What happens when certification timelines shift unexpectedly? In this episode of Beyond the B, co-hosts Emmy Allison and Ryan Honeyman break down a major update from B Lab Global that accelerates the recertification deadline for some small-to-medium B Corps.
If your B Corp is due to submit for recertification between July 1 and December 31, 2025, and you would like to be evaluated under Version 6 (i.e., the current version of the standards), you must submit your assessment by June 30, 2025 — six months earlier than many of us expected.
If you miss that deadline, or your submission date is in 2026 or later, you will be moved onto the new standards (new B Corps still have until the end of 2025 to submit under Version 6 of the standards).
Listen in as Emmy and Ryan discuss why this deadline shift caught many off guard, what it means for businesses of different sizes, and how companies should respond. Whether you're directly impacted or simply keeping up with the evolving B Corp landscape, this episode is helpful context. Tune in to understand what these changes mean for your company and get expert insights on how to stay ahead of the shifting certification process!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Who this new recertification deadline applies to, and why it matters.
- The unexpected timeline change and how it disrupted the B Lab community.
- B Lab Global’s reasoning behind this seemingly “aggressive timeline.”
- How to check your certification status in the B Impact Assessment portal.
- Why reaching out to your B Lab Global partner now is crucial.
- What happens if you miss the deadline: transitioning to the new standards in 2026.
- Insight into the impact of these changes on companies of different sizes.
- Upcoming transition details from B Lab Global and how to stay informed.
- The risks and benefits of deciding whether to rectify now or to wait.
- Navigating the challenges and unknowns of meeting the new standards.
- Valuable resources and support for certifying and re-certifying B Corps.
Quotes
“[There are] complexities around – managing certification processes on two different sets of standards at the same time. – There’s no argument that that's challenging. – It’s how that's communicated and the implications of that announcement – [where] we’d like to see improvements.” — Ryan Honeyman [0:10:22]
“It was pretty difficult to find information on this. – For folks who are not in the U.S. or Canada and re-certifying – [we recommend connecting] with their global partner about that.” — Emmy Allison [0:13:33]
“If you are a newly certified B Corp, this does not affect you. You have until the end of 2025. This is just for re-certifying companies.” — Ryan Honeyman [0:13:47]
“Re-certifying now on version six is what I'm recommending to most people because it [allows] you to bypass the initial learning curve.” — Ryan Honeyman [0:29:54]
“We like to say that folks should start preparing for recertification at least a year in advance. This is an exception to the rule. You should start working on the new standards as soon as possible.” — Emmy Allison [0:32:02]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
- B Lab Global: Standard Approach Community Transition FAQs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gs66tuNxYRMVu6Q9H7htVY_S-vpg6gZZ5ygeL1EPEC0/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0#heading=h.j14smfzeyhtt
- B Impact Assessment: impact.bimpactassessment.net
- New Standards for B Corp Certification: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/standards/performance-requirements/
- B Lab Global FAQ: https://usca.bcorporation.net/faq-old/
- B Consultants Directory: https://usca.bcorporation.net/b-consultants-directory/
- LIFT Economy B Corp Office Hours: https://go.lifteconomy.com/b-corp-office-hours
- B Hive: https://connect.bcorporation.net/
- Emmy Allison: https://usca.bcorporation.net/b-consultant-emmy-allison/
- Emmy Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mnallison/
- Ryan Honeyman: https://usca.bcorporation.net/b-consultant-ryan-honeyman/
- Ryan Honeyman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanhhoneyman
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