What is brand review and how to request one

• What is a Brand Review?
• What is the Brand Review Process?
• When is a Brand Review appropriate to make?
• How to submit a Brand Review request
• Instructions for completing the Request form 
• How long does it take to process a Brand Review request?
• How to know if a Brand has been approved? 

What is a Brand Review?

A Brand Review is a formal way to request B Lab to approve brands to use the B Corp IP. This procedure is designed to ensure that a company can request B Lab of any not-yet approved in-scope brands which it would like to use the B Corp logo on. 

Upon review, requested brands will appear on the company’s B Impact (Brands section) and consequently, the eligible ones on the company’s public B Corp profile upon certification.

What is the Brand Review Process?

The Brand Review process ensures that only brands that are part of a company’s approved scope use B Lab  intellectual property (IP) and are listed on the company’s B Corp profile.

Once a formal Brand Review request has been submitted, it is reviewed by B Lab staff. Their role is to conduct a review to determine the final outcome. Either the Brand:

• Is eligible to use the B Corp IP;

• Is ineligible to use the B Corp IP.

For eligible brands created or acquired after the company has submitted to audit or achieved certification, the assurance provider will review the materiality of the new brand’s operations to determine whether an early audit will be required outside of the existing audit schedule before the brand can use the B Lab IP. 

If no audit is required, the eligible brands will be added to the company’s approved Certification Scope and directory profile. The company can then start to use the B Lab IP. 

If the new brand or product has a material impact on the company’s operations and an early audit is required, the company can only start using the B Corp IP in association with the brand once it has completed the audit and received an updated license agreement. 

When is a Brand Review appropriate to make?

Companies must only use the IP on their own products, for which they control design and formulation. 

A Brand Review hence can be submitted only for a company’s own brands which they fully own and control. These include:

• Different-name brands: Brands created and controlled by the certified company which have a different-name than the main certified company name. The connection between the brand and  the certified company must be clear to consumers since the certification relates to the company, not a product or brand.

• Global brands: Companies that have global brands and affiliates, or related entities that are not certified, can only use the B Lab IP in a country or territory if the full range under the brand in that location is covered by a certification. They may need to use a distinct qualifier when referencing the B Corp certification to differentiate Certified B Corp company from the rest of the Group.

• Franchisor brands: Certified franchisors with full (100%) control over product design and formulation are permitted to use the B Corp IP on product packaging. These certified products may be distributed and sold across all retail locations, including those operated by non-certified franchisees.

A company cannot submit a Brand Review Request for brands that are ineligible to use the B Corp IP. These include: 

• Co-branded or licensed brands: Co-branded products or services cannot use the B Lab IP if the other company involved in the co-branding is not certified. Licensed brands cannot use the B Lab IP if the licensor and licensee are not certified.

• Franchisees: Non-certified franchisees cannot use the B Lab IP. A certified franchisor cannot use the B Lab IP on the front or inside their retail stores in countries where both company-owned and independently franchised stores operate, unless at least 90% of all retail stores in that country are covered by B Corp Certification.

• Brands in ineligible industries: brands that are directly involved in ineligible industries (B Lab Standards, FR1.2)

More information on how brands can use the B Corp IP can be found in the Eligibility rules for brand IP section section of B Lab’s Brand Book.

How to submit a Brand Review request

Brand reviews are managed through B Lab's designated ticketing system to ensure proper tracking and recordkeeping. Brand Reviews must be submitted via this Brand Review Request form where a ticket and tracking mechanism will be generated. All information, along with any supporting documentation, may be submitted in any of B Lab's covered languages. 

Instructions for completing the Request form 

To ensure a swift review of requests, companies must include clear and accurate information in the following fields of the designated form:

1. Company name: This should be the company’s trading name (public appearance) 

2. Name of the Company as per B Impact  

   • Please indicate the name of the company as it appears in B Impact 

3. Where in the certification process your company is in: 

   • Please select whether the company is still in the Certification setup, self-assessment, Audit, Post-Audit phase or already certified under B Lab’s standards V2. 

4. How many brands do you wish to request a Brand Review for?

5. Confirming your confirmation for the following questions:

   • Do you confirm that the certified company has complete control (100%) over the product design and formulation? (if a service company, then service design applies)

   • Do you confirm that the full range of the brand in the geography (country or territory) covered by this certification?

   • Do you confirm that the brand is NOT a licensed or co-branded product/service or a franchised brand?

   • Do you confirm that the brand is NOT directly involved in an ineligible industry?

   • Do you acknowledge that you've read and understood B Lab's Brand Book?

6. Attachment

Attach any supporting evidence Attachments up to 20MB can be attached to the submission form. If attachments exceed this limit or several attachments are provided, please share a link to a google drive in the description section, including relevant attachments and provide open access to users with the link. 

How long does it take to process a Brand Review request?

B Lab aims to review all Brand Review requests within a 30 day window. If the request cannot be reviewed within the agreed upon timeline, B Lab will inform the company of the updated timeline.

How to know if a Brand has been approved? 

• On the B Impact, the section “Brands” will appear as complete. Once clicking on “view section”, all requested brands will be listed under “brands portfolio”. 

• Eligible brands will be listed on the company’s B Corp profile upon certification. 

In Summary:

The B Lab Brand Review procedure is built to ensure that only brands that meet the criteria in the B Lab Brand Book use the B Corp IP. This process provides a clear pathway for a company to register them. 

Want to start a Brand Review? Please ensure your request is submitted through the Brand Review Request form and includes all necessary supporting evidence.

Resources & Further Guidance:

B Corp Certification Requirements for B Corps, Section 4 Register Company Brands

Email brand@bcorporation.net  if you have further questions.