In March 2026, B Corp released updates to their reporting requirements. This latest wave of updates marks Version 2.2 of the ‘new standards’ with V2.0 having been released in April 2025. The ‘new standards’ aim to provide companies with clarity on compliance criteria and ensure companies make significant dedicated improvements to climate action and carbon reporting.
B Corp is a voluntary certification showing for-profit companies have been verified as meeting their criteria for environment, social and governance (ESG) business practices. Over 10,000 companies globally have been B Corp certified, meeting the previous requirements of 80 points across different categories including ‘Climate Action’.
Under the ‘new standards’, companies must meet ‘Year 0’ sub-requirements to initially certify as B Corp, or to re-certify under the ‘new standards’. From 2026, to retain certification, companies must show improvements at 3 and 5 years from Year 0.
Changes to Climate Action Requirements
To better align with the Paris Agreement, the Climate Action Impact Topic has three key requirements:
- Measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Committed to contribute to help keep global warming below 1.5°C.
- Implement climate transition plans and contribute to the global goal of net zero by 2050.
1. Measure Emissions
Year 0
- The Company must have a documented process to measure Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and publicly disclose the results annually. Any scope 3 categories excluded must be justified.
- All large companies must use an independent third party to verify annual GHG emissions.
2. Commitment to contribute to help keep global warming below 1.5°C
Year 0
- The company has a publicly available climate action plan in line with the global goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This should include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) targets for performance and impact.
- The company updates its action plan every 36 months.
Year 3
- The company must have science-based targets, validated by either the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) or an independent third party.
- The company has a climate transition plan to make a just contribution to the global goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
- The company consults workers and stakeholders to ensure a just transition in its climate transition plan.
3. Implement climate transition plans and contribute to the global goal of net zero by 2050
Year 3
- The company uses advocacy to support the global goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
- The company publicly discloses its progress on its climate action plan.
- SMEs make progress on their climate action plan and evaluates its effectiveness.
- Large companies with an existing incentive remuneration scheme for the executive team, integrates this with climate targets.
Year 5
- The company makes progress on its climate transition plan and evaluates its effectiveness.
- The company takes action for a just transition.
- The company publicly discloses its progress on its climate transition plan annually.
How NUS Can Help
NUS’ Sustainability team are able to support clients with the data collection process for a broad range of projects, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas assessments, setting SBTi-aligned targets and developing decarbonisation roadmaps.
If your organization is exploring opportunities to achieve B Corp certification, get in touch with your NUS consultant, or contact us.