What Is Mission Lock and Why Is It Central to Becoming a B Corp?2 min read
When businesses pursue B Corp certification, much of the attention tends to fall on the B Impact Assessment. Scoring systems, benchmarks, and categories dominate the conversation. But quietly underpinning the entire certification process is something less visible but more consequential: the requirement to become Mission Locked. It is one of the most significant steps on the path to certification and marks a real shift in how a business defines and protects its purpose.
What is B Corp's Mission Lock?
Mission Lock is the legal foundation of B Corp certification. In the UK, it requires a business to amend its Articles of Association to include precise legal language set by B Lab. This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a structural change that obliges companies to consider the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, when making decisions.
That includes:
- Workers
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Communities
- The environment
By making this change, companies formally commit to operating for the benefit of people and planet alongside profit. This is what B Lab refers to as the triple bottom line, and Mission Lock ensures it is embedded at the highest level of company governance.
Why Mission Lock Is Essential for Becoming a B-Corp
A mission statement can live on a website. Mission Lock lives in your constitution. By incorporating this legal requirement, a company makes its purpose legally binding. Directors are required to act in good faith to achieve not just financial success but a broader social and environmental impact. This obligation is reinforced by a requirement to report annually on performance. Mission Lock exists for a reason. It is a safeguard. It ensures that a company’s values are not vulnerable to changes in leadership, commercial pressures, or shifts in ownership and signals that the business is structurally committed to stakeholder governance, not just in good times, but in all times.
How Businesses Implement Mission Lock
We are currently preparing to implement Mission Lock as part of our B Corp journey. This involves reviewing B Lab’s legal wording, understanding its implications, and engaging our shareholders on the proposed constitutional change. To meet the requirement, we will need to secure a special resolution passed by at least 75 percent of shareholders. Once approved, we will file the amended Articles of Association with Companies House. We are also working with a consultant to ensure that our policies, practices, and governance align not only with the legal language but with its intent.
Find out more on B Corp website
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