Year 0 Universal Requirements: Foundation Requirements and Purpose & Stakeholder Governance

The following tables summarize IGP’s key observations from clients working through their Year 0 Foundation and Purpose & Stakeholder Governance requirements. These tables include:

  • Universal Requirement - These are the high-level requirements that all companies must meet. They include the sub-requirement code and text taken from B Lab’s published Body of Knowledge (BoK) plus links to related Knowledge base articles. 

  • Variation by Size/Sector - This describes any differences in how a requirement applies to various company sizes and sectors (called Company Track)

  • Findings from Early Adopters -This is a summary of common gaps that companies who have conducted a Gap Analysis identified.     

  • SMS Connection  - Explains how the requirement should be operationalized within the company’s Sustainability Management System—including the governance structures, policies, processes, and oversight mechanisms needed to implement and maintain it—and identifies the internal teams and stakeholder groups responsible for or affected by the requirement. 

The requirements covered are (by Impact Topics):

FOUNDATION REQUIREMENTS

While many of the eligibility requirements under the Foundation Requirements topic are straightforward, especially for recertifying companies; there are important call outs concerning the new Risk Profile and B Lab’s stance on Controversial Industries.

PURPOSE & STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE

Jenifer Gorin