Certified B Corporation
And getting even better...
Most of what we do is small on a global scale: from using regional raw materials in our products to the climate-neutral manufacture of our products with 40 employees, whom we want to treat as a family business with respect and responsibility. Nevertheless – or precisely for that reason – we must give our best. Half a year ago, we decided to pursue the most comprehensive and demanding sustainability certification we know. Not so much as a "reward", but as inspiration to become better (and we did indeed become better in the process of certification).
Since 13 November 2019, PNZ-Produkte GmbH has been officially certified as a B Corporation.
B Corporation certifies across five areas:
- Governance: sustainable, inclusive corporate leadership and clear purpose (topics assessed range from business ethics and transparency to amendments to the articles of association to safeguard the sustainability philosophy)
- Workers: fair pay, equal treatment, minority protection, inclusion, working conditions, and much more
- Community: regional community work, civic engagement and ensuring these values throughout the entire supply chain
- Environment: air, climate protection, water, land and biosphere are all assessed here, as well as the improvement of environmentally harmful industry standards through innovative technologies (the latter was a major topic for us, for which we received many "bonus points")
- Customers: customer treatment and good business practice
Our results
In 2024 we were recertified, achieving an improvement in our B Impact Score – the measure of our demonstrable sustainability efforts – from 115 to over 139 points.
We are particularly proud that we are the first paint manufacturer in Germany and the second in the world to have achieved certification.
We have also gained many insights and starting points for how we can become even more environmentally friendly, better and more sustainable in the future – and that is part of it: we look forward to the journey ahead!
2026: We are certifying under the new standards – as the first company in Germany
On 16 May 2026 we submitted our documentation for recertification.
The new B Lab Standards (V2.2) were only published in their final form in February 2026 – following a multi-year consultation process involving over 26,000 pieces of feedback from around the world. Certification submissions under these standards have only been accepted since March 2026. We are therefore among the first companies in Germany to take this path.
Why so early? The new standards are for the first time fully compliant with the EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo / ECGT). Any B Corp wishing to engage in B2C communications within the EU must be certified under these standards – by September 2026 at the latest. We did not want to wait.
The new standards are fundamentally different from the previous ones: no more points system, but binding minimum requirements across seven Impact Topics – with escalating requirements after three and five years. Those who meet them have demonstrably done more. We are ready.
The seven new Impact Topics – all individual requirements
Instead of the previous five areas, B Lab now assesses seven – and weaknesses in one area can no longer be offset by strengths in another. All requirements must be met. The table below shows all individual requirements relevant to manufacturing companies of our size, phased by Year 0 (initial certification), Year 3 and Year 5.
Basis: B Lab Standards V2.2 (February 2026) · Size category: Small (10–49 FTE) · Sector: Manufacturing · Country: Germany (no Equity opt-outs)
Foundation Requirements (FR)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR1.1 | Embed purpose in founding documents (Articles of Association) | ✓ | ||
| FR1.2 | Public transparency about assessment results | ✓ | ||
| FR1.3 | No serious exclusion criteria (corruption, weapons, tobacco, fossil fuels, etc.) | ✓ | ||
| FR1.4 | Agreement to B Corp Agreement and terms of use | ✓ |
Purpose & Stakeholder Governance (PSG)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSG1.1 | Corporate purpose publicly defined and communicated | ✓ | ||
| PSG1.2 | Governance structure to oversee purpose, social and environmental performance | ✓ | ||
| PSG1.3 | Feedback channel / complaints mechanism for stakeholders | ✓ | ||
| PSG2.1 | Stakeholder involvement in strategic decisions documented | ✓ | ||
| PSG3.1 | Regular review and update of governance structures | ✓ |
Climate Action (CA)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA1.1 | Public commitment to 1.5°C alignment | ✓ | ||
| CA2.1 | Measure greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1+2 minimum) | ✓ | ||
| CA3.1 | Set reduction targets (for SMEs: qualitative or quantitative) | ✓ | ||
| CA3.3 | Public Climate Action Plan with measures and timeline | ✓ | ||
| CA3.6 | Annual progress reporting | ✓ | ||
| CA4.1 | Record Scope 3 emissions (material categories) | ✓ | ||
| CA5.1 | Science-Based Targets or equivalent validation | ✓ |
Fair Work (FW)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW1.1 | Fair wages: Living Wage or collective agreement for lowest-paid employees | ✓ | ||
| FW1.2 | Respect fundamental workers' rights (ILO core labour standards) | ✓ | ||
| FW2.1 | Health & safety at work: system / policy in place | ✓ | ||
| FW2.2 | Employee feedback mechanism (e.g. survey, open door) | ✓ | ||
| FW2.8 | Choose and implement one fair wage practice (3 options) | ✓ | ||
| FW3.1 | Communicate pay structure and review process | ✓ | ||
| FW4.1 | Development and training opportunities for all employees | ✓ |
Human Rights (HR)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR1.1 | Public human rights policy / commitment | ✓ | ||
| HR1.2 | Identify human rights risks in own operations | ✓ | ||
| HR2.1 | Consider human rights aspects in procurement decisions | ✓ | ||
| HR3.1 | Implement measures to mitigate identified risks | ✓ | ||
| HR4.1 | Supplier engagement on human rights (Tier-1 suppliers) | ✓ | ||
| HR5.1 | Extended supply chain monitoring for high-risk materials | ✓ |
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEDI1.1 | JEDI commitment / policy publicly communicated | ✓ | ||
| JEDI1.2 | JEDI survey or feedback mechanism for employees | ✓ | ||
| JEDI2.1 | Implement at least 2 JEDI measures from 19 options | ✓ | ||
| JEDI3.1 | JEDI action plan with timeline and responsibilities | ✓ | ||
| JEDI4.1 | Collect diversity data and report internally | ✓ | ||
| JEDI5.1 | External JEDI impact (community, supply chain) | ✓ |
Environmental Stewardship & Circularity (ESC)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESC1.1 | Environmental management system or policy in place | ✓ | ||
| ESC1.2 | Measure energy and water consumption | ✓ | ||
| ESC1.3 | Waste management: record volumes, set reduction targets | ✓ | ||
| ESC1.4 | Manage hazardous substances / chemicals (for manufacturing: especially relevant) | ✓ | ||
| ESC1.5 | Assess whether site is located in or near ecologically sensitive areas | ✓ | ||
| ESC2.1 | Set environmental targets and document measures | ✓ | ||
| ESC3.1 | Integrate circular economy principles into product development | ✓ | ||
| ESC3.2 | Assess supply chain for environmental risks | ✓ | ||
| ESC4.1 | Extended circularity: demonstrate product take-back, recyclability | ✓ |
Government Affairs & Collective Action (GACA)
| Code | Requirement | Year 0 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GACA1.1 | Ethical advocacy: no covert payments, no corruption | ✓ | ||
| GACA2.1 | Collective action: choose one of 5 options (e.g. UN Global Compact, industry initiative, open source) | ✓ | ||
| GACA3.1 | Document active contribution to systemic change | ✓ |
Source: B Lab Standards V2.2 (February 2026) · Always verify against the official document for certification purposes.
Fellow B Corporations in Germany
We are not alone. A whole range of renowned, committed companies have embarked on a similar journey to ours. A selection of German B Corporations can be found here:
