The New B Corp Standards Don't Have to Feel Overwhelming – Here's Why Investors in the Environment Could Be Your Best Starting Point

When B Lab released its new standards for B Corp certification, it's fair to say there was a collective intake of breath across the community.

As a B Corp ourselves, Genee will be recertifying under the new standards in June 2027. Like many businesses, we've been taking time to understand what has changed, what it means in practice, and how organisations can prepare without feeling overwhelmed.

Recently, our Sustainability Advisor Ellen attended a B Local North East roundtable, facilitated by Jessica Williams of Just Williams and led by Tom Stewart from Adelie, who took us through the key shifts in the new standards, the impact of the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive, and what businesses should be thinking about now.

One message came through clearly: the new standards are less about achieving perfection and much more about demonstrating continuous improvement.

Environmental stewardship is no longer a 'nice to have'

One of the biggest changes is the development of the Environmental Stewardship & Circularity (ESC) Impact Topic.

Rather than rewarding isolated environmental initiatives, the new standards ask businesses to develop a structured understanding of their environmental impacts and demonstrate how they are actively managing and reducing them over time.

This includes requirements to:

• Understand your organisation's actual and potential environmental impacts

• Develop a strategy to address those impacts

• Embed circular economy principles

• Take meaningful action to reduce environmental harm

• Engage suppliers in achieving environmental objectives.

  
  

Depending on the size and sector of your organisation, this may also involve carrying out materiality assessments, improving supply chain traceability, developing biodiversity transition plans or introducing environmental screening into client and procurement decisions.

Reading through the requirements, it's understandable that many businesses are wondering: "Where do we even begin?"

The good news? You don't need all the answers today.

One of the most reassuring aspects of the new standards is that B Lab recognises sustainability is a journey, and businesses are not expected to become environmental experts overnight.

Instead, they are expected to understand where they are today, identify what matters most, put robust systems in place and demonstrate that they are improving year after year.

That's exactly why we believe Investors in the Environment (iiE) is such a natural fit.

Why Investors in the Environment aligns so well with the new B Corp standards

Investors in the Environment is a nationally recognised environmental accreditation programme designed to help organisations understand, manage and reduce their environmental impacts in a practical and accessible way.

You don't need an in-house sustainability team, or years of environmental expertise. You simply need a willingness to improve.

Over a 12-month programme, members work directly with sustainability experts to build an environmental management system that genuinely works for their organisation.

Importantly, it isn't about creating policies for the sake of having policies - it's about understanding your organisation, identifying where your biggest impacts lie, setting realistic objectives and embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making.

That might mean reducing energy consumption, measuring carbon emissions for the first time, improving waste management, engaging employees, reviewing procurement decisions or beginning conversations with suppliers.

This isn't just something we recommend to clients – it's the approach we've taken ourselves. Before becoming a certified B Corp in 2024, Genee achieved Green level accreditation through iiE, using the framework to develop our environmental management system, calculate our carbon footprint, establish robust environmental governance and evidence our environmental performance throughout the B Corp application process. Having that independently audited evidence made our application significantly more straightforward, and as we prepare to recertify under the new B Corp standards in 2027, we're confident that the programme's focus on continuous improvement provides exactly the kind of robust, year-on-year evidence that B Lab is now looking for.

Progress, not perfection

Too often sustainability feels like an impossible mountain to climb, and businesses worry they aren't doing enough, don't know enough or can't justify employing a dedicated sustainability manager.

The reality is that many of the organisations making the greatest progress aren't those with the largest budgets, and are the organisations with committed people, practical support and a clear framework that helps them take one step after another.

Because Investors in the Environment is built around continuous improvement, it mirrors the direction B Lab is taking with its new standards, and you don't need to have solved every environmental challenge before beginning your B Corp journey. You just need to demonstrate that you understand your impacts, have a credible plan and are committed to improving over time.

More than an accreditation

As a charity, Investors in the Environment is deliberately priced to make environmental management accessible to organisations of all sizes. Members receive practical tools, templates, expert support and an independent annual audit that reviews progress and identifies opportunities for further improvement.

That audit report becomes valuable evidence, not only for your own environmental journey but also for B Corp certification or recertification, as it provides a clear record of what you've achieved, where you're progressing and what comes next.

Sustainability touches every part of your business

One thing we often say at Genee is that sustainability isn't just the responsibility of one department, because it influences facilities, procurement, finance, HR, operations, leadership and culture.

Done well, environmental management doesn't just reduce environmental impact, and it can help organisations uncover efficiencies, reduce costs, engage employees, manage risk and make better decisions.

That's why we're so passionate about making sustainability feel accessible rather than intimidating.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone

We've spoken to many organisations since the new standards were published and understand the anxiety this has brought for many looking to certify or recertify, because the standards are ambitious. But ultimately, they're designed to encourage better businesses, not perfect ones.

Our role as a delivery partner for iiE is to help organisations navigate that journey with confidence. Whether you're considering B Corp for the first time or preparing for recertification under the new standards, Investors in the Environment provides a practical, evidence-based framework that aligns closely with the direction B Lab is heading.

It gives you somewhere to start, expert support throughout the process and a clear pathway for continuous improvement.

At Genee, we're proud to support organisations through Investors in the Environment because we genuinely believe environmental management should feel achievable, practical and valuable, not overwhelming.

The new B Corp standards raise the bar. But with the right framework and the right support, they're absolutely achievable.

Contact us at jo@genee.org.uk to discuss how we can help you meet the new environmental standards.