For Jonathan Trimble, co-founder and CEO of B Corp-certified agency And Rising, B Lab’s value is in the way that it tweaks the incentives of doing business.

“Multi-stakeholder management doesn’t mean good or bad,” Trimble said. “It just simply means the business reports to the different faculties, shareholders, employees, community and the planet alike in proportionate measure.”

For some, the importance of B Corp is being reconsidered.

“We’ve suggested to two or three of our clients that they should consider B Corp,” Norman said. Following Havas’ Shell account win and B Lab’s lack of clarity around whether Havas agencies can retain their certification, “[those clients are] pushing back at us and saying ‘Well, what does [B Corp] stand for now?’”

This article has been updated to reflect that 26 agencies co-signed the complaint to B Lab.