Human Rights
With B Lab announcing their new B Lab Standards, coming into effect in 2026, it’s important that businesses already certified, or looking to certify, have a good understanding of what these changes look like. Alongside the removal of the previous points-based system, B Lab have created seven new Impact Topics, including Human Rights. While the new Impact Topics have been developed based on the previous standards, the new topics and evolved requirements are designed to improve business impact.
But what exactly does the new ‘Human Rights’ topic mean for businesses? And how can you best prepare your businesses for the new standards? We’re here to help.
What is the ‘Human Rights’ Impact Topic?
The Human Rights Impact Topic requires companies to identify, prevent, and mitigate potential negative human rights impacts across their operations and value chains. This represents a long-awaited alignment of B Corp standards with global human rights expectations, ensuring businesses take proactive responsibility for their impact on workers, consumers, and communities.
“Respecting human rights is no longer optional for businesses: it’s an expectation.” – B Lab.
What are the key components of ‘Human Rights’?
1. Human rights due diligence
Companies must conduct human rights due diligence, meaning they actively assess risks and take steps to prevent harm. This includes evaluating working conditions, supply chain practices, and consumer protections.
2. Transparency and accountability
Businesses are expected to publicly disclose their human rights policies and actions, ensuring stakeholders can hold them accountable. This shift moves companies away from passive compliance and towards active responsibility.
3. Worker and community protections
The new standards emphasise fair treatment of employees and workers in supply chains, ensuring safe working conditions, fair wages, and protections against exploitation. Companies must also consider their impact on local communities and vulnerable groups.
What does the ‘Human Rights’ Impact Topic mean for businesses?
For companies committed to ethical and sustainable business practices, the introduction of Human Rights as a core Impact Topic represents a fundamental shift. No longer just a consideration for multinational corporations with global supply chains, human rights accountability is now an essential expectation for all businesses, regardless of size or industry.
But that doesn’t mean all businesses will be expected to uphold the same commitments. Micro and small businesses are given different assessment questions compared to large, global companies. This ensures that all sizes of businesses are making a difference relative to their own size and abilities. For a micro company, they might be able to make a big difference in their local community and work directly with local suppliers.
The main change that is going to impact all businesses is the replacement of the previous points-based flexibility. With the new standards, businesses must take deliberate, measurable steps to ensure they are safeguarding human rights in all aspects of their operations. This includes actively listening to workers and communities, embedding human rights due diligence into decision-making, and maintaining transparency around policies and progress.
Ultimately, businesses that embrace these changes won’t just be complying with new standards – they’ll be building stronger, more resilient organisations that earn trust and loyalty from employees, consumers, and stakeholders.
What should businesses be doing to prepare for the new B Lab standards?
With the updated B Lab standards set to take effect in 2026, businesses need to start preparing now. The transition to mandatory human rights criteria requires a proactive approach, and companies should begin by auditing existing policies, identifying potential risks, and ensuring systems are in place to address human rights concerns effectively.
This is also the perfect opportunity to engage stakeholders – from employees to suppliers – to ensure human rights protections are not just policies on paper, but meaningful actions embedded throughout daily business operations.
At transformacy, we’re already guiding businesses through these shifts. Whether you’re looking to futureproof your B Corp certification, or simply strengthen your human rights commitments, we can help.
Let’s connect and explore how your business can lead the way on these new standards – book a call with us today.