New Standards: Environmental Stewardship & Circularity (w/ Brigitta Nemes)

In this episode, we dive deep into B Corp’s new Environmental Stewardship and Circularity (ESC) standards with Brigitta Nemes, the sustainability expert who led their development over four years at B Lab. Brigitta brings a unique perspective to environmental business standards, having worked across certification bodies, corporate sustainability at Danone, and now standards development at B Lab.

Our conversation explores how B Corp transformed from voluntary environmental practices to mandatory requirements, reflecting the urgency of our environmental crisis. Brigitta shares the behind-the-scenes story of developing standards that work for everyone from solo consultants to multinational corporations, addressing common fears about circularity requirements and supply chain traceability.

We discuss why environmental stewardship was separated from climate action, how the new standards balance rigor with accessibility for small businesses, and what true circularity means beyond just recycling. Brigitta also addresses the challenge of creating compliance-focused standards while maintaining B Corp’s entrepreneurial spirit and community-driven approach.

Tune in for an enriching conversation about environmental strategy, the relevant questions that companies can ask according to their size, and the importance of an ongoing commitment to meeting B Corp standards. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Brigitta’s entry point into B Lab, role in ESC, and the impact of the new standards. 
• The shift in narrative where businesses understand environmental stewardship as a must.
• Unpacking the four-year process and two public consultations behind the new standards.
• How ESC differs from previous versions of the B Corp standards.
• Differentiating between disclosure standards and performance standards. 
• Ways that community learning will inform the future. 
• What it looks like to promote systems thinking over simple solutions. 
• Material environmental impacts and moving beyond avoiding harm to doing good. 
• Challenges on the road to this set of standards through the consultation process.
• Why ESC and climate change are separate but interconnected topics.
• Which questions are relevant for small service companies. 
• Advice on what to consider in procurement and due diligence. 
• How the insurance model is changing. 
• Ways that Brigitta’s perspective on the B Corp standard has changed. 
• Imagining what a future state might look like if the B Corp community adopts new standards.

Quotations:

“The [new standards] provide a clear definition of what it means to be a B Corp.” — Brigitta Nemes [0:04:42]

 “With the B Corp standards, we try to support the continuous improvement of companies. They need to implement certain practices as well.” — Brigitta Nemes [0:15:05]

“In order to meet and progress, companies do need to collaborate more and share and exchange.” — Brigitta Nemes [0:18:18]

“Eventually, – all stakeholders aligned that we need to raise the bar, and that this is not going to be a small update, but a complete evolution of the standards.” — Brigitta Nemes [0:27:18]

“I would encourage everyone to challenge conventional thinking and just be involved in a conversation about what a truly sustainable, regenerative business looks like.” — Brigitta Nemes [0:54:00]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• Brigitta Nemes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briginemes/B Lab: https://www.bcorporation.net/
• Danone: https://www.danone.com/
• Kumming Montreal Biodiversity Framework: https://www.cbd.int/gbf
• B Impact Assessment: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/programs-and-tools/b-impact-assessment/

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