“Sustainability alone is not enough. But when businesses lead with courage and act together, we start to build the world we actually want to live in.”
Last week, Greenheart hosted our B Corp Month panel discussion – and what unfolded over the next hour was one of the richest, most honest conversations we’ve had in years. Not a slide in sight. Just three extraordinary leaders sharing what they really think about where the B Corp movement stands right now, and what it needs to do next.
We were joined by Sarah Schwimmer, Co-Lead Executive at B Lab Global; Jessie Macneil-Brown, Head of Social Mission Europe at Ben & Jerry’s; and Kate Ogden, Head of Advocacy and Movement Building at Seventh Generation. Three people who live and breathe this work, who refused to offer easy answers – and who left us, frankly, more energised than when we started.
Here’s what we took away.
This is the moment B Corp was born for
If the last few years have felt noisy and destabilising – politically, economically, socially – that’s not an accident. As Sarah put it with clarity and conviction:
“The way the economy works is not the weather. It’s not natural law. It’s because of design choices.”
And that’s precisely why movements like this exist.
Sarah drew a powerful parallel with the early 20th century in the United States: a moment of extreme wealth inequality, eroding democratic norms and massive social unrest – followed, within a decade, by some of the most significant expansions of rights and protections in modern history. This didn’t happen naturally, but because people were organised, aligned around shared values and took action.
The point was to offer the perspective of history, not false comfort. We are somewhere in a very long relay race. And this particular leg – the one we’re running now – matters.
For Thomas Bourne, Greenheart’s founder and the session’s host, that framing resonated deeply: “Every real moment of historic change has started with a moment like this. Where everything is messy and confusing and uncomfortable. We’re here to live through it – and to lead it.”
Business behaviour is more visible than ever
One of the session’s central themes was trust – and what businesses do with it.
Jessie flagged the Edelman Trust Barometer findings that have been a quiet drumbeat in sustainability circles for several years now: since Covid, trust in governments and media has declined, while trust in business has grown. That’s not a reason to celebrate. It’s a responsibility:“The question for us isn’t whether we have influence. It’s how we use it.”
At Ben & Jerry’s, the test applied before any public stance or act of advocacy is simple but clarifying: are we going to add clarity, or just add to the noise? Is there shared benefit here? Or is this just performance?
Jessie identified three responsibilities for B Corp leaders right now:
- Hold the line on what good looks like. The pressure to soften commitments – internally and externally – is real. Don’t give in to it. B Corps should remain disciplined, transparent and evidence-led. People need to see the difference between values and performance.
- Use a collective voice. Lone voices are easy to dismiss. Movements are not. Show up with others who have lived experience and expertise. Align around your non-negotiables – human rights, climate, inequality – and speak from that coalition.
- Be useful. Ben & Jerry’s own research found that customers who understand their social mission are more active advocates, and increasingly want to be shown how to get involved.
People are looking for leadership that converts concern into action.
On scrutiny and credibility: don’t take the bait
The B Corp movement has faced increasing scrutiny – from journalists, academics and inside the community itself. The new, more rigorous standards have raised questions. High-profile companies have attracted difficult headlines.
Some of that scrutiny is fair. Some of it, less so.
“They’re going to come for us. When you hear that criticism, when doubt is creeping in – that’s what they want. Don’t let it win.” — Jessie McNeil-Brown
Sarah added nuance from B Lab’s perspective: not all criticism is bad-faith. There is legitimate, invested critique from within the movement that will make it stronger. The skill is in learning to parse the difference – between those who want B Corp to improve and those who want it to fail.
The new standards – now live and being used for certification – are more comprehensive and more demanding. That’s intentional. B Corp was always designed as proof of concept: not that a better business is possible in theory, but that it’s happening, measurably, right now. Higher standards strengthen that proof.
Finding your issue: where to start
One of the most practical exchanges of the session came in response to an audience question: how do you identify which issue your business should lead on, if sustainability isn’t already your core expertise?
Kate’s answer was generous and grounded. Start inside. Most businesses have values – whether written down or simply lived. Interrogate them. What does your business actually care about, as a group of people? What might that suggest in terms of advocacy, the kind of policy platform, the kind of collective you might join?
It doesn’t have to be about what you make or the service you provide. It might be about transparency, or how you treat your supply chain, or how you believe communities should be supported. Start there. Let that be the thread you follow.
And for larger businesses, Tom noted, the new B Corp standards now require materiality assessments and purpose statements – essentially prompting exactly this kind of enquiry: “What are you intrinsically here for?”
Commercial Tension is real – and worth fighting through
The final question of the day went to the heart of it: how do leaders navigate the tension between commercial pressures and advocating for long-term societal good?
“You cannot have a healthy business on a sick planet. All of these bills are going to come due eventually.” — Kate Ogden
The role of the business leader, in Kate’s framing, is to keep lifting people’s heads up – helping colleagues and teams see the horizon when the short-term view is clouded. To remind people, consistently, that change takes time and that the fight is worth it.
Jessie added: bring your teams with you. Help them understand that policy change is slow, that this is a long game and that internal advocacy matters as much as external. And use the data. Ben & Jerry’s research shows clearly that customers who understand a brand’s social mission are more likely to buy, and more loyal when they do.
Closing thoughts from the panel
We asked each panellist for a single closing thought. Here’s what they left us with:
- Sarah Schwimmer, B Lab Global: “People everywhere are looking for two things: community – the validation that they’re not imagining this – and action. What can I do? The B Corp community isn’t the answer to everything. But it is one answer.”
- Jessie Macneil-Brown, Ben & Jerry’s: “B Corp is more than claims and certification. It really is a movement. We need to turn up, be thoughtful about what we consistently choose to do, and commit to it. Consistency. Commitment. Collective.”
- Kate Ogden, Seventh Generation: “If you’re here, you’re playing this game on hard mode – by choice. The role of collective action is to move us to a place where that’s just the norm. You are building the world as you want it to be, within the world as it is today.”
What this means for your business
If today’s conversation sparked something for you, you’re not alone.
At Greenheart, we work with businesses who want to move beyond the compliance mindset – who see B Corp not as a box to tick but as a foundation to build on. Whether you’re exploring certification for the first time, preparing for recertification under the new standards, or trying to figure out how to lead with genuine purpose in a complicated world – we’d love to talk.
Get in touch at greenheartbusiness.com or find us on LinkedIn.
Greenheart hosted this panel discussion as part of B Corp Month 2026. Watch the full recording here:
