Guide to B Corp Recertification
The recertification process is a chance for B Corps to benchmark, improve, and celebrate their impact every three years. It’s an opportunity to signpost your progress in building a more sustainable and equitable world. This guide is intended to support current B Corporations in preparing for a successful recertification journey.
Please reference our recertification resource toolkit for all our up-to-date resources and webinars. Need some inspiration to get started? Read about embracing the joy and value of recertification.
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Please Note:
Effective July 2024, we are asking B Corps to submit their updated B Impact Assessment six months before their recertification date in order to ensure that all B Corps are officially recertified by their recertification date. This will impact companies with a recertification date starting in 2025.
Please be sure to reference your official recertification date on the dashboard of your assessment and reach out to our team at recertification@usca.bcorporation.net with any questions or concerns.
Overview
B Corp Certification is not an endpoint, but rather the start of measuring an organization’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment. Recertification allows companies to showcase the impact improvements they have made in the past three years.
B Corps are required to recertify every three years. Effective July 2024, we are asking B Corps to submit their updated B Impact Assessment six months before their recertification date in order to ensure that all B Corps are officially recertified by their recertification date. This will impact companies with a recertification date starting in 2025.
Please be sure to reference your official recertification date on the dashboard of your assessment and reach out to our team at recertification@usca.bcorporation.net with any questions or concerns.
The cost of recertification is included in your annual certification fee. Additional charges may apply. Learn more on our Fees page.
Please watch this video to learn how to create a new assessment and be sure to login via your existing B Impact Assessment account.
If your company has had a change in control, please review our scoping section and get in touch.
No company will recertify on the evolving standards for B Corp Certification with a recertification date earlier than July 1st, 2026.
B Lab will provide ongoing updates regarding specific, phased timelines for implementation. The new standards are bold and future-facing and we want to ensure companies – B Corps and not – have opportunities to engage with the standards and our new platform as soon as they are ready. Learn more about the current draft of the evolving standards by visiting our website, or by signing up for our community newsletter.
Please reach out to use at recertification@usca.bcorporation.net with any questions or join the B Hive Recertification Forum.
You can request an extension at any time as long as it is prior to your recertification submission date. Please allow a week or two for us to process your request.
Suggested Timeline
Timelines vary for all B Corps based on capacity and complexity. All time frames are months from recertification date.
Please note that submission date refers to the date that a B Corp submits their assessment, which is 6 months prior to the recertification date listed on the B Impact Assessment. Companies recertifying before January 1, 2025 should reference this timeline for more information.
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15 Months
Getting Started
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12 Months
Improving Your Score
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9 Months
Preparing for Submission
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6 Months
Submit your B Impact Assessment!
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1 Getting Started
15 Months From Recertification Date
Perhaps this is your first recertification or your third, but either way, this is the time to make sure you feel prepared for success. The best way to do this is by attending our Recertification 101 webinar. It’s important to confirm your legal requirement and whether you are subject to scoping or site reviews. Then, be sure to log on to the B Impact Assessment and update the fiscal year-end date on your dashboard. Voila! A brand new assessment will be generated. Don’t worry if it looks like your previous assessment; some of the answers get carried over from the previous one. Once you’re logged on, confirm your track, company details, and team members. Make sure you have those notifications enabled!
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2 Improving Your Score
12 Months From Recertification Date
The primary goal of recertification is to give B Corps an opportunity to reflect and improve on the impact they’re making across all stakeholders. This is the time to set goals, identify areas of improvement, and maybe even host a team-wide Impact Hackathon! You can also connect with other B Corps via our B Hive Recertification Forum.
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3 Preparing for Submission
9 Months From Recertification Date
Your assessment is starting to take shape, so let’s check in. Have you had a chance to learn more about Impact Business Models (IBMs), and see whether you’ve opted into the right ones? Be sure to start thinking about what documentation you might need to support your impact, particularly for high-scoring questions and IBMs. Finally, if you’re unsure about any specific questions, leave a public comment below the question and bookmark it to go over with your analyst during the evaluation stage.
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4 Submit your B Impact Assessment
6 Months From Recertification Date
Congratulations! You’re in the home stretch! Now’s the time to review your assessment and prepare for submission. Please submit your B Impact Assessment at least six (6) months before your recertification date and aim for a score of at least 85 points. After submission, we will begin the review process. We recommend you attend a Recertification 102 Webinar to know what to expect in your review. Be sure to have your notifications enabled on the B Impact Assessment so you know when this process starts. For now, you can celebrate submitting your assessment! We appreciate all the work that has gone into getting your company to this point.
Scoping
For companies over $75M in annual revenue, that have experienced a recent change in control, or that have a complex structure, B Lab conducts a scoping process before recertification.
Scoping is a chance for B Lab to investigate your company’s legal and operational structure to determine how it should meet the certification requirements. The scoping process might add some time to your recertification process, so it’s a good idea to get started early!
If your company has gone through a change in control since your last certification term — please get in touch.
Site Reviews
Site reviews involve a deeper level of verification which helps B Lab to guarantee the credibility of our certification. This process has been established by the B Lab Standards Advisory Council, in accordance with best practices for credible certifications.
Every year, 10% of recertifying B Corp companies are selected for this deeper-level review. Companies that undergo site reviews are determined based on a number of standards-related factors, such as company size, ownership structure, additional terms of a company’s certification, disclosure questionnaire items. Most companies are selected for this review at least once in the life of their B Corp Certification.
Legal Requirement
Please confirm that you’ve completed your legal requirement before submitting your recertification. Find out your specific requirement and additional information below. Please submit your completed legal documents to recertification@usca.bcorporation.net.
Review Process
Once you have submitted your recertification, your company will enter the evaluation queue. In this stage, you are waiting until an analyst’s capacity becomes available to begin your evaluation process. Wait times may vary based on size and complexity. Please be sure to attend our Recertification 102 webinar while you’re waiting and begin finalizing your documentation.
Current average wait time: 2-4 weeks
Once your certification has been assigned to an evaluation analyst, your B Corp will enter the evaluation states. In this, your analyst will review your assessment for accuracy and cohesiveness. They may ask for clarification surrounding your company’s track, the disclosure questionnaire, or its Impact Business Models (IBMs). In some cases, they may ask to schedule a call to review your assessment.
Additional documentation may be requested while you are in the Verification Queue. This is to speed up the process while you wait for a new analyst’s capacity to become available for the Verification stage. Be sure to comment “Done” on the tasks when they’re completed. Wait times may vary based on size and complexity.
Current average wait time: 4-6 weeks.
The verification stage is where you’ll work with a verification analyst who will review your documentation. They will likely request additional information and clarifications in order to verify answers in your assessment. Generally speaking, there will be two rounds of review, meaning the analyst will request documentation from you, review what you provided, and then request any additional documentation if the original information was not sufficient. Be prepared to show the analyst how you calculated your answers and what information you used when you filled out the assessment.
This one is easy! You just need to sign the updated B Corp Agreement then it is time to celebrate your achievement with your stakeholders because your company has just successfully recertified as a B Corporation for the next three years! We’re so happy and proud to have you in our community!
This will only apply to a small number of B Corps, but should your score fall below the 80-point threshold at any time during your review, you will be given a 90-day improvement period to get it back above that mark. Please be aware if your score falls below 65 points at any time, your review will be closed.
