Dr. Bronner’s Soap Brand to Dump B Corp Certification
Dr. Bronner’s, a leading natural soap brand soap in North America and the highest- scoring B Corp, has revealed it will discontinue its B Corp Certification and not renew with B Lab, the global organization that manages the certification program for socially conscious companies. The move follows a multiyear campaign by Dr. Bronner’s asking B Lab to improve the B Corp standard. According to Dr. Bronner’s, B Lab hasn’t kept its promise to put in place new standards to prevent the dilution of the B Corp mission and protect the certification from being used by companies who wish to use the designation to portray themselves as more ethical than they are in practice.
“As a purpose-driven company, we do business to model a more just economy, and to demonstrate that a truly constructive multi-stakeholder approach to capitalism could be the norm,” David and Michael Bronner, the CEO and president, respectively, of Vista, Calif.-based Dr. Bronner’s, wrote in a statement. “The integrity of the B Corp Certification has become compromised and remaining certified now contradicts our mission.”
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The Bronners pointed to “the increasing certification of … large multinational CPG companies with a history of serious ecological and labor issues, and no comprehensive or credible eco-social certification of supply chains” as a key reason for their decision to cut ties with B Corp., adding that they “have not seen adequate, transparent and timely action from B Lab to update the standards or certification process to address our concerns.” They expressed the hope, however, that their exit “will prompt necessary and overdue action, and that allies who remain B Corp Certified will continue to push to improve the standard from the inside.”
Dr. Bronner’s first became certified as a B Corp in 2015. The company’s score has risen with each recertification, and in 2022, the company achieved the highest B Corp score globally to date of 206.7, surpassing the previous score ceiling of 200. The median score for all companies that complete the assessment is 50.9, and a score of 80 qualifies a company for certification. The company said that it will remain a legally registered benefit corporation in California, which allows for a company’s bylaws and fiduciary obligations to include social and environmental interests as stakeholders and establishes that profit isn’t the only guiding incentive for business decisions.
As part of its efforts to persuade B Lab to revise its standard and certification process, Dr. Bronner’s and other B Corps issued an open letter in June 2022. In January 2023, Dr. Bronner’s sent a private letter to B Lab leadership, noting that if the standards weren’t updated by 2024, the company would likely drop its B Corp Certification instead of recertifying.
Dr. Bronner’s annual B Corp Certification fee is paid through September 2025. The company has already begun removing the B Corp logo from its branding and marketing materials.
When contacted by Progressive Grocer, a B Lab representative sent a statement that read in part: “B Lab remains deeply committed to our mission around shifting capitalism to work for all people, communities and planet, to enable economic system change. Feedback from community and stakeholders informs our continuous improvement process, a process rooted in our belief that catalyzing business as a force for good is a journey rather than a destination.”
The organization added that as a result of “actively engaging with [its] global community,” it will soon publish new standards, which will “address today’s most urgent social and environmental challenges, providing clear, impactful requirements that companies must meet in order to deliver leadership and systemic change, in alignment with B Lab’s mission.” B Lab declined to address Dr. Bronner’s decision specifically.
Founded in the United States in 1948, family-owned Dr. Bronner’s is the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America, as well as a maker of fair trade and organic chocolate. In 2024, Dr. Bronner’s generated an estimated $209 million in net revenue and gave an estimated $8 million to charitable and activist causes. The company marked 75 years in business in 2023.
