Companies Achieve B Corp Certification Under New Global Standards
June 16, 2026 — A first group of companies based in Europe and North America has achieved B Corp Certification under B Lab's newly revised global standards, the most significant overhaul of the certification in its history. The framework requires companies to meet independently verified performance thresholds across seven Impact Topics, from Climate Action to Human Rights.
The B Corp movement has always been built by those willing to blaze a trail for others to follow. Its founding companies were a small, determined group; within a year, their number had grown to 81, and the community has expanded every year since. This cohort is the leading edge of that same story under the new standards, setting a marker for the businesses, sectors, and markets certifying behind them.
The new B Lab Standards were published in April 2025, following four years of consultation with businesses, civil society, academics, and policymakers. They represent the most significant update to B Corp Certification to date, with companies now meeting minimum performance requirements across a range of social and environmental criteria, verified by third-party auditors. Impact improvement is built in, with mandatory milestones at three and five years.
What the group shares is not a size, a sector, or a country, but a willingness to be measured against the same thresholds. They range from small, independent companies to family-owned businesses founded as far back as 1870. The group pairs 156-year-old Bolsius, a Dutch family candle maker, with Enharmonic Encounters, a Black-owned interpretation business in the United States; Xenia, a publicly listed Italian hotel group, with Ricola, a family-owned Swiss confectioner; Lumene, a Finnish beauty group, with Rituals, the global Dutch cosmetics brand; Merkur Andelskasse, a Danish cooperative bank, with NATIVA, an Italian regenerative design consultancy; and Wanderlust Life, a woman-owned jewellery studio in the UK.
Headquartered in seven countries, the cohort's reach extends well beyond them: together, the brands operate across more than 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and Latin America. Their products and services reach customers far more widely still, across over 50 countries globally.
That spread, more than any single name, makes the point argued over B Lab’s 20-year history: that how a company treats its workers, community, and the planet is a vital question for every business, and every leader.
At a moment when many companies are growing quieter about their sustainability efforts, this cohort has chosen the opposite: independent verification and the visibility that comes with it. Today, the B Corp community spans over 10,800 Certified B Corporations across 102 countries and 163 industries, collectively employing more than one million people. They exemplify a growing movement that has spent two decades proving business can operate differently.
B Lab’s new standards were designed with a shifting regulatory and consumer landscape in mind. A rigorous audit process aligned with the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive and mandatory improvement milestones reflect the direction of travel across markets as expectations of business—from regulators and consumers alike—continue to grow.
Twenty years ago, a small group of companies chose to go first. This cohort is following their lead, marking a new chapter for B Corp Certification and for every business choosing to be part of it.
“Great leadership is not defined by what a company says, but what it is willing to be held accountable for,” says Clay Brown, Chief Standards Officer at B Lab. “As B Corps, these companies are demonstrating that higher standards, independent verification, and continuous improvement are achievable in practice. Yet the challenge ahead is bigger than any one company. The defining test of this decade is whether businesses can move beyond individual action and raise the bar collectively on the issues that matter most to people and the planet.”
“We are proud to be among the first companies certified under the new B Corp standards,” says Marco-Paul Meinen, Chief Executive Officer at Bolsius. “As a 156-year-old family-owned company, we are committed to creating products of superior quality with love for people and the planet. This milestone strengthens our drive to keep improving and to deliver on our people and planet commitments towards 2030.”
“Our renewed B Corp™ certification sends a strong message,” says Jenny Kunz, Director of Sustainability at Ricola. “It shows that we're on the right track and that, even in a dynamic environment, we've always taken responsibility and consistently stayed the course rather than waiting to see what happens.”
“Achieving B Corp Certification across all our brands under the new standards is a proud milestone,” says Adrian Innergård, Chief Executive Officer at Lumene Group. “It reflects our Nordic roots and our commitment to creating beauty that is both effective and responsible, continuously working to make a positive impact on people, communities, and the environment.”
“We are proud to continue being part of the B Corp community. Being among the first to be recertified only makes us even prouder,” says Helene Vad Bredo, ESG Manager at Merkur Cooperative Bank. “B Corp Certification is a cornerstone of demonstrating that every day we work to create shared prosperity: considering not just profits, but also people and our planet.”
“The new B Corp standards set an increasingly sophisticated benchmark for organizations committed to operating with transparency, accountability, and verifiable outcomes,” says Ercolino Ranieri, Chief Executive Officer at Xenia. “Xenia chose to adopt them from the moment they were introduced, in line with its role as a publicly listed Benefit Corporation, for which impact measurement is an integral part of both business operations and decision-making. Being part of the first cohort of certified companies confirms this direction and our commitment to creating value for all stakeholders, in a way that is measurable, transparent, and subject to independent verification.”
“We believe that building a successful business comes with responsibility,” says Niki Schilling, Impact Officer at Rituals. “The new B Corp standards help us to make that responsibility measurable, transparent, and real. Not just for today, but for the years ahead. We are proud to find ourselves among the first companies certified under the new B Corp standards.”
“Raising the bar so business evolves toward what's better for Business, Humans, and the Biosphere,” say Eric Ezechieli and Paolo Di Cesare, Co-founders at NATIVA. “This is what the B Corp movement has always stood for. Once again, we are proud to serve at its forefront.”
“Achieving B Corp certification under the new B Lab Standards is something we're incredibly proud of at Wanderlust Life,” says Georgie Roberts, Founder at Wanderlust Life. “As a small, independent jewellery brand rooted in North Devon, it reflects our genuine commitment to doing business better - for our team, our customers, and the planet. We're honoured to be among the first to certify.”
“At Enharmonic Encounters, we believe that we need to be at the fore of this transition and set an example for our ecosystem, to alleviate the fears and anxieties that many of us are feeling around the new requirements and to demonstrate that compliance is indeed a realistic and worthwhile pursuit—even for the smallest of companies,” says Jeffrey D. Stewart, Founder and Executive Director at Enharmonic Encounters.
Learn more about the B Lab Standards at bcorp.com.
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For more information, please contact: press@bcorporation.net
Note to editors
The companies certifying in this early cohort are headquartered in seven countries, operate across more than 20, and reach customers in more than 50 countries globally:
Bolsius (Netherlands): Family-owned candle and home-fragrance maker, founded in 1870; moving to plant-based wax and recycled packaging; Europe's market leader, sold in +50 countries.
Ricola (Switzerland): Family-owned maker of Swiss herb drops, founded in 1930; herbs sourced from a network of Swiss farmers; sold in more than 40 countries.
Lumene (Finland): Nordic beauty group, founded in 1970; uses Arctic ingredients upcycled from forest- and food-industry side streams, and a renewable-powered factory.
Merkur Andelskasse (Denmark): Socially responsible cooperative bank, founded in 1982; customer-owned; lends to socially and environmentally beneficial projects.
Xenia (Italy): Hospitality group, founded in 1992; a publicly listed benefit corporation on Euronext Growth Milan; operates the Phi Hotels chain across Italy.
Rituals (Netherlands): Home and body cosmetics brand, founded in 2000; offers refills across its collections; present in more than 30 countries.
Nativa (Italy): Regenerative design consultancy, founded in 2012; helps businesses adopt sustainable and regenerative models; operates in Italy and Brazil.
Wanderlust Life (United Kingdom): Woman-owned jewellery studio, founded in 2013; handmade pieces produced on the Devon coast from recycled gold and silver.
Enharmonic Encounters (United States): Black-owned sustainability-services business, founded in 2022; provides translation and interpretation; member of 1% for the Planet.
About B Lab: B Lab™ is the nonprofit organization behind the B Corp movement. B Lab creates standards, policies, tools, and programs to reimagine capitalism, and build a new economic system that benefits people and the planet. B Lab has created and led efforts to pass over 50 corporate statutes globally, advocating for stakeholder governance that requires business decisions to benefit workers, communities, and the environment.
Certified B Corporations™, or B Corps, are companies verified as meeting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. To date, the B Corp community spans over 10,000 B Corps across more than 100 countries and over 160 industries, collectively employing more than 1 million people. Around 300,000 companies proactively manage their impact with B Impact™.
To learn more and join the movement, visit www.bcorporation.net.