What Is a B Corp? The Logo That Signals Real Impact

Are you a conscious consumer? In recent years, individuals have become more aware of their impact on the planet and its people, making a shift toward supporting businesses that share these values. However, to attract these discerning customers, some businesses may inflate or exaggerate their sustainability claims. But with so many brands making sustainability claims, it can be hard to know who to believe.

So, how do you decide which companies and corporations to support? One way is to look for companies displaying a B Corp logo. B Corp Certification is a global standard for responsible business practices, including social and environmental responsibility, public transparency, and legal accountability. When you see the B Corp logo on a company website or product, it means the company upholds these values of responsibility.

Keep reading to learn what the certification really means, how companies earn it, and how to use this label to make smarter, value-driven shopping decisions.

What Is a B Corp?

B Corporations (B Corps) are businesses that have proven to act in ways that benefit society as a whole. What defines them is their belief that the purpose of a company is not just to generate profit, but also to do social and environmental good.

B Corp certification is a rigorous process that proves a business’s positive impact on the planet and the people around it. It is administered by B Lab, a global nonprofit that drives the movement to create a more inclusive, equitable, and fair economic system. Certification is based on B Lab Standards, a globally recognized framework that assesses a company’s impact and varies slightly by industry and size.

Did you know

The ‘B’ in B Corporation stands for “beneficial”: for customers, employees, suppliers and the environment.

What Does B Corp Certification Measure?

To demonstrate compliance, the business will need to provide verifiable evidence of its impact, including official policy documents and measurable performance data. The application process requires companies to measure their impact in seven areas:

Impact Area	What it is	Example
Purpose and Stakeholder Management	Committing to a triple bottom line (social, environmental, and profit)	The company policy requires a new farmer vendor to prove a low carbon footprint and ethical labour practices
Climate Action	Science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions	The company shows progress towards reducing delivery truck fleet emissions by 50% within 10 years
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion	Fostering an inclusive workplace culture and ensuring equity throughout the company	The company audits wages to ensure zero gender-based pay gaps and actively seeks to recruit new chefs from underrepresented groups to ensure menu diversity
Government Affairs and Collective Action	Playing a leadership role in advocating and implementing solutions for equity, inclusivity, and a regenerative economy.	The company lobbies the government for clearer nutritional labels
Fair Work	Dedicated to fair working conditions	The company replaces “gig” workers with full-time employee positions and benefits
Human Rights	Conducting due diligence to mitigate human rights issues	The company uses third-party audits to ensure migrant workers on suppliers’ farms are being treated fairly.
Environmental Stewardship and Circularity	Dedication to environmental preservation and issues like waste reduction, environmental stewardship, and circularity.	The company replaces single-use plastics with recyclable ones that can be returned to the company for recycling or sanitization and reuse; and sources sustainable seafood, meat, and produce whenever possible.

Why Fresh Prep Became a B Corp

“We’ve always believed that business has a higher social purpose beyond simply profit. The B Corp assessment gives us a framework to measure Fresh Prep’s success as we scale as a company.” – Husein Rahemtulla, Co-Founder and COO, Fresh Prep

Fresh Prep’s dream to become a Certified B Corp became a reality in 2019. It was our commitment to act with courage to disrupt traditional ways of thinking and challenge the status quo.

Instead of focusing solely on creating the best products for profit, we seek to solve problems in the food industry with realistic, creative solutions.

B Corp businesses like Fresh Prep benefit from:

Boosted consumer trust and anti-greenwashing sentiment
Increased success in attracting and retaining talent with shared values
Greater operational efficiencies and cost savings
Investor appeal
Legal protection for the company’s purpose
Joining a network of global companies with a shared mission.

“It’s a great filter for people who align with the goal to do good. That includes potential employees, who get excited about working at a place that wants to have a positive impact, and potential customers, who want to ‘vote with their wallet’ and choose to spend with a business that has values similar to their own.” – Husein Rahemtulla

The B Corp Certification Process

Becoming B Corp Certified is a four-step process:

Step 1: Initiating the journey with B Impact. Businesses register with B Impact to access a project management portal.

Step 2: Reviewing the requirements. The portal includes detailed B Lab Standards specific to the registrant’s company.

Step 3: Beginning self-assessment. Registrants can check their certification readiness with an online self-assessment tool. For Fresh Prep, this self-assessment consisted of close to 200 questions.

Step 4: Submit for certification audit. Companies sign up for an in-depth audit to independently verify their self-assessment and have certification approved or denied.

How Long Does It Take To Get B Corp Certification?

From start to finish, B Corp Certification takes anywhere from six to eight months for smaller businesses, to a year or longer for larger companies. This range varies depending on:

The industry requirements
Completeness and accuracy of their policies and documentation
Auditor availability

For Fresh Prep, our process took just over a year.

How to Spot Real Impact (And Avoid Greenwashing) When You See “B Corp”

Here are three ways to check that a company is actually B Corp certified:

Check the B Corp Directory. Every certified company will have a listing and summary of its impact score and initiatives.
Verify claims with results. Look beyond generic greenwashing statements for specific impact stats, action, and impact stories.
Scan their claims for improvements: Check their website and online content for evidence of improved impact. If this information is hard to find, reach out directly. A reputable B Corp should be happy to provide verification.

Is B Corp Still Credible?

Some critics claim B Corp certification is just a “promise” and doesn’t guarantee action. There is some truth to this claim. While there are stringent requirements to earn this certification and to recertify every three years, there is no accountability for managing your B Corp promises in between.

This is why looking for B Corp logos is only part of your due diligence. Use it to filter a shortlist of companies you want to support or buy from, then research further to ensure they’re living up to their promises, based on what’s important to you.

To save you the trouble, we’ve summarized a few of the many ways we’re living up to our B Corp promises at Fresh Prep:

Environmental

To tackle plastic waste, we:

Deliver in reusable cooler bags
Include reusable ice packs
Use zero-waste, reusable containers in many of our meal kits

As delivery is a core part of our business, we track and offset carbon emissions from our vehicles through OnFleet, our delivery software.

For you, this means not worrying about the waste of your food kits and ready-to-eat meals. We make it easy to return your recyclables by clearly labelling them, or you can add them to your local recycling bins.

Community

By sourcing ingredients and products for our menus from BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, we’re supporting the communities where we live and work.

To address food waste and hunger, we’re proud to partner with Vancouver Food Runners. Since 2021, we’ve donated:

131,700+ pounds of surplus food,
109,750+ meals, and
Mitigated 71,513 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions

For you, this means you’re supporting your neighbour’s farms and food businesses, and feeling good about helping to reduce food waste and hunger in your community.

Customers

We want to make a positive difference in our customers’ lives and work hard to satisfy their need for convenient and sustainable meal kits. Our easy-to-follow recipes are developed by professional nutritionists and chefs. Ingredients are always high quality, including antibiotic-free, local poultry, and sustainably-sourced seafood. For you, this means you get easy-to-make dinners that you can feel good about eating.

Employees

Our workers take care of our business, so we take care of our workers. We encourage them to become involved in their communities and offer paid volunteer time to enrich the quality of life and opportunities for all citizens. We also provide employee access to mental health practitioners through our benefits program.

For you, this means our team is energized, motivated, and ready to provide the best customer service possible.

Governance

A good plan goes a long way. That’s why at Fresh Prep, transparency and accountability are baked into our business model. Being a B Corp means our promise to be better for people, communities, and the planet is locked in, regardless of any future change of management or ownership. We look to lead responsibly. Our Co-founders believe business performance must be measured by the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

For you, this means that our B Corp certification is more than a temporary promise written on paper; it’s a life-long commitment to our values of excellence, sustainability, and equality.

Using B Corp Certification to Make Smarter Food Choices

B Corp certification is part of a global movement of values and actions that benefit people and the planet, not just profits. It’s about working together to achieve a more inclusive, equitable, and fair economic system.

At Fresh Prep, this certification is more than an empty promise. We live and breathe these promises and values every day to bring you meal kits, ready-to-eat meals, and pantry essentials that you can feel good about buying for your family.

As you shop, look for organizations with B Corp certification and check their certification status on the B Corp Directory. Use certification claims as a starting point, then do your own due diligence to check their claims against the issues that matter most to you.

Fresh Prep is proud to stand by its B Corp promises. Join us in this movement by signing up for Canada’s most sustainable meal kit today.

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