Too Good To B True: B Corp Certification in the face of Greenwashing
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MA student Tara Breuer explores whether B Corp certification drives corporate accountability and systemic change or serves as a sophisticated form of greenwashing in a world increasingly demanding ethical business practice.
As more companies compete to showcase their ethical credentials, B Corp certification promises businesses a beacon to show consumers their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
A non-profit network with the goal of revolutionizing capitalism and remaking the global economy to “benefit all people, communities, and the planet”. With such an attractive goal, the certification holds high appeal for both companies and consumers. But how effective is it really? Can B Corp truly lead to a meaningful change or is it an advanced version of greenwashing? Is B Corp authentically helping transform corporations' roles in capitalism, or simply giving companies a new way to absolve themselves of significant change.
What Is B Corp certification?
B Corp certification has positioned itself as a mark of high standards, assessing companies on their impact on workers, customers, communities, and the environment. To achieve certification, companies must score well in areas like environmental practices, worker welfare, and community impact. For consumers, the B Corp logo means the product was made “responsibly”.
If the certification fails to drive genuine, systemic change, it risks becoming a symbolic label rather than a true mark of accountability.
In theory, it is inspiring, but in practice, it is messier. As anthropologist Dan Brockington explained, measurement itself is not merely a descriptive act but a creative process. In relation to B Corp Certification, this means that such metrics don’t just reflect a company’s actions—they actively shape them.
B Corp certification steers companies toward what it considers ethical and sustainable. This can be both powerful and problematic. If the certification fails to drive genuine, systemic change, it risks becoming a symbolic label rather than a true mark of accountability.
Is B Corp greenwashing?
One major criticism of B Corp certification is its reliance on self-assessment, which allows companies significant leeway in presenting their practices. Critics argue that this process leaves room for companies to showcase easy wins rather than tackle complex, urgent issues. For instance, some companies might reduce single-use plastics to score points in “environmental responsibility” while ignoring harder and more impactful steps, like decarbonizing their supply chains.
It’s the ease with which companies can highlight minor improvements and earn the certification that has led some critics to accuse B Corp of greenwashing. There have been multiple companies embroiled in controversy as they earned their certification despite continuing controversial practices. Take Nespresso, whose B Corp status has been heavily criticized because of its parent company Nestlé’s troubled human rights and environmental record. These glaring issues have caused the B Corp community to call for stricter criteria, seeing the current standards as too lenient.
The performance of corporate responsibility
Corporate responsibility has evolved, particularly in high-impact industries. Anthropologist Dinah Rajak notes that many extractive industries now use sustainability language to frame their practices. For instance, oil companies publicly back climate action and promote low-carbon initiatives while still increasing fossil fuel production at unsustainable rates.
What this suggests is that CSR efforts in these industries often mask ongoing environmental harm. The same critique applies to B Corp. It’s one thing to promise social responsibility and environmental stewardship, but if companies continue practices that contradict these goals, then the certification may only serve as a marketing strategy to appease increasingly eco-conscious consumers.
Contradictions and shortcomings
In a capitalist system, corporations are incentivized to grow. This creates a contradiction when companies push for growth while also claiming commitment to sustainability. This disconnect between growth and sustainability is not just a corporate dilemma; it reflects a broader cultural challenge. B Corp certification could be seen as a performance that reassures us of our values without challenging the economic model that undermines them. In other words, it may satisfy our desire for corporate accountability without demanding the systemic change needed to address environmental and social crises.
What needs to change?
B Corp certification has potential, but it needs stronger, more transparent standards. Some propose that companies should have to meet minimum scores in each impact area. Others call for government-backed regulatory schemes to hold companies truly accountable or even global governance bodies to enforce sustainability standards.
For consumers, it’s a reminder to look beyond the logo—and question what true corporate responsibility really looks like.
In the end, B Corp certification highlights a growing demand for ethical business. But we must ask ourselves: is this certification a step toward corporate accountability, or just a new way to market an old model? Frameworks like B Corp hold significant power and shape our beliefs about sustainability and ethics.
If B Corp doesn’t strengthen its standards, it may become a hollow label, failing to deliver real accountability. B Corp has made some recent moves to address these critiques, but only time will tell if it can truly differentiate sustainable businesses from those that are simply playing the part. For consumers, it’s a reminder to look beyond the logo—and question what true corporate responsibility really looks like.
Further reading and resources
- Has B Corp certification turned into corporate greenwashing? By Elizabeth Bennett, BBC
- B Impact Assessment by B Lab
- Introduction: Measurement and metrics by Dan Brockington, Environment and Society
- Are fashion B Corps really sustainable? by Jen Greggs, Medium.
- The struggle for the soul of the B Corp movement by Anjil Raval, Financial Times
- Waiting for a deus ex machina: ‘Sustainable extractives’ in a 2°C world by Dinah Rajak, Critique of Anthropology
Header image credit: Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
About the author
Tara Breuer is an MA Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability student at SOAS and is the 2024-25 Programme Representative. Outside of SOAS, Tara has experience in the creative industry with a passion for ESG with a specific interest in environmental sociology and the world of work.