By Ryan Honeyman, Partner at LIFT Economy
In my experience helping 100+ companies certify as B Corps, I would estimate that less than 25% of them truly embody B Corp values across their leadership, culture, and operations.
About 50%-60% are making real—yet inconsistent—progress towards authentically living B Corp values. The final 15-20% meet the minimum requirements but do not deeply live the values, and may even be at reputational risk if employees or customers look behind the badge.
That disconnect is risky. In today’s business climate, claiming B Corp status without embodying the values can backfire—damaging trust with employees, customers, and communities.
Certification, I’ve come to realize, is only the beginning. The deeper and more transformative opportunity is helping companies weave B Corp values into the daily fabric of leadership, culture, and operations. [Hint: Our free B Corp Values Assessment tool helps you do that!]
Why Embodying B Corp Values Matters
Before defining B Corp values, it’s important to be clear: there is no single, formal list published by B Lab that declares “these are the values.” Instead, what we call B Corp values is a synthesis—pulled from explicit sources like the Declaration of Interdependence, the benefit corporation legal framework, various iterations of the first set of B Corp standards (v1.0-v1.6), as well as the second evolution of standards (v2.0-v2.1 and beyond).
B Corp values—when you gather them across these sources—include topics like stakeholder governance, environmental stewardship, employee well-being, justice and equity, and community empowerment. These are not meant to sit in a binder or be buried on a shared drive. They are meant to guide decisions, shape strategy, and inspire everyday behavior.
Companies that embody these values:
Build trust with employees, customers, investors, and communities.
Attract and retain talent aligned with their mission.
Innovate more effectively by incorporating diverse perspectives.
Stay resilient by focusing on long-term sustainability, not short-term gains.
And most importantly, they deliver authentic, measurable impact that aligns with their purpose.
The Gap Between Certification and Culture
Unfortunately, here is some of what I have witnessed over the past 15 years working with purpose-driven companies: policies that look good on paper but aren’t consistently followed. Leaders who speak values publicly but fail to model them internally. Employees who start out inspired but disengage when they don’t see follow-through.
Without intentional effort, B Corp values risk becoming aspirational statements rather than lived realities. That’s why embodiment is critical—it’s about moving from compliance to culture.
What It Looks Like to Embody B Corp Values
To “embody” means to give form to something intangible—to make it visible and real through actions, systems, and behaviors. For B Corps, this means:
Leadership that models values through transparent decision-making and active participation in impact initiatives
Strategy that incorporates social and environmental goals alongside financial targets
Operations that align purchasing, energy use, and vendor relationships with your values
Culture that celebrates contributions to impact, invites diverse perspectives, and creates psychological safety
Measurement and transparency that keep the organization accountable to stakeholders
It’s about walking the talk, not just during the certification process, but every day.
Examples from Real B Corps
Here are a few B Corps that show what embodiment looks like in practice:
King Arthur Baking Company (Stakeholder Governance): 100% employee-owned since 2004, King Arthur has embedded accountability into its very governance structure. Ownership isn’t a policy on paper—it’s a lived reality that ensures workers have a real voice in the company’s direction, aligning decisions with long-term mission rather than short-term profit.
New Belgium Brewing (Environmental Stewardship): Long before carbon accounting was mainstream, New Belgium implemented an internal “energy tax” to fund renewable projects and ultimately became the first national beer company to release a carbon-neutral beer, Fat Tire. Sustainability is not a side project—it’s hardwired into how the company operates every day.
Guayakí Yerba Madre (Community Empowerment): Guayakí created a “Market Driven Regeneration” model that ties business growth directly to ecosystem restoration. By sourcing from Indigenous communities and smallholders who steward rainforest ecosystems, the company ensures that every product sold contributes to environmental and cultural regeneration.
Seventh Generation (Continuous Improvement): This Vermont-based household products company publishes detailed annual impact reports that openly track progress toward ambitious 2025 climate and equity goals. By sharing both successes and setbacks, they’ve built a culture of transparency and continuous improvement that keeps them accountable to stakeholders.
Namasté Solar (Transparency): As an employee-owned cooperative in Colorado, Namasté Solar practices open-book management and hosts regular “Big Picture” meetings where every co-owner can engage in strategy and performance. These recurring rituals ensure that values aren’t abstract—they’re reinforced through everyday habits and shared decision-making.
A Tool to Help You Begin
To help companies bridge the gap between certification and culture, I created the free B Corp Values Embodiment Assessment. It’s a simple, practical tool you can use with your leadership team to:
Identify strengths and celebrate what’s working.
Pinpoint gaps that need attention.
Prioritize where to focus next.
Spark a constructive, forward-looking conversation about how values show up in daily practice.
The assessment uses a straightforward frequency scale (“Always” to “Never”) to quickly reveal patterns and trends. It’s designed to be a mirror, not a grade—giving you a baseline and a map for progress. Sign up for our monthly B Corp newsletter to get your free copy!
Your Next Step
If you’ve already certified, congratulations—that’s a milestone worth celebrating. But certification alone is not enough. The true power of B Corp is unlocked when your organization fully embodies its values—in governance, in operations, in culture, and in the daily decisions that shape your future.
Start by downloading and completing the free B Corp Values Embodiment Assessment with your leadership team. Then revisit it annually—or even quarterly—to track your progress.
And if you want help turning insight into action, that’s the work I’m most passionate about now. At LIFT Economy, we support B Corps and mission-driven companies in going beyond the badge—aligning leadership, systems, and culture so values aren’t just claimed, but lived every day.
Reach out to me—Ryan Honeyman at LIFT Economy (ryan@lifteconomy.com) or visit us at www.lifteconomy.com with any questions.