Beyondly and Northern Monk Celebrate 10 Years of the B Corp Movement in the UK
Throughout November, Certified B Corporations around the world will celebrate 10 years of the B Corp movement in the UK, now representing more than 10,000 companies globally, with around 2,600 of those being in the UK. As the new B Corp standards prepare to launch in 2026, Skipton-based environmental compliance scheme and sustainability consultancy Beyondly, and Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk, are reflecting on their journeys as B Corps and celebrating the growing community of businesses using their power for good.
A Decade of Better Business
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Over the past decade, the movement has grown tenfold, inspiring businesses worldwide to balance profit with purpose and make a measurable positive impact on people and the planet.
At the heart of the movement lies a shared commitment for collaboration. Beyondly, itself a proud B Corp and B Corp consultancy, supported Northern Monk on their certification journey, providing the brewery with training and guidance on the process of certification, and supporting them with conducting a materiality assessment in order to start the journey of measuring and improving their environmental and social impact. The partnership reflects a core value of the B Corp community, businesses helping businesses to do better.
Ciaran Shier, Positive Impact Manager at Northern Monk comments on Beyondly’s support:
“Beyondly’s B Corp course is excellent. As a business which has just started completing our Impact Assessment, it provided some valuable insight which will go a long way to ensuring we are able to complete the assessment in-house. The trainer's knowledge but also their passion for the positive impact that completing a B Corp assessment can make to a business was clear, all backed up by them having completed the process themselves which gives first-hand experience of the process. Highly recommend.”
Northern Monk’s Journey
Since achieving certification with an overall B Impact Score of 82, Northern Monk has continued to embed sustainability and community impact into its operations and continue to look for opportunities to improve. Their Faith in Futures Foundation, has been a major contributor to this work, something that they, along with community stakeholders, have been developing since 2019.
To celebrate 10 years of the B Corp movement in the UK, Northern Monk will host the Yorkshire & Humber B Social event this November. With 75 certified B Corps now based in our region, this is an incredible achievement, especially considering that just four years ago there were only a handful across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Beyondly’s Head of Brand & Impact, Mel Harper and Sustainability Manager & Lead Consultant, Susanna Jackson, look forward to attending the event hosted by Northern Monk, providing an opportunity to network with other B Corps, discuss the new standards and celebrate achievements together.
“It’s been inspiring to see businesses like Northern Monk embrace the B Corp process and use it to strengthen their positive impact. At Beyondly, we’re proud to be part of a community that continually strives to do better for people and the planet. As we look ahead to the next chapter of the B Corp movement, it’s exciting to see the standards evolving to drive even greater accountability and action” - Susanna Jackson, Sustainability Manager & Lead Consultant at Beyondly
Looking Ahead: The New Standards
The new standards are going to be applicable from 2026 onwards and are moving away from the point-scoring assessment to instead provide companies with a framework of minimum requirements they must meet across seven impact topics: Purpose & Stakeholder Governance, Climate Action, Human Rights, Fair Work, Environmental Stewardship & Circularity, Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Government Affairs & Collective Action.
In addition, companies must first meet a set of foundation requirements, which ensure that companies are meeting the fundamental eligibility requirements before they progress to the impact topic requirements. The specific requirements companies must meet depend on company size, sector, and industry.
Although the new set of standards have been released, there are still elements of the B Corp assessment that are being consulted on. Once finalised, Beyondly prepare to update their service offering in line with this.
Beyondly and Northern Monk join the wider global community in celebrating this milestone, a decade of collective impact and progress. As both organisations look to the future, their shared commitment to sustainability, transparency, and continuous improvement remains stronger than ever.
