Impact Business Models in Practice: The B Consultant’s Guide to Deep BIA Strategy

Discussion Scenario 2: “Flagged for Risk: Now What?”

Based on: Chapter 3 – Risk and the Disclosure Questionnaire

Scenario:
An environmental consulting firm based in Malaysia serves several clients in the mining and fossil fuel industries. While their core services promote sustainability, they’re concerned their client list could jeopardize their B Corp eligibility. They also discovered that the Disclosure Questionnaire flags industries their clients operate in—even if they aren’t directly engaged in them.

Discussion Prompts:

1. How would you guide the company in addressing affirmative disclosures when their services aim to mitigate (rather than worsen) environmental impacts?
2. What should the company prepare in anticipation of a risk review, and how can they strengthen their case using best practices?
3. How can you turn this into an opportunity for transparency and alignment with evolving B Lab risk standards?