The UK’s B Corps are outforming other businesses for growth, investment and resilience, according to new research.
The report by B Lab UK said that UK B Corps, companies that have been verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, saw 20% turnover growth in 2024-25, compared to just 3% for all UK SMEs.
B Corps also grew employee headcount by 11%, compared to 2% for all UK SMEs.
On investment, B Corps received a median of £1.5 million in growth funding from external investors, 18% more than other UK businesses (£1.3 million), while they are more likely to have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic as 93% of B Corps have remained active since 2020, compared to 84% of UK businesses.
UK B Corps are also 26% more likely to pay living wages to all workers and 31% more likely to limit wage gaps between the highest and lowest earners to less than 5:1. In addition, 14% of UK B Corps are employee-owned, compared to less than 1% of all UK businesses.
B Corps in the UK
The report said there are now 2,600 B Corps in the UK, the largest country community of B Corps in the world.
With 1,000+, London is the region with the most B Corps. That’s followed by more than 400 in South West England.
Almost a third (30%) of UK B Corps are women-owned, compared to 15% of all SMEs, while 9% are ethnic minority-owned, compared to 7% of all SMEs.
Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said:
“Over the past decade, our community has shown that a more human approach to business is both possible and profitable. With real momentum, B Corps are demonstrating the leadership we need at a time of uncertainty by creating lasting impact and demonstrating what’s possible when companies lead with purpose.”
Writing the foreward to the report, Dragons’ Den investor Deborah Meaden said:
“A perfect business doesn’t exist. I’ve seen first-hand that good businesses come in all shapes and sizes. And while being one isn’t always easy, I’ve never been more convinced that it’s the right thing to do.
“We’ve seen the consequences of a system in which, for too long, success has only been measured by profit. Over time, we’ve come to realise that the future-fit businesses we
need in order to endure are ones that innovate, attract and retain talent, treat their customers with dignity, and play their part in protecting our planet.
“B Corps are a model of this approach, demonstrating that profit and purpose go hand in hand, showing what’s possible for the wider business ecosystem when you commit to ensuring that your actions speak louder than words.
“Politics can be slow. But business, when it sets its mind to something, can create impact at speed and scale.”
B Lab will introduce new standards for assessing which companies becoming a B Corp in 2026.
Under the changes, all certification assessments and decisions will be conducted entirely through third-party verification which the organisation says “increases credibility and ensuring future-proof compliance with changing EU regulations”.
It added: “The changes will also see B Corps move from cumulative point scoring to new minimum requirements that all B Corps must meet across seven impact topics, increasing transparency for the public.”