Better Business Act

What Better Business Act does

Better Business Act is a UK policy campaign operated by B Lab UK, a registered charity (No. 1164694) established in 2015. Launched in March 2021, the campaign advocates amending Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to require UK company directors to balance shareholder interests with those of employees, communities, and the environment — effectively shifting the legal default from shareholder primacy to stakeholder governance. It is not a commercial enterprise: it sells no products or services, generates no revenue, and operates through a small 4–5 person core team supported by B Lab UK as Secretariat.

The campaign's go-to-market is community- and coalition-led. It has assembled a coalition of more than 3,000 UK businesses and organisations — up from approximately 300 at launch — including prominent names such as Virgin, Iceland, Tony's Chocolonely, The Body Shop, Patagonia, John Lewis Partnership, Danone, and Ben & Jerry's, alongside institutional endorsers like the Institute of Directors, ShareAction, and RSPB. The coalition is co-chaired by Mary Portas OBE and Douglas Lamont (CEO of Tony's Chocolonely, former CEO of innocent drinks) and enjoys public endorsements from figures including former Unilever CEO Paul Polman. Distribution relies on direct MP advocacy (letter-writing tools, constituency MP meetings, an annual Better Business Day in Westminster), multi-channel digital communications, earned media, and research outputs such as the 2023 'Purpose Dividend' report with Demos, which claimed a potential £149bn annual uplift to UK GDP from purpose-led reform.

Better Business Act does not use underlying technology beyond standard digital communications infrastructure. Its primary outputs are policy advocacy, research publications, toolkits, and events. The campaign is funded indirectly through B Lab UK's charitable operations rather than the Better Business Act entity itself. By 2024–2025, the campaign had achieved inclusion of its proposals in Liberal Democrat and Green Party manifestos and secured a Private Members' Bill aligned with its aims, signalling growing cross-party traction — though the core legislative change has not yet been enacted.

Name

Better Business Act

Legal name

B Lab UK

Website

https://betterbusinessact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Better Business Act is a UK non-profit policy campaign, operated by B Lab UK since 2021, that advocates amending Section 172 of the Companies Act to require directors to consider stakeholders alongside shareholders. It serves UK policymakers and businesses through a 3,000+ member coalition and direct MP advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Advocacy / Corporate Governance Reform

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN), Governance, Democracy & Rule of Law (BPAGABAI), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy
• Corporate governance reform
• Stakeholder capitalism
• Responsible business
• Company law amendment

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. The Better Business Act is a non-profit policy campaign initiative. It does not generate revenue from products or services. The campaign is led by B Lab UK as Secretariat and funded through B Lab UK's operations as a registered charity (No. 1164694).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Better Business Act is a policy campaign advocating for the amendment of Section 172 of the UK Companies Act 2006 to require company directors to align shareholder interests with those of wider society and the environment. The campaign recruits businesses into a coalition, engages MPs, publishes research, and organises events to build political support for changing the legal default for UK companies from shareholder primacy to stakeholder governance.

Product overview

Better Business Act is a policy campaign organization led by B Lab UK, not a product or software company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The organization operates as a coalition advocating for amendments to UK company law (specifically Section 172 of the Companies Act) to require businesses to balance shareholder interests with wider society and environmental considerations. The campaign provides toolkits, resources, and advocacy materials for supporters but these are informational/political campaign assets rather than commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• £149bn potential boost to UK GDP per year from purpose-led business reform
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DemoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Demos is a leading UK think tank that partnered with B Lab UK to produce 'The Purpose Dividend' report (November 2023), exploring the potential economic benefits of purpose-led business in the UK. The research found that changing company law could add £149bn to UK GDP per year.
• Kin + CartaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2023Kin + Carta provided support for the 'Wake Up to Better Business' campaign launch in April 2023, helping to amplify the campaign message and engage with policymakers in Westminster.
• Holly BransonminorOthers · 1 April 2023Holly Branson, Chief Purpose and Vision Officer at Virgin Group, participated in campaign events including the 'Wake Up to Better Business' Westminster breakfast, speaking on the importance of amending company articles to change business for good.
• Douglas LamontcoreOthers · 1 October 2022Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony's Chocolonely (formerly CEO of innocent drinks for 9 years), serves as Co-Chair of the Better Business Act campaign alongside Mary Portas. He provides leadership from the business community and has grown innocent drinks to £300m turnover.
• Mary Portas OBEcoreOthers · 1 March 2022Mary Portas, founder and chief creative officer of Portas agency and former government advisor on high streets, joined as Co-Chair of the Better Business Act campaign in March 2022. She brings high-profile advocacy, media presence, and business expertise to the campaign.
• Virgin GroupcoreOthers · 1 March 2021Virgin Group was one of the founding coalition members when the Better Business Act launched in March 2021. Holly Branson, Chief Purpose and Vision Officer at Virgin, has been a prominent advocate for the campaign, writing blog posts and participating in campaign events.
• B Lab UKcoreOthers · 1 March 2021B Lab UK is the non-profit organisation that initiated the Better Business Act campaign and serves as its Secretariat. B Lab UK is a registered charity (No. 1164694) established in 2015 to serve the community of Certified B Corporations in the UK.
• Paul PolmanminorOthers · 1 March 2021Paul Polman, co-founder and co-chair of IMAGINE and former CEO of Unilever, is a prominent supporter of the Better Business Act. He has publicly endorsed the campaign, stating that businesses need minimum expectations to contribute positively to society.
• Innocent drinkscoreOthers · 1 March 2021Innocent drinks (now part of Coca-Cola) was an early coalition member. CEO Douglas Lamont served as Co-Chair of the campaign before moving to Tony's Chocolonely. Innocent is known for its purpose-driven approach and B Corp certification.
• IcelandcoreOthers · 1 March 2021The frozen food retailer Iceland is a prominent coalition member, advocating for the Better Business Act as part of its commitment to responsible business practices.
• Tony's ChocolonelycoreOthers · 1 March 2021Tony's Chocolonely is a B Corp certified chocolate company and its CEO Douglas Lamont co-chairs the Better Business Act campaign. The company is known for its mission to make chocolate production slavery-free.
• The Body ShopcoreOthers · 1 March 2021The Body Shop is a long-standing advocate for ethical business and a coalition member supporting the Better Business Act.
• Institute of DirectorscoreOthers · 1 March 2021The Institute of Directors (IoD), a prestigious UK business organisation, backs the Better Business Act campaign, providing credibility among business leaders and directors.
• RSPBminorOthers · 1 March 2021The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) joined the coalition to advocate for business action to protect nature and biodiversity.
• ShareActionminorOthers · 1 March 2021ShareAction, an investment advocacy organisation focused on responsible investment, supports the Better Business Act campaign.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• B Lab Global: Global parent of B Lab UK and operator of the worldwide B Corp certification standard. Directly comparable as the institutional ecosystem that the Better Business Act campaign sits within and leverages for mobilisation and credibility.
• Business in the Community: UK business-led membership organisation focused on responsible business practice. Comparable as a coalition of UK businesses promoting purpose-led corporate behaviour, though operates through voluntary frameworks rather than legislative amendment.
• Friends of the Earth: Major UK environmental advocacy organisation running coalition campaigns on corporate accountability. Comparable as a UK NGO using coalition-building and policy advocacy to push for corporate governance reform on environmental grounds.

Direct peers

• UKSIF (UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association): Membership network for sustainable and responsible investment in the UK. Operates as an advocacy coalition similar to the Better Business Act, mobilising financial institutions to push for corporate governance and ESG policy reform.
• Corporate Reform Coalition: UK coalition advocating for reform of company law to align corporate behaviour with social and environmental goals. Directly comparable mission and tactics to the Better Business Act, working on Section 172 amendments and stakeholder governance.
• ShareAction: UK investment advocacy organisation promoting responsible investment and corporate governance reform. A coalition partner of the Better Business Act and a directly comparable NGO working on similar stakeholder-capitalism policy goals through investor engagement.
• Green Alliance: Independent UK charity and think tank focused on environmental policy and governance. Comparable as a UK-based advocacy organisation producing research and coalition campaigns to drive legislative and regulatory change.
• Make My Money Matter: UK campaign focused on sustainable finance and using pensions and savings for positive impact. Comparable as a coalition-based advocacy campaign using celebrity co-chairs (Richard Curtis) and research partnerships to drive policy change.
• Social Value UK: UK professional body for social value and impact measurement. Listed as a coalition supporter of the Better Business Act and operates as a directly comparable membership network promoting stakeholder-oriented business practices.
• InfluenceMap: UK-based research and advocacy organisation tracking corporate influence on climate policy. Comparable as a think-tank-and-coalition hybrid producing research to support policy advocacy on corporate responsibility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/betterbizact
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/better-business-act
• Instagraminstagram.com/betterbusinessact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Better Business Act