Standards, controversial issues and complaints
Important update:
B Lab’s new standards are here, galvanising business action on the world’s most pressing issues
As the climate crisis intensifies and societal inequality grows, we must transform the way we do business to meet the magnitude of the challenge ahead. The new standards give companies clarity to take meaningful and tangible action on issues facing people and the planet now and into the future. Evolving our standards is something that B Lab has always done (six times, in fact) and will continue to do as we set the bar for people using business as a force for good.
Last updated 8th April 2025.
Standards Advisory Council
The B Impact Assessment and our standards are independently governed by our Standards Advisory Council (SAC), curated by B Lab, and improved by our community of users and stakeholders. B Lab’s Standards Advisory Council is an independent, global, multi-stakeholder group with specific expertise in responsible and sustainable business.
Advisory and working groups
Regionally-focused advisory groups provide continuous input on B Lab’s standards, specifically focusing on context, relevance, and best practices from around the world. Working groups are engaged to support the development of industry or topic-specific recommendations to the Standards Advisory Council.
Controversial issues
With input from experts and stakeholders, B Lab’s Standards Advisory Council continually adds to and evolves our Risk Standards as they relate to controversial issues to effectively evaluate the potential negative impacts of different industries, policies, and practices.
Public complaints process
B Lab prioritises responses to stakeholder inquiries and complaints, which can help us identify and take action on misconduct or misrepresentation by Certified B Corporations. This formal complaint process is an essential component of our certification programme.
In many instances, there may be other mechanisms available to raise complaints or resolve disputes with a company, including communicating directly, engaging a third-party arbiter, or working with regulatory agencies or the legal system.
Generally, B Lab will not investigate:
- Complaints regarding customer service issues, such as order refunds or shipping delays.
- Complaints that are pending legal action and/or include accusations of illegal acts without a formal legal resolution.
- Complaints that are not directly tied to a currently Certified B Corporation.
- Complaints regarding a company that omits a specific practice not required for B Corp Certification, unless the company has claimed that they include that practice.
- Complaints that include illegal actions and/or threats.
B Lab will investigate material, credible, and specific claims against a current B Corp in one of the two following categories:
- Intentional misrepresentation of practices, policies, or outcomes claimed during a company’s certification process
- Breaches of the B Corp Community's core values as expressed in our Declaration of Interdependence
If you have a complaint that you think falls within the parameters listed above, please submit a formal inquiry Standards Management team.