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• Workers: Assesses employee-related practices, including wages, training opportunities, stock
ownership by staff, working conditions, employment types (full-time vs part-time), employee
benefits, and workplace safety systems.
• Community: Evaluates how the company benefits its local and broader communities through
inclusive hiring practices, donations, pro bono services, and responsible supply chain
management that ensures legal and ethical compliance among suppliers.
• Environment: Reviews the company’s direct and indirect environmental impact, such as
energy and water efficiency, carbon emissions (carbon footprint), and hazardous and non-
hazardous waste management practices.
• Customers: Focuses on whether the company’s products or services solve social problems or
enhance customer well-being, including areas like product quality, feedback mechanisms,
ethical marketing, customer satisfaction tracking, and data privacy.
After submitting the completed form to B Lab, the company will receive a B Impact Report,
which presents the score it achieved. If the company scores no less than 80 out of 200, it can
proceed to the next step: submitting its B Impact Assessment for review to determine eligibility
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for B Corp certification. If the company passes this stage, it then enters the Evaluation phase,
during which analysts from B Lab Global assess the company’s organizational structure and
verify the information provided in the B Impact Assessment form. This verification process
includes direct communication with the company, requests for additional documents and
evidence, and in-depth questioning. If the company successfully passes the verification stage
and maintains a score of at least 80 out of 200, it will be deemed to have met the criteria for
Certified B Corp status.
Companies that achieve B Corp certification are required to sign a B Corp Agreement with B Lab.
They are then authorized to use the B Corp logo on their products, services, websites, and
business cards. Additionally, they must pay an annual fee to maintain their certification. The
annual fee is based on the company’s revenue, ranging from US$1,000 to US$50,000 per year.
According to B Lab’s latest fee structure updated on July 1, 2024, Certified B Corps are also
required to update their B Impact Assessment every three years, with the revised version
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submitted six months in advance of the next scheduled reassessment. As of August 2024, nearly
8,800 companies across 162 industries in 97 countries have been certified as Certified B
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Corporations. These include several well-known multinational corporations such as Patagonia
(an environmentally conscious clothing brand), Danone UK, North America and Canada, Unilever
69 B Corporation, About B Corp Certification: Measuring a company’s entire social and environmental impact,
Source: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification/, 2024.
70 B Corporation, About B Corp Certification, op. cit..
71 Sustainability Magazine, Patagonia, Unilever & Danone: How are B Corps ESG Leaders?, Source:
https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/patagonia-unilever-danone-why-are-b-corps-esg-leaders, August 22, 2024.
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