Why We Became India’s First Certified B Corporation

“For me, it wasn’t just about the certification. It was a way to hold ourselves accountable. It was a self-evaluation tool to check: Are we really living our impact? Are we doing what we said we set out to do? Where are we strong, and where do we need to improve?” says Sahar Mansoor, Founder of Bare Necessities Zero Waste Solutions. 

Beyond the Buzzword

In India, the word “sustainability” is everywhere, from product labels to advertisements. But behind this hype, what does it truly mean for a business to act responsibly? At Bare Necessities, we wanted to go beyond and prove our impact to the world. That’s why we chose to become India’s first Certified B Corporation, a global recognition that measures how a business treats people and the planet, not just its profits.

In our founder, Sahar’s words “For me, sustainability has been something I’ve cared about for more than a decade. I’ve studied it, worked in the climate and renewable energy space, and knew early on that I wanted to build something that created real, positive impact. I wanted my work to matter.”

Globally, over 9,000 companies have earned B Corp certification, signalling a growing change in how business measures impact beyond profit. In India, the movement is still early-stage: fewer than 20 companies have been certified since 2016. So when we at Bare Necessities became certified in April 2024, with an overall B Impact Score of 103.3 , we not only met the global bar but broke new ground in India’s FMCG sector.

Our certification precedes other Indian FMCG names and places us among the pioneers in the country.

What Being a B Corp Means

A B Corp certification, awarded by the non-profit B Lab, is an outcome of a rigorous evaluation process that examines every part of a company’s DNA: governance, workers, community, customers, and environment. It demands transparency, accountability, and measurable social and environmental performance.

Reflecting on their journey to becoming India’s first certified B Corp , Sahar conveys “so when I started Bare Necessities, becoming a B Corp felt like a natural extension of our mission. The actual process took a year and a half,  answering what felt like 50,000 questions and going through deep due diligence, but getting certified was a full-circle moment for us”.

Yes, the certification did push us to ask difficult questions such as: 

• Are our supply chains ethical?

• Are our workers paid fair wages?

• Do our products truly reduce waste, or just shift it elsewhere?

Our Path to Certification

Sahar traces the roots of her commitment to responsible business back to her college years “Patagonia was a huge inspiration when I was in college, it was the first time I saw that business didn’t have to be just about profit. It showed me that companies could live their values, not just talk about them. From that point on, I started paying attention to brands that openly articulated their impact or were B Corp certified.”

This early influence became the foundation of Bare Necessities’ approach to sustainability.

Long before we began the certification process, our work was already aligned with many of the principles the B Corporation framework upholds:

• Ethical sourcing and fair wages in all collaborations with local producers and artisans

• Plastic-free, zero-waste packaging guiding our product design

• A women-led team shaping how our operations run

• UNESCO-recognised Bare Learning educational platform, reaching 500,000+ individuals and 500+ corporates with sustainability education

The formal certification journey took over 1.5 years, involving:

• Detailed documentation and spreadsheets

• Evidence gathering for every impact-related claim

• Ongoing measurement of social and environmental practices

• A deep review of sourcing, production, team policies, and community work

The process pushed us to quantify what we had been practising intuitively:

• Clearly articulate our impact

• Identify strengths and gaps

• Root our values in measurable outcomes, not assumptions

Why It Matters, Especially in India

In a rapidly developing economy like India, businesses hold immense potential to influence social and environmental outcomes. Yet, greenwashing and vague sustainability claims often dilute public trust.

Becoming a B Corp, for us, was about rebuilding that trust,  not through words, but through verified action. It’s about showing that Indian enterprises can compete globally and uphold high standards of ethics and transparency.

When customers choose our products, they’re not just choosing natural ingredients or plastic-free packaging. They’re choosing a system of accountability, one that values the wellbeing of workers, communities, and the planet as much as business growth.

Looking Ahead

The certification is not an endpoint. It’s a mirror that reminds us to keep improving. Each B Corp assessment cycle pushes us to raise the bar, to innovate packaging further, deepen community engagement, and share what we’ve learned with other small businesses in India.

Why does it matter that a small Indian company chose to go through such a demanding global process?

Because representation matters. India’s sustainability story must include verified examples of enterprises that combine ethics with efficiency, compassion with competitiveness.

At Bare Necessities, we believe that trust is built through transparency. As consumers become more conscious, they deserve more than promises. They deserve proof. 

Becoming a Certified B Corporation is our way of saying: we’re accountable, we’re learning, and we’re here to do business differently by keeping people, planet, and profit in mind.