We have been a certified B Corp since December 2021. It took us four years to get there and it has changed how we run projects. Below we set out what the certification actually involves, what changed under B Lab's new standards, and what it means day to day for a product design consultancy.
B Corp in brief
- A certification. B Corp status is awarded by B Lab, the global non-profit behind the B Corp movement. Nobody awards it to themselves.
- For the whole business. It looks at how the company is governed, how it treats its workers, customers and community, and its effect on the environment.
- Independently verified. A company assesses itself, then an independent third party audits the result.
- Legally binding. B Corps write stakeholder governance into their governing documents, so the commitment survives new investors or new leadership.
- Ongoing. Certification is not a one-off award. B Corps are expected to keep improving over time.
How many B Corps are there?
In September 2026, B Lab reports:
- 11,247 certified companies
- 104 countries
- 163 industries
- 1,147,810 workers employed by B Corps
When we certified in 2021, the global community numbered around 4,000 companies. It has almost trebled since.
How does a company become a B Corp?
Under the current B Lab Standards, a company works through these steps:
- Meet the eligibility requirements. The company must be legally incorporated, have operated for at least 12 months, and comply with local and national laws.
- Adopt the B Corp Legal Requirement. The company embeds stakeholder governance in its legal framework and signs the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence. Often that means updating the articles, which is how we met the requirement.
- Complete a risk assessment. B Lab's Risk Tool builds a risk profile that sets any extra due-diligence requirements for the company.
- Self-assess on B Impact. B Lab's free platform measures the company's current performance against the standards.
- Pass an independent audit. A third party verifies the submission, based on ISO 17021-1 requirements. This is where good intentions meet evidence.
Requirements are tailored to a company's size, sector and industry, which B Lab calls its "track". Anyone can start the free self-assessment on B Impact and see how their business measures up before deciding to apply. We would recommend doing that first. It is free and it will tell you how far you have to go.
What are B Corps measured on?
In April 2025, B Lab launched what it describes as the biggest update to its standards in its history. Companies applying from 2026 certify against version 2.1, which sets minimum requirements across seven Impact Topics:
| Impact Topic | What B Lab expects of a B Corp |
|---|---|
| Purpose and Stakeholder Governance | Acts to a defined purpose and builds stakeholder governance into decisions |
| Climate Action | Takes action on the climate crisis and its impacts |
| Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | Has inclusive, diverse workplaces and contributes to fair communities |
| Government Affairs and Collective Action | Plays a leadership role in solutions for a fairer, regenerative economy |
| Fair Work | Provides good quality jobs and a positive workplace culture |
| Human Rights | Treats people with dignity and respects their human rights |
| Environmental Stewardship and Circularity | Manages environmental impact and contributes to the circular economy, in its operations and value chain |
The shift matters. The old assessment let a company bank points where it was already strong. The new one sets minimums you have to clear on every topic that applies to you.
How B Corps were scored before 2026
Under earlier versions of the standards, companies completed the B Impact Assessment and were scored across five areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. A verified score of 80 or more qualified for certification. For comparison, B Lab puts the median score for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment at 50.9.
Existing B Corps hold scores under those earlier versions and are transitioning onto the new standards.
Is a B Corp the same as a benefit corporation?
No. According to B Lab:
- A Certified B Corp has met B Lab's verified standards, meets transparency requirements and is legally accountable to all of its stakeholders.
- A benefit corporation is a legal structure, available in some jurisdictions, that embeds stakeholder governance. It is not a certification, and benefit corporations do not have to meet B Lab's standards.
Becoming a benefit corporation is one way to meet the B Corp legal requirement. It is not the only way.
Why does B Corp matter for a product design consultancy?
A design consultancy's own footprint is modest. B Lab classifies us as a "Service with Minor Environmental Footprint". The damage, or the good, sits in the products we help clients put on shelves: the materials chosen, how parts are manufactured and joined, how long the product lasts, whether anyone can repair it, and what happens when it stops working. Much of that is locked in at the design stage. That is why circular design starts on the drawing board rather than at the recycling centre.
The B Lab Standards reflect this in three ways that matter to a consultancy:
- Screening client work. Under Environmental Stewardship and Circularity, service companies with a minor footprint are asked to have a process for assessing the potential negative environmental impacts of their client projects, and to act on what they find. In plain terms, we are accountable for the work we take on.
- Circularity, not only recyclability. The same topic favours renewable, reused or recycled materials over virgin ones and the removal of single-use products and packaging. B Lab is explicit that circularity does not equal recycling. Neither do we. Designing a part so it can theoretically be recycled, in a country that has no facility to recycle it, achieves very little.
- Impact through clients. In our assessment, most of the Customers score (15.7 of 20.8 points) came from Impact Improvement, which recognises services that improve the social impact of other businesses.
Plenty of "green" claims come round each year, but many are self-declared without audit, telling the customer little to nothing. What sets B Corp apart is that it combines three things: it assesses the whole business, writes the commitment into the company's legal documents, and requires ongoing improvement.
How does Bang Creations work as a B Corp?
- Certified December 2021. It started in 2017, when our founder Stefan read Let My People Go Surfing by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard.
- A rising verified score. Our overall B Impact score rose from 87.5 at first certification to 101.8 at our most recent assessment, as shown on our B Corp directory listing.
- Projects for good. We track how much of our work benefits people and planet. In our 2024 impact statement, these projects made up 78% of our revenue, up from 60% the year before.
- Every project reviewed. Where a project is not itself a project for good, we still look for ways to reduce its negative impact, through material and process recommendations to the client. Sometimes those recommendations vie with commercial reality and the decision comes back to you. We would rather you made it with the numbers in front of you.
- Real products. Our work includes the Maeving electric motorcycle, where our supply chain work with the founders informed their decision to manufacture in Coventry, and the Alora crib, designed for rental, return and reuse at the end of its life.
- Sharing the method. We have tested our sustainable design model with design students at Falmouth and Chester universities.
- Published results. Our annual impact statements are available to download from our B Corp page.
What does this mean if you are developing a product?
- Sustainability from the start. Material, manufacturing and end-of-life choices get considered while they are still open, not retrofitted after the tool has been cut. Experience tells us that the cheapest sustainable decision is often the early one.
- Honest trade-offs. Lower-impact options are weighed against cost, performance and manufacturability. A product nobody can afford to make is not a sustainable product, it is a dead one.
- A structured review. Our Design Compass balances profitability, environmental sustainability and social responsibility for a product idea, so the conversation happens with evidence rather than instinct.
- Practical guidance. If you already have a product on the market, see how to redesign a product to be more sustainable.