Large companies

1.  Application

Large Enterprises and Multinationals interested in B Corp Certification are required to submit an application to evaluate the readiness and needs of their company as well as identify key risks that may preclude them from Certification.  The application form will be provided by B Lab UK following confirmation of the approach and will collect key preliminary information about the company’s culture, structure, operations and impact.

2.  Risk screen

This risk screen is a review of sensitive or controversial aspects of a company’s performance that are not explicitly featured in the company’s B Impact Assessment (BIA) score but nonetheless may affect the company’s eligibility for certification.  For large and complex companies, or companies that operate in potentially controversial industry spaces, B Lab’s risk screen process provides an early indication of sensitive or controversial issues related to a company’s operations or industry, and will empower the company early on in its B Corp Certification journey with any relevant or impactful risks and concerns specific to company eligibility.  For some companies this is a required stage but for most it will be optional. 

3.  BIA performance consultation

The company may choose to take a BIA performance consultation, which is a 6-8 week long learning opportunity for the company and B Lab’s Certification Team to exchange and discuss information to better understand the company’s strategy to meet the 80 point bar performance requirement for B Corp Certification.  The BIA Performance Consultation has been designed to enable the company to gain experience in B Lab’s verification techniques and identify impactful improvement strategies before entering the actual resource-intensive Verification Process, thereby increasing the chances for a for the company to meet the B Corp Certification Requirements.

4.  Scoping

During scoping, companies provide B Lab with information regarding the comprehensive structure of the business and how it is managed.  This information will be reviewed to determine the company’s appropriate path to verification, including the number of B Impact Assessments the company will be required to take and the scope of each of those assessments.

5.  Assessment and improvement

In this stage of the certification process, a company begins reporting and managing its impacts through the necessary B Impact Assessments, and integrates operational improvements as needed.  The company must score above 80 points on the BIA overall and will need to dedicate both time and resources to making score improvements as necessary.

6.  Verification

As a company exceeds 80 points and is ready to submit its BIA/s for score verification, B Lab will work with the company to verify each B Impact Assessment score through assessment review calls, supporting documentation and/or site reviews at B Lab’s discretion.

7.  Certification

Upon achieving B Corp performance requirements as verified by B Lab, a company will be issued their B Corp Agreement, which contains the terms and conditions of its Certified B Corporation status, including the conditions of its ongoing recertification. Once the B Corp Agreement is signed, the company will receive guidance on communication for the announcement of its certification as well as access support and materials exclusive to the B Corp Community.