10 Things to Know About B Corps: A Resource for Impact and Connection

Learn More About the B Corp Community in This 101 Guide

What is the most straightforward way to explain the basics of Certified B Corporations? How can a company best find and access the resources provided by B Lab? And how can people connect in the ever-expanding B Corp community?

These questions and more are covered in a new guide, “10 Things to Know About B Corps.” Certifying as a B Corp is a major milestone and accomplishment — but it is just one part of a company’s ongoing impact improvement journey. This guide features information for people new to or curious about the B Corp community and an opportunity to continue learning by signing up for B The Change Weekly. 

As Benn Lim of B Corp Arowana shares: “The B Corp Certification process is not a pledge that you can simply sign up to — it is a serious, ongoing commitment. … The B Impact Assessment is a rigorous and thorough assessment, and those companies that have attained certification should be proud of their commitment to strive for the triple bottom line.”

Whether your company has been certified for years or is new to the community, and whether you’ve been at your company for a while or have been newly hired, there is a wide breadth of materials and connections that you can access. The B Corp community and B Lab, the nonprofit organization that certifies B Corps, provide multiple other benefits and resources for a company to continually improve, adapt, and contribute to the larger movement of people using business as a force for good.

As shared in a B The Change contributed article from Sendle: “Recertification has been a great learning experience. We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last three years. But we also got to reflect a bit and ask ourselves, are we doing enough? That’s the hidden power of recertification. It’s a chance for B Corps to take a good, hard look at how they can do better. … From climate action to diversity and inclusion, community, and more, we have big plans and our work will be cut out for us. We’re happy to be in the act of always improving.” 

The information shared upon certification can be overwhelming and challenging to navigate. This guide provides answers to 10 primary questions and important features for employees to make the most of their impact journey as part of the B Corp community.

In this guide, you’ll find:

• An overview and definition of a stakeholder-driven economy;
• An introduction to the pillars of B Lab U.S. & Canada’s Theory of Change;
• Examples of how B Corps approach and complete certification and recertification;
• The best ways to connect with employees at other B Corps via topical, regional, or industry networks; 
• Ways to join collective action and take up policy advocacy campaigns;
• Examples and stories from other B Corps, covering vulnerable lessons and honest feedback from employee voices.

Take the example from All Good, a company that has been B Corp Certified since 2009, based in Morro Bay, California. Lindsey Bolton serves as Community Rockstar and began as resident B Keeper in 2017. Part of her role is to help manage and enhance the company’s partnerships. “Being the B Keeper has been an informative and engaging way to collaborate with fellow B Corps, create deeper connections, learn more about how other B Corps are utilizing their certification, and share ways that All Good has amplified our B Corp Certification,” she says. “We have been able to make measurable improvements across departments because our team holds environmental and social responsibility at the forefront of every decision.”