Certified B Corporations and Benefit Corporations: A Summary

I recently co-taught a workshop with Derek Hydon and Andrea Chase for entrepreneurs exploring the "Certified B Corporation" route. Early in the program, it became clear that there is a lot of confusion out there about B Corps, Certified B Corporations and Benefit Corporations and how these concepts fit together.

I get it - the terminology is ridiculously confusing. So I thought I'd do my best here to provide as concise a summary as possible.

  1. “Certified B Corporations” are for-profit businesses that have met stringent sustainability, transparency and governance standards established by a non-profit organization, B Lab. Companies that achieve a certain score on B Lab's assessment tool - the "B Impact Assessment" - and satisfy B Lab's audit requirements are eligible to become Certified B Corporations. Confusingly, a business does not have to be legally structured as a corporation to a be a Certified B Corporation. LLCs, partnerships, corporations and even sole proprietorships are all eligible, but to remain certified, B Lab imposes specific requirements depending on your structure (more on that below). 
  2. A “Benefit Corporation” is a type of legal structure in the same way an LLC is a type of legal structure. A benefit corporation is like a traditional corporation in virtually all respects (including with respect to federal and state taxation) but it has three defining legal features that codify the corporation's commitment to positive impact and enhanced governance standards:
  • Benefit Corporations Are Required To Pursue Public Benefit. Unlike traditional corporations (which can be operated for virtually any lawful purpose), benefit corporations are required pursue a positive public benefit through their business operations. This feature integrates the corporation's higher purpose or social impact commitments into its legal charter.
  • Directors and Officers of Benefit Corporations Are Required To Balance Financial Interests With the Company’s Mission and Impact. Unlike traditional corporations (in which directors and officers are viewed as having an overarching duty to maximize value for shareholders), directors and officers of benefit corporations are required to balance the pecuniary interests of shareholders with the Company’s pursuit of public benefit and its impact on stakeholders like employees, suppliers, customers, the environment, and the local community. 
  • Benefit Corporations Must Satisfy Expanded Transparency and Disclosure Requirements. Unlike traditional corporations (which generally have no legal obligation to report on impact or sustainability metrics), benefit corporations are required to evaluate their impact performance against a comprehensive and independent third-party standard (such as the B Impact Assessment) and publicly report the results of their assessment.

3. Currently, 33 U.S. states (including California and Delaware) and Italy have enacted benefit corporation legislation. The specific legal features of Benefit Corporations vary somewhat from state to state but most are based on model legislation spearheaded by B Lab, including California, but with the notable exception of Delaware, which I will discuss in a separate post. Adding to the terminology confusion: In Delaware, benefit corporations are referred to as “Public Benefit Corporations” or PBCs.

4. As mentioned, any for-profit business is eligible to become a Certified B Corporation regardless of legal structure, but B Lab imposes certain legal requirements once you become a Certified B Corporation. Specifically:

  • If you are operating as a traditional California or Delaware corporation (or in another state that has enacted benefit corporation legislation), you must convert your corporation into a benefit corporation within 2 years of initial B Certification. This generally will require the approval of your Board and 2/3 of your shareholders.
  • If you are operating as an LLC or Partnership, you must amend your operating or partnership agreement to mirror certain B Corp governance principles within 90 days of initial B Certification. This will require whatever approvals are specified in your LLC or partnership documents.

All the B Corps I work with are organized are California and Delaware but if you are organized in another state, B Lab has published a “Legal Roadmap” to help you navigate the legal requirements. You can find it here.

People commonly use the term "B Corp" to refer interchangeably to Certified B Corporations and/or Benefit Corporations. It's also frequently used to refer more generally to businesses that are operated sustainably or with a triple-bottom-line orientation. All of this is understandable but naturally adds to the confusion, which I think we'll be living with for a while.

Hope this is helpful. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

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Francesco Barbera

Francesco Barbera is a corporate attorney representing emerging growth companies in a wide range of industries, including software, technology, digital, fashion, health care, retail and e-commerce.


He counsels entrepreneurs, investors and established companies on the full range of their business activities, from formation through raising capital, growth and acquisition. He has special expertise in the representation of mission-driven organizations and social enterprises. 


Throughout his career, he has represented the National Broadcasting Corporation, the Grammy Museum, Ares Capital Management, Credit Suisse First Boston, as well as privately held businesses in internet, media and technology, mobile applications, consumer products, professional sports, film and television production, among others over the course of his career. 


Francesco began his legal career at two large, international law firms in Los Angeles, where he represented large and small enterprises in a broad range of transactions, from mergers and acquisitions to public and private securities offerings to the formation of partnerships and joint ventures.


Francesco is also the Co-Chairman of the Los Angeles chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Inc.A lifelong student of psychology and personal development, Francesco holds a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and has been trained and mentored by numerous leaders in the personal development arena, including Steve Chandler, Byron Katie and George and Linda Pransky. 

Francesco has also founded and represented non-profit initiatives.


He has served as outside counsel to the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a charter school dedicated to training the next generation of social and political leaders, and he is the founder and former Executive Director of SpiritWalk, a non-profit fundraiser created to benefit the University of Santa Monica.  

Francesco’s writing has appeared in The American LawyerCalifornia LawyerSlate, and others. He served as the Supreme Court columnist and Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Record and was the founder and editor-in-chief of the Penn History Review, the first Ivy League journal in the country dedicated to the publication of undergraduate historical research.


Francesco is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, cum laude, and the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.