Understanding the shift from Version 1.6 to B Lab Standards V2.1
The B Corp standards are changing significantly. For businesses already certified, or those thinking about becoming a B Corp, this is more than a routine update to the assessment. It marks a shift in how companies demonstrate impact, accountability and their commitment to using business as a force for good.
Under the previous B Corp standards, known as Version 1.6, companies were assessed across five areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. They worked through the B Impact Assessment, submitted evidence and needed a minimum verified score of 80 points to certify.
The new standards, known as B Lab Standards V2.1, take a different approach. Instead of a points-based model, companies now need to meet mandatory requirements across seven impact topics. Certification is no longer simply about reaching a total score. It is about demonstrating credible action across each required area.
From five sections to seven impact topics
The previous standards were built around five core sections. The new standards now look at seven impact topics:
- Purpose and Stakeholder Governance
- Fair Work
- Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Human Rights
- Climate Action
- Environmental Stewardship and Circularity
- Government Affairs and Collective Action
Fair Work, Human Rights and Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion were previously addressed across Workers and Community. In the new standards, they each have their own dedicated section, which means businesses will need to look at these topics more directly and provide clearer evidence of action.
The end of the 80-point threshold
One of the biggest differences between the old and new standards is the removal of the 80-point threshold.
Previously, if a business achieved a verified score of 80 points or more, it could become a certified B Corp. The new standards move away from that model. Rather than building up points across different sections, businesses now need to be compliant with the requirements across all seven impact topics.
For many companies, this will require a shift in mindset. The question is no longer simply, “How do we get enough points?” The better question is, “How do we build a business that consistently meets high standards across governance, people, community, climate, environment and collective action?”
Three-year and five-year improvement plans
Another common hesitation is the sense that now just isn’t the right moment. Whether a business is one year old or ten years Another important change is the requirement for companies to think beyond where they are today.
Under the new standards, businesses will need to submit evidence of their current performance, but also improvement plans for the next three and five years. For many companies, this will be new territory.
In the past, certification or recertification could feel like a huge push to get across the line. Once the evidence had been submitted and certification achieved, it was natural to breathe a sigh of relief. The new standards encourage a different approach. They ask businesses to think about certification as part of a longer journey of continuous improvement.
That is a healthy addition. It encourages businesses to be honest about where they are now, while also being clear about where they are going next. When a business recertifies in three years’ time, the audit team is likely to look back at that plan and ask what progress has been made.
Businesses evolve, so this is not necessarily about rigidly following a fixed plan at all costs. It is about showing that the business is taking impact seriously, setting meaningful intentions and continuing to move forward.
Purpose and stakeholder governance
One of the first areas businesses will need to engage with is Purpose and Stakeholder Governance.
This topic asks a deceptively simple question: what is your purpose? One useful way to explore that is to ask: if your business did not exist, what would the world miss?
That question takes purpose beyond a slogan or a sentence on a website. It asks what the business is really here to contribute. During difficult times, that sense of purpose can become the thing that keeps people going.
Exploring purpose properly can be a powerful exercise for teams. It invites employees, leaders and other stakeholders to reflect on what the business stands for, why it matters and how that should shape decisions.
Stakeholder governance is closely connected to this. The new standards continue the movement away from shareholder primacy and towards stakeholder engagement. That means businesses need to think seriously about how they listen to and involve employees, suppliers, customers and the communities they operate in.
It also means looking at governance processes. How does the business report transparently? How does it make ethical decisions? What happens if something goes wrong? Good governance is not just paperwork. It is the bedrock of being a responsible and ethical business.
Climate, circularity and environmental stewardship
In the previous standards, environmental performance was covered under one broad Environment section. In the new standards, this has been separated into Climate Action and Environmental Stewardship and Circularity.
Climate Action focuses on how businesses understand, reduce and respond to their climate impact. Environmental Stewardship and Circularity broadens the lens to include how businesses use resources, reduce waste, protect nature and design more circular ways of operating.
By separating these areas, the new standards make it harder for companies to treat environmental responsibility as a single box to tick. They encourage a more specific examination of what a company is doing and how it will improve over time.
Fair Work, Human Rights and JEDI
The new standards also give greater prominence to people-related impact. Fair Work and Human Rights now have their own dedicated sections. These areas were previously touched on through Workers and Community, particularly around supply chains, employment practices and the treatment of people connected to the business.
Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, often referred to as JEDI, has also moved into its own dedicated impact topic. This reflects the growing importance of understanding how businesses create inclusive cultures, address inequality and ensure people have fair access to opportunity.
For companies preparing to certify or recertify, this means looking at internal policies and how those policies show up in practice. It is about asking whether people are treated fairly, whether the business understands risks across its supply chain, and whether inclusion is embedded in the culture.
Government affairs and collective action
One of the most exciting additions within the new standards is Government Affairs and Collective Action. This recognises that businesses do not operate in isolation. As the B Corp movement grows, there is a huge opportunity for companies to collaborate, share best practice and influence wider systems of change.
Government affairs asks what businesses can do, individually and collectively, to use their voice and agency to influence the rules and structures around them. In the UK, that includes support for initiatives such as the Better Business Act, which aims to ensure that businesses consider people and planet alongside profit.
Collective action asks how businesses can share learning, work with others in their industry and come together around shared impact goals. When businesses act together, the ripple effect can be far greater.
What this means for existing B Corps
For existing B Corps, the new standards will require preparation. Recertification is likely to feel different from previous rounds, because the focus is shifting from achieving a score to meeting mandatory requirements across the new impact topics.
That does not mean businesses need to panic, but it does mean they should avoid leaving preparation until the last minute. A good first step is to understand the seven impact topics and begin mapping where the business is already strong, where there are gaps, and where improvement plans may be needed.
A higher bar, but a healthier direction
The new B Corp standards are more demanding, but that is part of the point. The world has changed significantly since the previous standards were developed, and businesses are now operating in a context shaped by climate urgency, social inequality, global instability, changing expectations and a growing demand for transparency.
The new standards reflect that reality. They ask businesses to move beyond isolated good practice and towards a more complete, balanced and future-focused approach to impact.
For companies already committed to using business as a force for good, this is a positive evolution. It may require more work, more evidence and more strategic thinking, but it also creates a clearer framework for meaningful progress.
Certification is no longer just about where you are today. It is about where you are going, how seriously you are taking your responsibilities, and how your business can contribute to wider change.
Preparing for recertification on the new standards
If your business is due to recertify under the new B Lab Standards V2.1, now is the time to start preparing. The sooner you understand what has changed, the easier it will be to identify your gaps, gather the right evidence and build a credible improvement plan for the years ahead.
To learn more about recertifying on the new standards, and how to prepare your business for the changes, find out more here about our recertification tool that will help your team save hours of time in identifying where they need to focus to be compliant with the new standards.
Whether you are already a certified B Corp or beginning to explore what certification could mean for your business, the new standards are an opportunity to go deeper, act more intentionally and strengthen your impact for the long term.
