This evolution reflects a growing truth: in the 21st century, the credibility of a business rests not just on what it sells, but on how it treats its people, its communities, and the environment. FROM VALUES TO VERIFIED ACTION The seventh iteration of B Lab’s standards, released after four years of global development and two rounds of public consultation, represents a significant shift. Certified B Corporations™ must now embed equity and inclusion throughout their operations and actively contribute to more just and sustainable communities. The updated framework recognizes a pressing reality: systemic inequities—racial, social, and economic— continue to disadvantage many, and businesses have both an opportunity and a responsibility to help close those gaps. The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Impact Topic provides a structured, practical pathway to turn principles into practice. For companies like Ben & Jerry’s, a long-standing B Corp™, these principles are far from new. The ice cream maker has made equitable hiring, living wages, and anti-racism training central to its culture. What the new standards do is ensure that all B Corps, regardless of size or sector, operate with a similar level of intentionality. As B Lab explains, certification is no longer just a badge of good intent—it is proof of performance. THE B IMPACT ASSESSMENT AS A ROADMAP The backbone of the movement is the B Impact Assessment (BIA), B Lab’s free, open-source digital platform used by more than 250,000 businesses worldwide. Even companies that never seek certification rely on the BIA to measure performance across six key stakeholder areas: employees, customers, communities, suppliers, environment, and shareholders. The BIA benchmarks a company’s practices, identifies gaps, and offers improvement pathways supported by guides, case studies, and peer examples. For a first-time user, the experience can be eye-opening. It reveals not just how a company compares to peers but also where opportunities for improvement lie. “Think of it as a GPS for impact,” says a B Lab advisor. “It doesn’t just tell you where you are—it gives you a map to where you want to go.” MAKING WORKPLACE WELL-BEING MEASURABLE At the heart of the new requirements is a fresh focus on fair work and employee well-being. Each year, certified companies must measure their workplace culture and take tangible steps to improve it. This goes beyond counting benefits—it means assessing belonging, engagement, psychological safety, and overall well-being, then acting on the results. B Lab provides curated resources to make this practical, drawing from the OECD, CIPD, and other 53 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08 B LAB
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