illycaffè renews its B Corp certification under the new B Lab standards

illycaffè, the historic Trieste-based company that produces and distributes premium coffee, first became a B Corp in 2021, after becoming a Società Benefit (Benefit Corporation) in 2019. In 2026 it took on the new B Lab standards: clearer, more structured requirements, verified by independent third parties and set to become more demanding over time. At the end of this journey, supported by NATIVA, illycaffè once again obtained B Corp certification.

What is new lies in the standards themselves. The new framework no longer uses a points system: it requires companies to meet requirements across seven specific Impact Topics: Climate Action, Purpose and Stakeholder Governance, Environmental Stewardship and Circularity, Human Rights, Fair Work, Government Affairs and Collective Action, and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).

To renew its certification, illycaffè had to meet the requirements across all the Impact Topics set out in the standards. The greatest value of the whole process was that it pushed the company to explore two material topics in an even more structured way: biodiversity and human rights along the coffee supply chain. The process required mapping the highest-risk areas, with stakeholder involvement, and then defining mitigation and improvement actions. Alongside this came strong engagement of people on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). And because the new standards look at the company as a whole, from suppliers to communication, illycaffè organised internal webinars and kick-off briefings from the very start: an opportunity to engage the entire company and raise awareness on sustainability topics.

NATIVA supported illycaffè throughout the recertification journey, providing:

• a preliminary strategic assessment to measure the gap between the performance already achieved and the requirements of the new standards, topic by topic, including the Group's new corporate structure;
• ongoing recertification support, with detailed mapping of the compliance criteria and assistance in gathering documentary evidence;
• support in completing the B Impact Assessment.

The B Corp journey led illycaffè to build new internal processes, confirming that B Corp is also a tool for business evolution. Part of the work done to achieve certification is also proving useful for the requirements of other standards, including the ESRS.

In three years, like every B Corp, illycaffè will have to recertify, facing even more demanding requirements.

"Being part of the B Corp movement means embracing a business model that measures its success not only through economic results, but also through its responsible and ongoing contribution to the wellbeing of people, communities and the environment. Recertification under the new standards is an important recognition of the path we have taken and, at the same time, a further incentive to keep pursuing continuous improvement with rigour, transparency and consistency with the values that have always guided our work."
David Brussa, Total Quality and Sustainability Director, illycaffè

illycaffè is one of more than 500 companies that NATIVA has supported on journeys of sustainability and value creation. Discover how NATIVA supports companies in B Corp certification and recertification.