B Corp Certification

Whole-company certification: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers — audited together.

Team meeting in a bright ethical fashion brand office with fabric samples on the table

B Corp certification, administered by the non-profit B Lab, certifies a company — not a product — for meeting standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Fashion brands, retailers, and suppliers earn it by completing B Lab’s impact assessment, having their performance verified, and adopting a legal commitment to consider stakeholders alongside shareholders. The familiar ‘B’ logo on a brand’s site refers to the business behind the clothes.

What B Lab Assesses

The B Impact Assessment examines a company across areas commonly summarized as governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Questions range from worker pay, benefits, and ownership opportunities to supplier screening, charitable and community practice, environmental management of offices and operations, and how honestly products are marketed. Companies must reach a minimum verified score to certify, and the assessment is demanding enough that many applicants spend a year or more improving policies and documentation before they qualify.

Certification also has a legal dimension: companies amend their governing documents, where their legal form allows, to commit directors to consider the interests of workers, community, and environment — not shareholders alone. That governance change is what distinguishes B Corp from a purely operational eco-label.

How Certification Works

The process runs through B Lab and its standards system: the company completes the assessment, submits supporting evidence, and goes through verification, which can include document review, interviews, and site-level checks depending on the company’s size and structure. Certification is maintained through periodic recertification against the standards then in force, and B Lab publishes certified companies’ profiles and scores in its public directory, so customers and partners can inspect a claim rather than take it on trust.

B Lab’s standards themselves are periodically revised — the program has been moving toward more prescriptive requirements on topics such as climate action and living wages — so companies should always work from B Lab’s current published requirements when planning an application or recertification.

B Corp in Fashion

Apparel has a visible B Corp community, from outdoor and footwear brands to fashion labels and resale platforms, and certification is often used by founder-led companies to lock in their mission as they grow or take investment. For wholesale partners and consumers, B Corp status is a company-level signal that sits alongside product-level evidence: it does not tell you a specific garment’s fiber content or factory, which is what standards such as GRS, GOTS, or factory certifications such as SA8000 are for.

Used together, the two levels answer the two questions buyers actually ask: is this a responsibly run company, and can this product’s claims be verified? Brands that can answer both — a certified company selling certified products — hold the strongest position as disclosure expectations rise.

FAQs

Related Resources

Does B Corp certify products?
No. B Corp certifies the whole company behind the products, assessing its governance, workers, community, environment, and customer practices. Product claims need product-level standards and testing.
How does a company become a B Corp?
By completing B Lab’s impact assessment, reaching the required verified score through B Lab’s verification process, meeting the legal accountability requirement, and recertifying periodically.
Where can I check whether a brand is really a B Corp?
B Lab maintains a public directory of certified companies with their profiles and scores. A current listing there is the reliable check, rather than a logo on marketing material.

Sustainability Certifications & Standards

This guide is part of the Apparel Search sustainability certifications series. Browse the full series below, or start from the manufacturing guides hub.

Apparel Search: explore the manufacturing guides hub and production & sourcing resources for the fashion industry.

Please note: B Corp certification is maintained by B Lab, and its requirements are revised over time. This page is a general overview provided for information only — it is not legal or compliance advice, and it may not reflect the most current version. Always confirm the current requirements directly with B Lab or an accredited certification body before making certification or sourcing decisions, rather than relying on this website.