Baseline Requirements: Understanding the Human Rights Policy in V2.1

Modified on Mon, 11 Aug at 11:31 AM

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The guidance below supports understanding the integration of the baseline requirements into the new B Lab Standards (focus on XXL companies). Please see the overview guide on more information.

The V6 Baseline Requirement:

Human Rights Policy: A specific human rights policy that is overseen by the Board of Directors, and includes EITHER an explicit commitment to key human rights covenants (including the UN Declaration of Human Rights, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and ILO Principles), OR identifies the most salient human rights issues relevant to the business and its overall operations through a human rights risk assessment.

Maps to the following new B Lab Standard Sub-Requirements:

Under the new B Lab Standards, human rights have been elevated from a baseline requirement to a dedicated Impact Topic, reflecting their critical importance in responsible business practices.

The requirement most closely aligned with the former human rights policy is HR1.2, but the process of identifying salient human rights issues has now been separated into its own distinct requirement: HR2. Any B Corp who has met the Human Rights policy requirement through identifying their most salient human rights issues would be required to update their policy to refer to the listed human rights frameworks and covenants.

HR1.2 The company has a public human rights policy.

Size

Sector

Industry

Year

Eligible for equity Mechanisms

XX Large

X Large

Large

Wholesale/Retail

Service with Significant Environmental Footprint

Service with Minor Environmental Footprint

Manufacturing

Agriculture/Growers

All

Year 0/Year 3/Year 5

None

Medium

Wholesale/Retail

Service with Significant Environmental Footprint

Manufacturing

Agriculture/Growers

Changes in Compliance Criteria:	Companies must implement a human rights policy that includes: A public commitment to respect human rights An approach to identify, assess, and address potential negative human rights impact A plan for remediation where harm occurs References to international human rights covenants and frameworks Approval by the highest governing body A scope that includes all individuals and communities affected by the company’s own operations and across its value chains
Application to Independently Certifying Subsidiaries:	The same requirements apply as under GACA1.1 and GACA3.1: The policy must be embedded at the highest governance level within the certifying subsidiary If referencing an out-of-scope parent policy, the subsidiary must provide evidence of rollout, enforcement and accountability mechanisms
Related (Sub-) Requirements:	HR1.1: Smaller companies must make a public commitment to respecting human rights. HR2: Requires the identification and prioritization of salient human rights issues. HR3: Focuses on preventing, mitigating, and remediating potential negative human rights impacts. HR4: Addresses how companies work with suppliers to meet human rights objectives.