May 1, 2026
By Melissa Orozco
We’ve been a part of the B Corp movement for 13 years – if you count our early “pending B Corp” days at Yulu. I remember, fondly, the “Jay days.” It was an era where collective action was the default setting and we wore our rigorous certification as a badge of honour. We were proud to fail the first time because it meant the bar was actually high. It meant the process was truly rigorous.
Walking into the B Corp Champions Retreat in Milwaukee last week, the energy felt like a love-filled homecoming. But I’ll be honest, I also felt a slight shift. In certain rooms, that original fighting spirit was still loud, and in others, it was muffled with conversations and angst over the new standards. I found myself wondering, “where did that old fighting spirit go?”
The Truth About the Rebuild
While navigating the necessary friction of scaling a global movement, I also saw my fellow warriors still out on the field – resilient, unyielding, and ready to reclaim the radical spirit that built this house in the first place.
Let’s be clear: I’m not interested in trying to win back the big corporations who attempted to burn down the movement with their noisy exits, all in the name of short-lived PR. If a company is not inspired by what we are trying to achieve, they can quietly step aside. The amount of energy and diplomacy spent on handling those situations, when there is real work to be done, is not how we build a movement. It’s how we slow it down.
B Lab is in an impossible position – managing a massive global transition while having to defend the institution from people within it. They cannot fight this battle alone. The responsibility falls on us, the business owners, to protect the house we built.
The Death of Neutral Branding
We are currently losing the battle of brand advocacy. In the current political and social climate, there is a quiet majority that needs a stronger signal. We’ve been talking a lot about the “Green Shouting” guide that has been circulating, but why stop at green? The era of neutral branding is dead. Brand advocacy has never been more important.
The louder we shout, the more others will too. If the verification process within the standards is going to require an additional investment for your global operations, before you debate whether you should recertify, ask yourself:
- What is the business ROI of having this logo on my packaging?
- What is the return on employee retention?
- What would a business that isn’t afraid to shout its values do?
- Most importantly: Do we really want the standards to stay stagnant? Of course we don’t. The true B Corp spirit embraces and invites evolving standards.
Walking the Talk
One of my biggest takeaways from the retreat was the power of where our money “sleeps” at night. Yulu is officially moving our US banking to Beneficial State Bank. It’s a simple but mighty action, and I’m looking forward to rallying more B Corp owners to move their capital to values-aligned institutions. We are also actively encouraging our clients to do the same.
The Power of the Peer Network
Reconnecting with “OGs” like Jocelyn Corbett, Andy Fyfe, Ellonda Williams, Briana Humes, Janis Abbingsole, Justin at Habitus, and Julia Gotwald, reminded me of the deep roots we have here. At the same time, forming new connections with Terra Neilson & Jay Blury (Beneficial State Bank), Anita and Kate Huibers (Tru Earth), Jarami Bond (Bond Creative), Anji Chandra (Oxfam), Aurora Archer (The Opt-In), and many more, showed me that the architecture for the next decade is already being built.
The technical rigor is absolutely still there. From discussing sustainable packaging innovations with Taylor Stanley (MadeGood) and Renaud Desrosiers (Amy’s Kitchen), to exploring 1% for the Planet certifications with Jamie Booth and Greg Hemmings, to seeing powerful opening keynotes from Dr. Michael McAfee from PolicyLink, and an inspiring closing fireside chat with Leigh Barns at Intrepid Travel about responsible and respectful tourism – the expertise in this community is higher than ever. We just need the bravery to match it.
The Architecture of Impact
I am viciously in the corner of this movement because of what it has done for Yulu, my team, and businesses globally. It hasn’t been perfect, but look at what it has done for workplace policies everywhere, for countless equitable policy reforms, for businesses being held accountable. These things are all still radical and cool.
While the impact space across the U.S. has slowed, it is not dead. It is time to start shouting again. Please join us in finding your courage. And shout it. Yulu is moving our money this month. What bold step or commitment will you make this year?
Are you looking to elevate your brand’s purpose? Learn more about our social impact PR and environmental sustainability services at Yulu Public Relations.