The business case for becoming a B Corp

• 86% of B Corps have a positive outlook on growth compared with 25% for all SMEs
• 70% of B Corps have a net positive* expectation of headcount growth, compared with 16% of SMEs

“This year we have grown 500%, a large part of that is down to our B Corp Certification.” — Asad Hamir, Founder, Klyk.

"One+All’s B Corp status gives it a competitive edge with retail customers. Talking to these customers about what B Corps are, puts it in a strong position with its consumers. This competitive advantage is helping to drive sales. The more we grow, the more good we can do.” — Caroline Hopley, UK marketing and communications lead, One+All.

*How many more businesses are expecting to increase compared to those expecting to decrease.

• 71% of respondents said that B Corp has improved their employee recruitment, engagement and retention

“Six months ago someone joined us, rather than a FTSE-100 company, specifically because of our commitment to neurodiversity – we recently joined the Neurodiversity in Business network.” — Lowri Humberstone-Hill, Head of Communication and Engagement, Yellow Sub Geo.

“The certification aids with attracting and retaining colleagues with the right mindset and values to add to our impact driven culture we have here at Ruebik. As a black female founder, I celebrate difference and value perspective in my team.” — Christina Brooks, Founder and CEO Ruebik.

“People who work for us are passionate about DE&I and making an impact through their work. Demonstrating our commitment to strong business ethics and clear values through B Corp certification has strengthened the bonds between our team at HewardMills.” — Dyann Heward-Mills, CEO, HewardMills.

• 70% of B Corps who sought equity finance secured all (or more) of the required amount, versus 56% of the wider SME population

“We recently had to go through a refinancing deal. Part of it was an ESG linked deal which was prompted by us being a B Corp. The targets we now have are strongly linked with the BIA and there are quite big material savings as a result.” — Nicoleta Ciobanu, Head of Sustainability, Cooper Parry.

“Being associated with an organisation exhibiting strong ethical and sustainable standards has helped us establish ourselves as a market leader that operates with purpose and integrity.” —Dyann Heward-Mills, Founder HewardMills.

“There's no better mark out there when it comes to sustainability or impact globally. The B Corp mark gives confidence to your customers, staff and partners.” — Asad Hamir, Founder and MD Klyk.

B Corps benefit from joining a vibrant community of like-minded businesses that are keen to collaborate.

“As the old proverb says: “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”, and seeing the numbers of amazing organisations [within the B Corp Community] who demonstrate collective spirit and genuine commitment to effect change was a key motivator to pursuing certification.” — Cynthia Davis, CEO & Founder, Diversifying Group.

“With B Corp you will gain credibility, giving you a community you can tap into. Other B Corps will meet at events and really want to support you, the community is everything." — Asad Hamir, Founder and MD, Klyk.

• 74% of B Corps state they have a formal business plan, compared to 41% of the wider SME population
• 84% of B Corps state they have processes in place to ensure formal tracking of business performance, compared to 52% of all SMEs

"As we got deeper into the process I realised it’s not about getting certified at all. It’s about the learning. It’s a chance to rethink, reimagine and also improve every aspect of your business through the wide reaching lens of the BIA." — Nicoleta Ciobanu, Head of Sustainability, Cooper Parry.

“The accountability factor that B Corp requires in terms of social and environmental responsibility at each level of the business, highlighted to us that this is not a box-ticking exercise and something that we at Diversifying Group wanted to be part of. The process helped us to articulate our work in different ways which raised awareness of how we communicate our work and vision and helped us to better understand where we are on our journey.” — Cynthia Davies, CEO and Founder, Diversifying Group.

You can certify as a B Corp if you operate for profit in a competitive market, and have at least 12 months of operations. Take a look at our eligibility guidance for more information on who can certify.

Businesses that become B Corps have seen great results: committed and motivated employees, increased customer loyalty, higher levels of innovation, and market leadership. Learn more here.

Access to the B Impact Assessment is free. A one-off submission fee of £250 (+VAT) is payable when you submit your company for certification. Certified B Corporations pay an annual certification fee calculated based on total revenue for the preceding 12 months. This fee starts at £1000 for certified B Corps and scales based on a company's revenue. If you have been operating for less than a year, you can become a Pending B Corp which is £500 (+ VAT). You can see the full pricing schedule here.

The time involved largely depends on the size and complexity (number of operating locations) of your company. To get a better understanding of timelines, take a look at our certification overview page.