B Corp certification in 2026: how nature based solutions support your mandatory climate action requirements

When a business is certified as a

B Corp

, it shows stakeholders - customers, employees, and investors - that the company is committed to responsible business practices and accountable impact. From 2026, every company certifying or recertifying for B Corp must meet defined requirements across climate action and environmental stewardship, with no exceptions.

Nature-based solutions (NbS)

address these requirements while strengthening performance across multiple B Corp Impact Assessment areas.

A

B Corp certified business

is a for-profit company that has been independently verified by B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Certification shows that a business considers the impact of its decisions on shareholders, workers, communities, customers, suppliers, and the environment.

To become certified,

eligible companies

complete the B Impact Assessment (BIA), amend their governing documents to embed stakeholder governance, and pay an annual certification fee based on revenue. They must recertify every three years to maintain their status. 

From 2026, B Corp certification has moved from a points-based threshold to mandatory minimum requirements across seven defined impact topics:

purpose and stakeholder governance, fair work, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, human rights, climate action, environmental stewardship and circularity, and government affairs and collective action

. 

A company must meet the baseline in every topic; failing one means failing certification, regardless of performance elsewhere.

Under the updated standards, each step requires more robust evidence and measurable outcomes.

Step 1: Complete the B Impact Assessment (BIA)

Companies begin by completing the

B Impact Assessment

, which evaluates how the business operates across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. This provides a comprehensive view of current performance and highlights areas that require improvement.

Step 2: Meet defined performance requirements

Businesses must demonstrate that they meet specific requirements across key impact areas. This includes providing evidence of policies, practices, and outcomes, rather than relying on high-level commitments or isolated initiatives.

Step 3: Embed stakeholder accountability

Companies are required to formalise their commitment to stakeholders by updating governance structures. This ensures that decision-making considers the impact on employees, communities, and the environment alongside shareholder interests.

Step 4: Undergo verification

All submitted information is reviewed by B Lab as part of a formal verification process. Businesses must provide supporting documentation and data to substantiate their responses, and may be subject to additional review or audit.

Step 5: Commit to transparency and recertification

Certified companies are required to publish aspects of their impact performance and recertify on a regular cycle. This ensures accountability over time and demonstrates continuous improvement as standards evolve. 

B Corp certification is moving from a flexible scoring system to a requirements-based model. The focus is no longer on achieving a high overall score, but on meeting defined standards across all areas of impact.

Under the old model, companies needed to reach 80 points out of 200 across five broad categories - governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. A strong score in one area could make up for a weaker performance in another. That flexibility no longer applies.

The

updated B Lab Standards

(V2.1) introduce:

This shifts certification from a balancing exercise to a system of consistent, measurable performance across all impact areas.

Environmental performance is now a baseline requirement. It cannot be balanced by strength in other areas:

Climate action refers to a company's measurable efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and align its business with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The new standards require a documented, evidence-based approach to emissions measurement, target-setting, and transition planning. 

Small and medium companies (under 250 FTE):

For larger companies specifically, this means:

These are guidelines on how a company manages its broader relationship with nature - across biodiversity, water, land use, resource consumption, and waste. 

While climate action focuses on emissions, this focuses on ecological impact: what a company takes from natural systems, what it puts back, and how it manages the risks and dependencies that arise from its interaction with the natural world. 

Under the new standards, all companies must:

B Corp certification provides a structured way for businesses to measure and demonstrate impact. It introduces external verification, accountability, and a consistent framework that shapes how a business operates over time.

The 2025 B Corp standards raise the bar, exposing

sustainability gaps

many businesses have not yet addressed, including:

From 2025,

B Corp requirements

include annual GHG emissions reporting for companies with more than 250 employees or $75 million in revenue. However, many businesses lack robust

Scope 3

data, and information on biodiversity and land use is often incomplete or inconsistent. Without this baseline, developing a credible climate transition plan becomes significantly more challenging.

The new Environmental Stewardship and Circularity topic requires companies to assess environmental impacts across their operations and value chains, and to develop a biodiversity transition plan. For many businesses, this capability is still underdeveloped, with limited baseline data on biodiversity and ecosystem impact.

At the same time, environmental performance can no longer be balanced by strength in other areas. This introduces a structural challenge for companies that have not yet established clear strategies for emissions reduction, ecosystem impact, and environmental management.

A big portion of a company’s environmental and social impact sits outside its direct operations. Engaging suppliers, improving traceability, and aligning standards across the value chain can be complex and resource-intensive. For businesses with extended or opaque supply chains, identifying and evidencing responsible sourcing practices, especially for high-risk raw materials, requires a lot of groundwork.

Under the new standards, the certification process can take up to 12 months and that timeline assumes the foundational systems are already in place. Companies must now demonstrate consistent action on environmental topics prior to application, not just at the point of submission.

While sustainability strategies and policies are increasingly common, demonstrating outcomes remains a challenge. B Corp certification requires evidence of impact, not just intent, creating a gap for companies that have not yet added measurement and reporting into their operations.

Nature-based solutions

support businesses in meeting the more stringent requirements of B Corp certification. They deliver measurable carbon, biodiversity, and social outcomes through integrated interventions, addressing key challenges associated with certification.

NbS contribute directly to environmental performance by supporting carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity enhancement. Activities such as reforestation, peatland restoration, and regenerative agriculture can form part of a company’s climate strategy, helping to address emissions while improving ecosystem health.

This is particularly relevant under the updated standards, where environmental performance is a mandatory baseline and requires demonstrable action across climate and nature.

A key requirement for B Corp certification is the ability to evidence impact. NbS projects are typically designed with monitoring and verification frameworks, enabling companies to report on outcomes such as carbon removal, biodiversity indicators, and land restoration.

This supports the shift from commitment to accountability, allowing businesses to demonstrate progress through quantifiable data rather than high-level disclosures.

Many NbS interventions can be integrated within supply chains, particularly in sectors reliant on land use or agriculture. Regenerative practices, sustainable sourcing, and landscape-level restoration initiatives enable companies to address impacts beyond their direct operations.

This is increasingly important as B Corp standards place greater emphasis on value chain accountability and Scope 3 emissions.

NbS projects often deliver social co-benefits alongside environmental outcomes. These can include job creation, improved livelihoods, and enhanced access to ecosystem services such as clean water, health and soil fertility.

By contributing to both environmental and community impact, NbS support performance across multiple B Impact Assessment areas, reinforcing a more holistic approach to certification.

As sustainability requirements evolve across certifications and reporting frameworks, businesses are expected to demonstrate measurable, verifiable impact. Nature-based solutions support this by delivering outcomes across carbon, biodiversity, and community impact, which can be used to meet requirements across multiple standards and disclosures.

Their ability to generate consistent, evidence-based data makes them relevant not only for B Corp certification but also for broader reporting and compliance requirements.

To support B Corp certification, NbS must be aligned with business impact areas, integrated into strategy, and supported by measurable outcomes:

Start by assessing where your business has the most significant environmental impact. This may include greenhouse gas emissions, land use, or supply chain activities. Identifying these hotspots ensures that NbS interventions are targeted and relevant, rather than standalone initiatives.

NbS should form part of a broader environmental strategy, not operate in isolation. This includes aligning with emissions reduction targets, climate transition plans, and biodiversity goals. Integration at this level ensures that NbS contribute directly to certification requirements.

Different NbS approaches deliver different outcomes. Selecting the right intervention depends on your impact profile and objectives.

The focus should be on interventions that deliver measurable outcomes across climate, communities and nature.

To meet B Corp requirements, impact must be supported by evidence. This requires working with projects that have robust monitoring, reporting, and verification processes in place. Data on carbon, biodiversity, and community outcomes should be transparent and auditable.

Earthly helps businesses invest in high-impact nature-based solutions designed to deliver measurable outcomes across carbon, biodiversity, and community impact. Our projects are

assessed

against over 160 data points across carbon, biodiversity, and people, with only those that meet defined standards included in the

marketplace

. This ensures that businesses are investing in solutions that have been evaluated for quality, impact, and transparency.

Where possible, NbS should be embedded within supply chains rather than treated as external activities. This may involve working with suppliers, supporting regenerative practices, or investing in landscape-level interventions. Integration strengthens both environmental and value chain performance.

Ongoing measurement is essential. Businesses need systems to track environmental and social outcomes, ensuring that data is consistent, comparable, and aligned with certification requirements. This supports both verification and continuous improvement over time.

Earthly is a certified B Corp

, meeting B Lab’s standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We have been certified since 2020 and scored 114.8 on the B Impact Assessment, more than double the 50.9 median for ordinary businesses. This provides a direct understanding of what certification requires, including the level of evidence, measurement, and continuous improvement needed to meet evolving standards.

For businesses navigating the new B Corp standards, Earthly offers support across the areas where NbS have the most direct bearing on certification outcomes:

For businesses looking to take the next step, Earthly’s team can guide you on how to align nature-based solutions with certification requirements. Please feel free to

talk to our team

or visit the

marketplace

to find projects aligned with your impact goals.