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Lisa : Welcome - some house keeping notes, we will be recording this webinar, we ask that you please mute yourself while watching today, until the Q&A section where Alice may ask you to come off of mute. We are also going to be covering the recertification requirements for the B Impact Assessment version 6 (as this webinar is being presented on Nov 20th, 2024). Today we will be sharing a lot of information If you have questions please put them in the chat and we will do our best to answer them at the Q&A section at the end of the webinar. It is my pleasure to begin this this webinar “It’s time to recertify, now what? Tips and strategies for a successful B Corporation Recertification”

Our panel of speakers today all have extensive experience working with certified b corporations. Each speaker will introduce themselves during their segment of the program.

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Welcome from Hosts

Lisa read: Welcome to our program, my name is Lisa Geason-Bauer (she/her) and I the President of Evolution Marketing a women-owned WI based Certified B Corporation, we have been providing sustainability consulting and ethical marketing communications services to the business community since 2007. We are located on the ancestral lands of the (Potawatomi), in a community name Nashotah (which means in the Potawatomi language “one of a pair of twins”) we believe this is referring to the lakes that make up our community.

I am also a co-founder of B Local WI and our current President. It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to our second B Corp webinar on behalf of myself and our other co-host Jeffrey Steward the Founder of Enharmonic Encounters.

Jeffrey and I are both founders of B Corps and involved in our B Local communities (i.e. in WI and Texas), we are people using business as a force for good. One of those tools that we have deep knowledge of is the B Impact Assessment. We actually met during the first cohort of B Lab US and Canada’s training program for Trained B Consultants back in spring of 2023.

This series of webinars was created because we get questions all he time from businesses in the movement about the standards, documentation and what are best practices for a business to employ if they are a B Corp.

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Michigan Wisconsin Texas Illinois

Today’s Speakers

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Thank you to our Promotional Partners

Jeffrey read:

We want to thank our promotional partners, who have helped us to promote these webinars and are striving on a daily basis to help businesses in our regions of Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin to operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. You can learn more about each of these regional organizations by visiting their websites (Leah drop links to each of the 4 organizations websites into the chat). We also have representatives here today from each of these respective organizations… you can direct questions about B local WI or the WI Sustainable Business Council to Lisa or Leah. Questions about B Local Texas should be directed to Jeffrey and we are pleased to welcome Alice Jasper who is the program director for People First Economy, who manages the B Local Michigan program. We are happy to welcome Alice who also attended the B Consultant training with us last year, as our event MC today. Welcome Alice

Jeffrey: Mention the B Locals (B Local Wisconsin, B Local Texas, People First Michigan [Michigan]). B Local WI and WI Sustainable Business Council is with Leah and Lisa. At the end, welcome Alice for her MC portion (she is a Trained B Consultant).

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Alice Jasper (She/They)

Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi contemporary and ancestral land. Also known as Grand Rapids, MI.

Program Director with People First Economy
Trained B Corp Consultant
B Local Michigan Committee Co-Chair
Creator/ Host/ Producer of “Color Out Here”

Your MC:

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What Is B Corp Certification And Is It Worth It?

Check out

B Corporation

B Corp Certified companies are a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value.

The B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab

Check Out the First Webinar in This Series to Learn More!

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What Does it Mean to Recertify?

The recertification process is a chance for B Corps to benchmark, improve, and celebrate their impact every three years.

It’s an opportunity to signpost your progress in building a more sustainable and equitable world.

B Lab U.S/CA

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What Does it Mean to Recertify?

To go back through the gauntlet and let B Lab peek under the hood of a company’s operations to see if they have at the very least maintained their impact through, for example

global pandemic
economic downturn
leadership changes
political backlash of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) efforts
record-setting income inequality

is a whole other demonstration of a company’s commitment to its stakeholders and building a better economy.

B Corps Have Always Answered the Call.

Alexander LeFebvre, Senior Associate of Recertification at B Lab U.S. & Canada.

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What Does it Mean to Recertify?

It’s not a copy and paste process…

Continuous Impact
Company Growth and Change
Evolving Standards

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Coming Soon: New Standards

As the climate crisis intensifies and societal inequality grows, the need to bring about systemic change is clear. B Lab is working to advance the standards of B Corp Certification to meet the magnitude of the challenge ahead.

The new standards will provide clarity for companies, galvanizing the most impactful business actions and focusing on what really matters, meaningfully demonstrating the leadership role that B Corps and the B Corp movement play in the world.

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Pillars of the B Corp Movement

B Lab’s Three Pillars of Change

Stakeholder Governance:

People and the planet must be of equal, or higher, value than short-term profits. In this new paradigm, businesses that help all communities heal and thrive are rewarded. A stakeholder-centered economy is the triple bottom line in action, a system in which human and environmental well-being are essential.

Racial Equity:

True racial justice requires listening and learning. It means doing the work to dismantle unjust policies and practices and building more just business models and organizations. It means showing up as imperfect partners and embracing vulnerability with bravery, humility and compassion.

Climate Justice – There is No Planet B:

Humanity depends on our planet to survive, and the planet depends on humanity. Healing our home requires ending win/lose practices that provide wins for businesses and losses for the planet and its most vulnerable people.

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The B Impact Assessment (BIA)

Environment

Learn what your company can do to improve its overall environmental stewardship.

Community

Learn what your company can do to contribute to economic and social well-being of the communities in which it operates.

Governance

Learn what your company can do to enhance policies and practices pertaining to its mission, ethics, accountability and transparency.

Workforce

Learn what your company can do to contribute to the financial, physical, professional, and social well-being of your workforce

Customers

Learn what your company can do to improve the value that your products and services create for your direct customers

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The B Impact Assessment (BIA)

Comprehensive and Holistic

Considers all stakeholders and focuses on positive impact.

Objective & Aspirational

- Questions are verifiable, stakeholder driven and independently governed

-Intentionally Challenging

Standard Yet Adaptive

Tailored based on a company’s size, sector and location. Benchmarks for impact area, topic and question

Community Based

-Relies on user feedback.

-Leverages other third party standards and certifications

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Lisa Geason-Bauer (she/her) Sustainability Practitioner

www.GreenMkting.com

How to leverage the assessment to make strategic sustainability decisions

Hello Again, my name is Lisa Geason-Bauer and I am a practitioner of sustainability. What that means is that I am not going to ask you or your business to do anything that I have not already done with my business or with one of our clients. As of today, Evolution Marketing is currently going through our third certification process with B Lab. Many of the things that I am going to cover in this section of our program are directly tied to what I have learned helping companies and in many cases manufacturing companies to become B Corps since 2016.

As you can see EM is proud to have a number of third party verified certifications. I am sharing this diverse list of certifications with you, so that you can understand that at the heart of the B Corp certification is the concept of continuous improvement which is also at the heart of many sustainability initiatives. What is nice about the B Impact Assessment is that it takes other third party audited sustainability certifications into account, other third party audited certifications are excellent examples of documentation that can be submitted to verify your response to questions in the B Impact Assessment.

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Celebrate & Share the news with your stakeholders

(ensuring everyone understands what it means to be a B Corp)

Resources from B Lab to help your business:

Have managers watch B Lab video
Onboarding checklist
Monthly onboarding call with B Lab US & Canada
Welcome Guide
B Lab Brand Guidelines
Join a B Local

Your certified, now what…..

If you have been in the B Corp movement for a while this slide may cover topics you are aware of, but for folks who are going to be working on your first recertification, I think you will find this slide to be very helpful.

We are going to argue that once you certified you are not done, but instead you are just beginning on your B Corp journey.

To that end, I am going to share ideas/actions that you can take during the 2 years following your certification.

First thing you are going to want to do….is ensure that everyone in your organization/ all stakeholders understand what it means to be a B Corp.

B Lab US and Canada have put together a tremendous resource library, each of the items are linked in the slides.

You are going to want to make sure your staff, subcontractors and suppliers understand that your company is now a B Corp., and what that means for them. Pro Tip: have all of your leadership / managers watch the B Lab video - it is 90 minutes and it contains modules that will help your team to understand the history of the movement, the certification process and it will teach you about some of the founding B Corps.

Other excellent resources include an onboarding checklist, welcome guide and the B Corp brand guidelines. If you are the B keeper for your company, you should be sharing these resources with your team members.

One other thing to consider, once you have joined the community it will take a while 6 months to a year to learn about all of the amazing resources that are available to businesses in this community. You should also therefore consider having members of your leadership team (i.e. HR manager, Marketing, B Keeper, owners) attend one of the Monthly onboarding calls that B Lab US and Canada puts on, in those meetings you will get a good primer on all the resources available for your organization to successfully engage in the community.

Lastly, you are going to want to encourage your team members to join the B Local in the community where they are located, meaning that we have B Local’s all over the US and canada, and with many companies having remote workers today, your staff can still be active in the community even if they are located in a different state then where your business is located. Currently on the B Local WI board, half of our board members work for B Corps that are not located in WI…..but they are all vital members of our B Local WI commnuiuty.

Links to be shared:

Onboarding check list - https://pardot.bcorporation.net/onboarding-checklist

Monthly onboarding call with B Lab - https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclc-qhpjIsG929Am_O_A_3IGFj0kRbUcUG#/registration

Welcome Guide - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cUZSdMYv5nUbl8lkdQTV1ETDJ2pzl2BqHkv3nnFYRr8/edit#slide=id.g20e553ebd60_0_357

Brand guidelines - https://usca.bcorporation.net/brand-guidelines-for-b-corps/

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Put policies & practices into place

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Bring B Corp language and systems into your business
HR (update employee handbook & job descriptions)
Marketing communications (update website, brochures, business cards, product labels, etc..)
Operations (engage suppliers, create supplier sustainability survey, etc..)

Build continuous improvement into your business

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(2) With your green team/ leadership team set goals for the next 2-3 years (think strategically about what topic you want to accomplish each year)

(3) Assign responsibility for goals, build goals into position / job description by using the B Impact Assessment (ensure you always have a B keeper / B Champion on your team)

Build continuous improvement into your business

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In B Impact Assessment set goals / bookmark questions tied to goals

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Employee metrics and associated data^*
Supplier expenses^*
Donations (cash / pro bono) & staff volunteering hours (separate ledger line)
Environmental metrics (EMS)
Track all of your organizations third party audited certifications (ISO, organic, fairtrade, etc..)

Build into your company’s DNA the operational processes for tracking all of your data

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Share your businesses impacts via biz reports

External facing ESG /Sustainability Report
Operational Impact & Carbon Footprint Report
Social Impact & Giving Report

Public facing disclosures to third parties

SASB
Dow Jones Sustainability Index
GRI
CDP etc…

Publicly share your actions

It could be as simple as a large spreadsheet that different members of the orgaanization yearly add their data too, or it could be a CRM / business management system. Or it could be a combo of both….

SASB - SASB Standards help companies disclose relevant sustainability information to their investors. Available for 77 industries, the SASB Standards identify the sustainability-related risks and opportunities most likely to affect an entity’s cash flows, access to finance and cost of capital over the short, medium or long term and the disclosure topics and metrics that are most likely to be useful to investors.

As of August 2022, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) of the IFRS Foundation assumed responsibility for the SASB Standards. The ISSB has committed to maintain, enhance and evolve the SASB Standards and encourages preparers and investors to continue to use the SASB Standards.

https://sasb.ifrs.org/about/

The Dow Jones Sustainability™ World Index comprises global sustainability leaders as identified by S&P Global through the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). It represents the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global BMI based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.

https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/sustainability/dow-jones-sustainability-world-index/#overview

GRI - The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an independent, international organization that provides a framework for companies to report on their environmental, social, and economic impacts, essentially creating a common language for businesses to communicate their sustainability performance to stakeholders like investors and the public; allowing for better transparency and comparability across industries.

https://www.globalreporting.org/

CDP runs the global environmental disclosure system. Each year CDP supports thousands of companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their risks and opportunities on climate change, water security and deforestation. We do so at the request of their investors, purchasers and city stakeholders.

https://www.cdp.net/en/info/about-us/what-we-do

https://usca.bcorporation.net/bcorp-resource/initial-verification-template/

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Carbon Tracking: Tracking our carbon emissions and operational impacts since our founding in 2007
Carbon Neutral Operations: Proudly operating in a carbon-neutral manner since 2018

View our 2023 Operational Impact

& Carbon Footprint Report

Report Samples

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Carbon

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Inclusive culture

Brewery Vivant’s 2023 Sustainability Report click QR code

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www.enharmonicenc.com

Jeffrey D. Stewart

Recertification Preparation: What You Need to Know

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Track

Market
Organization Size
Sector

Impact Business Models

Continuity of primary impact

Operations

Improvements over time

Review Services and Business Model

TRACK

-MARKET: This element is based on where employed team members live. The company may have grown or evolved in the last three years, so review where everyone lives. It’s not uncommon for B Lab U.S. & Canada to have companies incorporated in the United States but over 80% of the team lives across South America or Europe, so in that case the Market selection would be different (Developed, Developed - Global, Emerging).

–(this selection changes the questions in the Assessment, for example, universal healthcare)

-ORGANIZATION SIZE: Changes in employee metrics. Moving up (e.g., 10-49 to 50-249) changes the Assessment and its intensity.

–(distinguishing between independent contractors)

-SECTOR: Important to review for companies in services and in differentiating between Retail and Manufacturing.

–(general B Lab protocol on 10% of products)

IMPACT BUSINESS MODELS

-If the sector has changed, it may affect the impact business model your company selects.

-Impact business models have a lot of points so pay attention here.

-Continuity of documentation for companies that have the same impact business model now that was awarded in the past.

OPERATIONS

-Capture any improvements you’ve made and consolidate documentation accordingly.

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B Lab uses a scoping process to assess a company's legal and operational structure. This process helps determine requirements for the rest of the process.

Types of Complex Structures:

Multinational operations
Subsidiaries and holding companies
Joint ventures and partnerships
Companies with revenue of $100M

Note: Companies with annual revenues over $100 million must engage directly with B Lab through this process. Companies with similar complexities but lower revenues can generally navigate the certification process using the guidelines provided, without needing formal discovery and scoping.

Adjustments in Corporate Structure

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Once B Lab reviews the company’s corporate structure and scoping data, they will determine final guidance for Certification.

Possible Implications:

Multiple legal requirements
Multiple B Impact Assessments
Transparent Assessment
Site Review
Affiliated Company Certification Requirement (ACR)
B Movement Builder

Implications of Complex Structure Reviews

Mention different triggers from complex structure reviews for larger companies:

-Legal Requirement accountable to multiple entities

-More than one Assessment (Verification fee)

-Transparent Assessment

-Site Review

-ACR

Companies interested in the B Corp Certification that share the same name or same brand as related entities, be they a parent company, sister companies, or in certain instances a

franchisor, may trigger what is known at the Affiliated Company Certification Requirement, or ACR, applicable to the related entity or entities in question.

The ACR is an engagement and brand-risk mitigation tool that enables eligible companies with a shared name or brand as another related entity to certify independently, while triggering a requirement that the related entity or entities in question commit to achieving B Corp Certification within six [6] years time. Eligible companies are those that generate less than $1

Billion USD in annual revenues, including both the certifying entity, and the affiliated company triggering the ACR.

The ACR is intended to help enable B Lab to certify a distinct part of an overall business, that remains complete with its own management and legal structures, executive accountability, and control over product / service, and to build up grassroot interest and certification momentum within the broader business, while simultaneously mitigating brand risk of related non-certified companies. In order to be eligible for the ACR, a company will likely need to be in a different geography [country market] from its parent or sister entities that share the same brand, otherwise entities may be determined or required to certify together, given uniform branding.

Subsidiaries with the Same Name / Same Brand as a non-Certified Parent [whose parent generate less than $1B in annual revenues]. Should the parent generate greater than $1B in annual revenues, the company is eligible to proceed and triggers a requirement that the Parent become a B Movement Builder [the ACR will not apply].

-B Movement Builder

The B Movement Builder program is designed as a journey to foster real transformation and change, aligned with the principles of the B Corp movement and allowing for impact throughout the process. It creates a pathway for multinational companies to start their journey towards a real impact transformation. It facilitates the adoption of standards for MNCs to manage their impacts as well as creates a pathway for multinational companies to move towards becoming certified B Corps, if they wish to do so.

The program enables eligible companies with a shared name or brand as their top-level parent to certify independently, while stipulating that the parent company becomes a B Movement Builder within three [3] years. This is a conditional for recertification eligibility.

While in the BMB program companies can:

progress on their B Corp Certification journey as the program is fully harmonized with the certification requirements. Certify subsidiaries (when operationally complete & distinct)
work with B Lab to design a customized, detailed pathway for the whole company to adopt standards to manage their impact as well as work with other MNCS, collectively, to exchange opportunities, challenges and actions
show company engagement with the B Corp movement, supporting the B Corp Movement through different possibilities of collaboration
work towards alignment of governance structures in the business community and the capital markets that create value for all stakeholders

Companies participating in B Movement Builders will therefore not necessarily meet the same social and environmental performance standards as Certified B Corporations. Before joining the program, companies must undergo a Risk Review to determine eligibility; in order to participate, they must demonstrate meaningful progress on key goals related to their social and environmental performance as overseen by our Standards Advisory Council.

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B Lab reviews the potential negative impacts that companies generate in their operations.

Review the list of industries flagged by B Lab as controversial.

Possible Implications:

Eligibility for B Certification
Transparent Disclosure

Controversial Industries

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B Lab’s protocol now stipulates that companies with a Recertification Date of January 1, 2025 or later must submit their Assessments six months early.

Evolution Marketing

-Recertification Date: March 25, 2025

-B Impact Assessment Submission Date: September 24, 2024

-Using fiscal year financial data from 2023

Enharmonic Encounters

-Recertification Date: May 15, 2026

-B Impact Assessment Submission Date: November 15, 2025

-Using fiscal year financial data from 2024

Updated Timeline

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Financial data when submitting six months early. You’ll reference the fiscal year prior to the year of your submission date.
Update personnel in the Assessment to keep momentum.
Pay attention to notifications sent via email when the analyst leaves a comment or a new due date in the Assessment.

Important Notes and Tips

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Leah Steinberg (She/Her)

Sustainability Consultant

www.GreenMkting.com

The Road to Recertification

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Recertification ensures your company remains a part of the B Corp community. It’s required every 3 years, and the standards evolve to encourage continuous improvement.

Preparing for B Corp Recertification - Timeline

You may notices similarities, as well as changes, in the B Impact Assessment when navigating your recertification.
B Lab now requires companies to submit their recertification 6 months prior to their deadline.
This information is for B Corps recertifying through first half of 2026

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The recertification process starts well before submission. Here’s how to lay a solid foundation:

Review Past Assessment: Review your current B Impact Assessment scores and identify areas for improvement.
Create a B Team: Create a dedicated team by bringing your leadership and key staff members together. Assign clear roles for data collection and accountability.
Confirm Legal Requirements: Verify your legal requirement status. Determine if you’re subject to scoping or site reviews.
Review Controversial Industries: B Lab updates this list on a regular basis. Confirm that your company (or clients!) are not involved with any controversial industries.
Enable Notifications: Turn on notifications in the B Impact Assessment to stay informed about deadlines and updates.

15 Months Out – Set the Foundation

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Implement Improvements: Finalize initiatives to address areas for improvement.
Log into the B Impact Assessment: Update your fiscal year-end date on the dashboard to generate your new assessment (some answers from your previous assessment will carry over).
Verify Key Details: Confirm your track, company information, and team members in your dashboard settings.
Create Internal Schedule: Break the assessment into manageable parts by tackling one impact area each month. This approach keeps your team organized, ensures steady progress, and helps you stay on track to meet deadlines.
Gather Documentation: Begin compiling policies, procedures, and metrics that demonstrate your impact. Organization is key!
Identify Additional Teams Needed: Identify which departments or teams you’ll need to collaborate with. For example: Engage HR for employee data like wages or benefits OR Consult your accountant for tax or financial metrics from the past year.

12 Months Out – Deep Dive & Documentation

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Focus on submission readiness:

Confirm Progress: Check that you’re on track to complete all sections of the assessment. Ensure all necessary departments have provided the required data.
Resolve Outstanding Issues: Address any bookmarked questions or data discrepancies. For any questions you're uncertain about, use the public comment feature to note your concerns and bookmark them for later discussion with your analyst during the evaluation process.

9 Months Out – Pre-Submission Prep

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Finalize Data: Double-check that all necessary data has been collected, verified, and accurately entered into the assessment.
Aim for 85 Points: Your score will likely change throughout recertification. To avoid delays, it’s best practice to submit your assessment with at least 85 points.
Final Review: Conduct a thorough review of the entire assessment. Ensure all responses are complete, accurate, and supported by the necessary documentation.

Pay close attention to questions that have a large increase in points and new Impact Business Models

Submit Your Assessment!

6 Months Out – Submission Ready

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Once you’ve submitted your assessment, here’s what to expect:

Evaluation Queue: Your assessment enters the evaluation queue, where you will be assigned an analyst to review your assessment. This can take time depending on the size of your company.

Current Wait Time: 2-4 weeks

Evaluation: A B Lab analyst begins reviewing your assessment focusing on your responses.

Analyst may ask follow up questions about IBMs or Disclosure Questions

Verification Queue: If your assessment passes initial evaluation, it moves into the verification queue.

Upload additional requested documentation
Current Wait Time: 4-6 weeks

Post-Submission: What Happens Next

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4. Verification: You’ll be assigned a B Lab analyst who will verify key aspects of your assessment and ask additional questions.

5. Post-Verification: After final review, you’ll receive your recertification!

Improvement: If your score falls below the 80-point threshold at any point during your review, you will have a 90-day improvement period to bring it back above the mark. If your score drops below 65 points at any time, your review will be closed.

Post-Submission: What Happens Next

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Additional Recertification Resources

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Question and Answer - moderated by Alice

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Future Webinars

Register Here:

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Lisa Geason-Bauer & Leah Steinberg Contact

Evolution Marketing: https://www.greenmkting.com/contact

Alice Jasper Contact

People First Economy: https://www.peoplefirsteconomy.org/contact/

Jeffrey D. Stewart Contact

(scan QR code)

Contact Us: