The 80-point score is gone. Here's what replaced it
The new B Corp standards are the biggest shake-up to B Corp certification in almost two decades. The old B Impact Assessment asked you to score 80 points across five impact areas, with no minimum in any single one. That's gone. From 2026, every B Corp has to meet minimum requirements across seven mandatory impact topics, and there's no hiding a weak area behind a strong one.
For UK SMEs, that changes the game. If you used to lean on a great environmental story to carry a thin community one, it won't work anymore. And four of the seven new topics are about people: your team, your communities, your supply chain and the wider systems you're part of.
This guide walks through the new standards with a focus on those social impact topics. We'll cover what B Lab now expects, when it applies to you, and how to start building the evidence an auditor will want to see.
The seven B Corp impact topics at a glance
The new framework has two layers. First come the Foundation Requirements: you must be legally incorporated, trading for at least 12 months, compliant with the law, and signed up to the B Corp legal requirement for stakeholder governance. Most companies also complete a risk assessment that sets any extra due diligence.
Then come the seven impact topics. Every company must meet them all, with the detail scaled to your size, sector and industry.
B Corp social impact: the four people-focused topics in depth
This is where most SMEs will need to do the most new work. Good intentions and a charity day once a year won't get you over the line. B Lab wants structured, measurable action, and third-party auditors will check it.
Fair Work
Fair Work merges what used to be separate questions on workplace culture and fair wages. You'll need to show you provide good-quality jobs, pay fairly, protect labour rights, and measure and improve your culture. Crucially, workers need a say: the standard expects employee feedback to shape real decisions.
What good evidence looks like: a regular staff culture survey with actions taken on the results, a clear pay policy, and a record of how employee input changed something.
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)
JEDI is the topic that reaches furthest beyond your four walls. It runs in two steps. First you collect demographic data on your workforce. Then you choose and deliver a set number of JEDI actions from a menu B Lab provides, with more required at Year 3 and Year 5.
Those actions cover inclusive hiring and inclusive workplaces, but also how you show up in your community and supply chain. B Lab's own summary says companies should contribute meaningfully to just and equitable communities. That's the community part of B Corp, and it's now non-negotiable.
What good evidence looks like: workforce data, a documented action plan, and proof of community impact: hours volunteered, skills shared with local charities, and who benefited.
Human Rights
Human Rights asks you to understand how your business and value chain could harm people, and to act on it. Expect a public human rights policy and a proportionate level of due diligence. The more complex your supply chain, the more you'll need to show. For the largest companies, this extends to living wages in the supply chain.
What good evidence looks like: a published policy, a simple supplier risk review, and a clear process for raising and fixing concerns.
Government Affairs & Collective Action
This is the newest idea for many SMEs. B Corps are now expected to work with others to change the system, not just their own business. That can mean joining industry initiatives, backing policy that improves social and environmental outcomes, and avoiding lobbying that works against it. The largest companies must also publish country-by-country tax reports.
What good evidence looks like: membership of a local B Corp network or business coalition, partnerships with charities and VCSE organisations, and a record of what that joint work achieved.
The common thread: measurable community impact
Read across all four topics and a pattern jumps out. B Lab wants proof that your business makes life better for people outside the payroll, and it wants that proof in numbers. For most SMEs, the most practical route is a structured volunteering and skills-sharing programme with local charities, tracked properly from day one.
When do the new B Corp standards apply to you?
The short answer: now, or very soon. New applicants have had to certify on the new standards since January 2026, and from 2027 every recertification uses them, whatever your size.
The certification cycle is also now five years, with extra requirements kicking in at Year 3 and Year 5. You must keep meeting everything from earlier phases as you go. So the evidence you build for Year 0 isn't a one-off. It's the baseline you'll be measured against.
Assessments are no longer self-reported either. An independent assurance provider now verifies every certification, which means your social impact claims need a paper trail. Always check the latest guidance from B Lab UK for your specific route.
How to evidence your B Corp social impact: five practical steps
- Run a gap assessment. Map what you already do against each of the four social topics. Be honest about where the evidence is thin, not just the activity.
- Pick JEDI actions that fit your business. Don't grab the quickest option on B Lab's menu. Choose actions that tackle real barriers in your team and your community, and that you can build on at Year 3 and Year 5.
- Formalise your community partnerships. Swap one-off charity days for ongoing relationships with local charities and VCSE organisations. Skills-based volunteering tends to create more lasting value for both sides.
- Track everything as it happens. Hours, skills, beneficiaries, outcomes. Reconstructing a year of volunteering the week before your audit is painful and rarely convincing.
- Turn data into a story. Auditors want numbers. Customers and tender panels want to know what changed. Good reporting gives you both from the same data.
There's a bonus here too. The new standards are designed to align with frameworks such as GRI and ESRS. The same social impact evidence can support public sector tenders, where social value is often a scored part of the bid.
How CommonGood helps B Corps meet the social impact bar
CommonGood was built for exactly this gap. We connect UK SMEs with local charities and VCSE organisations for volunteering and skills-sharing, then track the impact with procurement-grade reporting.
- Find the right partners. Match with local charities that need the skills your team already has.
- Log impact as it happens. Hours, skills and outcomes captured in one place, not scattered across spreadsheets.
- Report with confidence. Clear, auditable reports you can use for B Corp certification, tenders and your own impact story.
- Keep your team engaged. Gamified challenges keep volunteering going all year, not just on one away day.
Plans start from £175 a year, so it's built for SMEs, not just big corporates.
Ready to get your social impact evidence in order before your next B Corp assessment? Book a demo or try our free social value calculator to see where you stand today.
Frequently asked questions about the new B Corp standards
What are the new B Corp standards?
They're B Lab's updated certification framework, launched in April 2025. They replace the 80-point B Impact Assessment with Foundation Requirements plus minimum requirements across seven mandatory impact topics.
Is there still a B Corp score?
No. There are no points under the new standards. You either meet the requirements for each impact topic or you don't.
What are the seven B Corp impact topics?
Purpose & Stakeholder Governance; Fair Work; Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Human Rights; Government Affairs & Collective Action; Climate Action; and Environmental Stewardship & Circularity.
Where has the old B Corp Community section gone?
It hasn't disappeared, it's been spread out. Community impact now sits mainly within JEDI and Government Affairs & Collective Action, with each carrying its own minimum requirements.
Do small businesses have to meet all seven topics?
Yes, but the number and difficulty of requirements scale with company size. Micro companies and those without workers are exempt from some requirements.
Does volunteering count towards B Corp certification?
Structured, well-evidenced community work can support your JEDI and collective action evidence. The key is tracking outcomes, not just hours.
