
Climate Action
Circularity and Environmental Stewardship
Collective Action
Impact Management
Risk Standards

The significant change to the B Corp standards reflects growing demand for corporate accountability.

Are you ready for the new standards?

If you are already a B Corp, or considering becoming one, the following questions can help you begin to assess whether you are ready for the new standards:

Do you have a public purpose statement, aligned with the B Corp Legal Requirement?
Does your company have a robust and up to date stakeholder engagement and management protocol?
Can the company provide evidence of stakeholder engagement for any material decisions made by the company?
Does your company's highest level of governance have an explicit oversight role in monitoring the implementation of purpose, impact and stakeholder considerations?
Do you gather workforce diversity data on gender and at least two other identities?
Have you calculated your Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions?
Have you assessed the potential environmental impact in your operations and value chain, especially considering climate, water, biodiversity, pollution, waste (including food waste), animal welfare?

How we can help

To assess your company's readiness for B Corp recertification under the new standards, sign up for a free 30-minute online pop-up session with a specialist lawyer from our Mishcon Purpose team.

Book a pop-up session

About Mishcon Purpose

The Mishcon Purpose team are legal and governance experts. We advise clients on ESG governance and management best practices using our proprietary Mishcon Purpose Framework. Having advised over 100 companies on their journey to B Corp, we understand the standards and legal implications implicitly. We offer clients a seamless end-to-end process, to understand the rapidly evolving landscape, benchmark themselves, assess materiality and identify key risks and opportunities, and implement priority actions.