• Introduction
• Why timeframes matter
• Preparing your evidence
• If you don’t have a full year's worth of evidence
• What to expect during the audit

Introduction

The B Lab Standards use specific timeframes for  when certain requirements must be implemented in your business. This article explains how to choose the correct timeframe to ensure that the documents you upload cover the correct window of time before your audit begins.

Why timeframes matter

When completing your self-assessment, you must upload evidence for every applicable B Lab Standards requirement. The "timeframe" tells you how far back your evidence needs to go to prove you are compliant. If your evidence falls outside these specific timeframes, an auditor may ask for updated proof.

Preparing your evidence

Refer to Table 1 for a full breakdown of the timeframes referenced in the B Lab Standards.

Table 1: B Lab Standards timeframes

If you don’t have a full year's worth of evidence

If your company has recently adopted the B Lab Standards V2, you might not yet have a full fiscal year or 12 months of data to show. Here is how to handle your "Year 0" audit if you are in this transition phase.

What to provide if you lack a full year of data

If you haven't reached the 12-month mark for a specific requirement, don't worry. You can still proceed as long as you have taken steps to implement the requirement going forwards by providing:

• Current evidence: Upload whatever data, policies, or processes you have documented since you began implementing the standard.

• A compliance summary: Provide a brief explanation of when you started the practice and how you plan to maintain full compliance over the coming year.

What to expect during the audit

The goal is to show the auditor that your new systems are active and permanent.

• Verification: Your assurance provider will review the evidence you’ve provided to verify that you have implemented the requirement, and your management system is effective to maintain compliance going forward.

• Follow-up: During the audit, your assurance provider may request your most recent records to ensure that your performance has remained consistent since you submitted your self-assessment. If your policy or process has not been consistently implemented this may lead to a nonconformity.

For more details, see What to expect from your initial B Corp Certification audit.