B Corp certification has a recertification clock (every three years under the old standards; ongoing surveillance audits plus a Year 3 audit under the new ones) and an ongoing obligation to actually live what you documented. What you submit is verified documentation. What B Lab investigates is the gap between that documentation and what's actually happening inside the business — and complaints from employees, partner organizations, and the public can open that investigation at any point, not just at renewal.
BrewDog — the Workers pillar doesn't grade on a curve
BrewDog, the Scottish craft brewer, certified in February 2021. Less than two years later, in December 2022, it was no longer a B Corp. The sequence in between matters.
A BBC documentary aired in early 2022 featuring former employees describing a "culture of fear." A separate open letter, signed by current and former staff under the name "Punks with Purpose," made similar allegations months before the film aired. B Lab opened an investigation into claims about the company's workplace practices.
The outcome is disputed in framing, not in result. BrewDog's CEO said the company had "decided to step aside" after B Lab requested additional measures the board could not implement at the time. B Lab confirmed BrewDog was no longer certified and declined to comment further. Either way, the badge was gone.
What makes this case instructive is where the complaint landed. BrewDog's initial certification score of 81.8 out of 200 was barely above the 80-point threshold, and its highest scores were in the Workers category — the same pillar where employee accounts contradicted the numbers. Worker practices are the area most exposed when complaints arrive, because the complaints tend to come from employees.
"A B Corp submission is documentation. What B Lab investigates is the gap between the documentation and what's actually happening inside the business."
Etsy — when the legal structure outgrows the certification
Etsy certified as a B Corp in 2012, three years before its IPO. When it went public, a legal conflict became unavoidable.
B Corp certification for Delaware-incorporated companies requires converting from a C Corporation to a benefit corporation, a legal structure that formally embeds stakeholder commitments into the company's governing documents. Etsy's shareholders were not aligned on that conversion, and a leadership change in 2017 settled the question. Etsy voluntarily let the certification lapse rather than restructure its legal entity.
There was no allegation of misconduct. The structure no longer fit. For a small business, the equivalent risk comes at acquisition, a new investment round, or a change in legal entity. Your governance structure is part of what you're certifying, and any significant change to it should run through the certification process before it's finalized, not after.
Havas — when your parent company's client list becomes your problem
This one is instructive because the certified entities did nothing wrong on their own.
In September 2023, Havas Media, the media arm of the global advertising group Havas, signed a contract with Shell. Havas Media was not a certified B Corp. Four of its agencies were: Havas London, Havas Lemz, Havas New York, and Havas Immerse. In July 2024, B Lab revoked all four certifications following a formal complaint from a coalition of more than 20 other certified agencies and the climate advocacy group Clean Creatives.
B Lab's reasoning was that the association with Shell through the shared Havas name breached "core community values," even though the certified agencies had no direct relationship with the Shell account. B Lab also ruled that all Havas entities are permanently ineligible for future certification, which means the ruling extended beyond the four certified agencies to the entire network.
If your business operates under a parent brand, a franchise agreement, or any shared identity with an entity making decisions you don't control, that relationship is part of your certification risk profile. The precedent here is clear: B Lab treats brand association as meaningful, and it can act on conduct that isn't yours.
B Lab investigates "material, credible and specific claims" on two grounds: intentional misrepresentation of practices during the certification process, or breach of the B Corp community's core values. Both grounds have resulted in decertification. Complaints can come from employees, other certified companies, or third-party organizations — and B Lab can open a review at any point in the certification cycle, not just at renewal.
Dr. Bronner's — the exit that wasn't a failure
Dr. Bronner's holds the highest B Corp score ever recorded: 206.7 out of a possible 200 at its 2022 recertification. In February 2025, the company announced it would not renew when its certification expired in September 2025.
The reason was not a gap in the company's own practices. It was a deliberate exit over what Dr. Bronner's described as the dilution of the certification's standards. When Unilever Australia and Nespresso certified in 2022, followed by Nestlé Health Sciences in 2023, Dr. Bronner's argued that large multinationals with documented supply chain issues now shared a logo with companies that had built serious operational track records. After B Lab published its new standards in April 2025, Dr. Bronner's reviewed the changes and stood by its decision.
This is worth separating from the other cases. Dr. Bronner's didn't fail certification. It concluded the certification was no longer saying what it used to say — and that sharing the B Corp logo with companies it viewed as using the badge for marketing purposes contradicted its own mission.
What these B Corp decertification cases mean for small businesses
None of these companies were small. BrewDog had thousands of employees across multiple countries. Etsy had gone public. Havas operates globally. Dr. Bronner's is a long-established company that sells internationally.
But the failure modes apply at any scale. Worker practices catch businesses where documented culture and actual culture diverge. Governance structure has to match what you've committed to, and changes in ownership or legal entity need to be accounted for before they're finalized. Brand association is part of the certification, and if your business shares a name or parent with an entity making decisions you don't control, that gap is yours to manage.
B Corp standards are also tightening. The 2026 standard update replaced the 80-point score with Foundation Requirements and minimum requirements in each of seven Impact Topics, including Climate Action, so a strong area can no longer offset a weak one. The bar is higher than it was, and the enforcement posture has been tested by real cases. If you want to know where your business actually stands before committing to the process, start with the free assessment. Two minutes, and you'll know where you actually stand.
Common questions
Can B Corp certification be revoked?
Yes. B Lab can revoke certification at any point in the certification cycle if a company is found to have intentionally misrepresented practices during certification, or if it breaches the B Corp community's core values. Both grounds have been used in high-profile cases including BrewDog and the Havas agencies.
Why did BrewDog get B Corp decertified?
BrewDog lost its B Corp status in December 2022, less than two years after certifying, following a B Lab investigation triggered by employee complaints about a toxic workplace culture documented in a BBC documentary. The company's initial score of 81.8 out of 200 was just above the 80-point threshold, and its highest scores were in the Workers category — the same pillar under scrutiny.
Can a parent company's actions cause a subsidiary to lose B Corp certification?
Yes. In July 2024, four Havas agencies lost their B Corp status because Havas Media, the media arm of their parent group, signed a contract with Shell. The certified agencies had no direct relationship with Shell, but B Lab ruled the brand association breached core community values. B Lab also declared all Havas entities permanently ineligible for future certification.
Why did Dr. Bronner's stop being a B Corp?
Dr. Bronner's chose not to renew its B Corp certification in 2025, despite holding the highest-ever B Corp score of 206.7. The company argued that B Lab's standards had been diluted by certifying large multinationals like Nespresso, Unilever Australia, and Nestlé Health Sciences without rigorous supply chain verification.