Written By: Caitlyn Meyers, Catalyst Partners

Catalyst Partners is proud to announce the renewal of our Just Label under Just 3.0, the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) latest framework for workplace equity, transparency, and social justice.

As sustainability and social responsibility standards continue to evolve, so do the expectations placed on organizations striving to meet them. Released in 2024, Just 3.0 introduced significant updates to how organizations are evaluated, shifting the focus from policy-based recognition to measurable performance, transparency, and demonstrated impact.

While the updated framework resulted in a lower overall score for Catalyst Partners compared to our previous renewal, it also provides a more meaningful benchmark for evaluating our practices and identifying opportunities for growth. Most importantly, it has helped us establish a clear roadmap for strengthening our organization over the next two years.

Why Just 3.0 Matters

The Just Label serves as a voluntary disclosure and transparency platform that helps organizations measure and communicate their commitment to social justice, equity, diversity, employee well-being, and community impact.

Just has always encouraged transparency, but Version 3.0 raises the bar by emphasizing outcomes over intentions. Organizations are now expected not only to have policies in place but also to demonstrate their effectiveness through data, reporting, and measurable results.

This evolution reflects a broader shift across industries toward greater accountability and evidence-based performance. Rather than rewarding organizations solely for establishing policies, Just 3.0 asks a more important question: What impact are those policies actually having?

What Changed in JUST 3.0?

ILFI designed Just 3.0 to strengthen the label’s role as a social justice transparency platform. The updated framework places greater emphasis on documented outcomes and verifiable evidence, requiring organizations to demonstrate progress through quantitative metrics, policy implementation, and regular reporting.

The new framework also recalibrated scoring expectations. In previous versions of Just, a high score often reflected strong policy alignment and organizational commitment. Under Just 3.0, top scores represent industry-leading performance supported by robust data, transparent reporting, and verified outcomes.

Several indicators from previous versions of the framework, including Animal Welfare and Positive Products, were also removed. With fewer indicators available overall, organizations have fewer opportunities to accumulate points, making strong performance across remaining categories even more important.

These changes have made Just 3.0 a more rigorous and meaningful assessment of organizational performance.

How the New Standards Affected Our Score

The transition to Just 3.0 highlighted several areas where Catalyst Partners has opportunities to strengthen our practices and improve measurable outcomes.

Categories such as Well-Being, Physical Health, Professional Development, Gender Pay Equity, and Engagement experienced declines under the new framework. Importantly, these changes do not indicate a reduction in our commitment to these areas. Rather, they reflect the increased rigor of the updated standards and the higher level of documentation and performance now required.

One example is our bereavement leave policy. Over the past year, Catalyst Partners enhanced employee support by providing paid bereavement leave separate from paid time off. We intentionally chose not to assign a fixed number of days because we recognize that grief is deeply personal and cannot always be defined by a specific timeframe.

While this approach aligns with our values, the policy did not meet the prescriptive requirements of the updated Well-Being indicator, which requires organizations to specify designated leave durations. This example illustrates how Just 3.0 evaluates measurable and clearly documented standards rather than broader organizational intent.

Rather than viewing these score changes as setbacks, we see them as valuable insights that help identify where we can focus future efforts and create meaningful improvements.

Where We Go from Here

Just 3.0 provides a clearer roadmap for continuous improvement. Based on our results, Catalyst Partners has identified several priority areas that will guide our efforts over the next two years.

We are exploring opportunities to further strengthen employee well-being through enhanced policies, expanded benefits, and more comprehensive reporting on employee outcomes. We also remain committed to fostering an equitable workplace through increased transparency around workforce metrics and continued evaluation of pay equity practices.

The updated framework highlighted opportunities to improve professional development initiatives as well. In response, we are evaluating clearer career progression pathways, more transparent promotion criteria, and the development of formal mentorship opportunities for employees.

Additionally, we aim to strengthen how we measure and communicate our community impact while improving employee engagement processes and feedback mechanisms.

Catalyst Partners demonstrated significant progress between our 2021 and 2023 Just renewals by implementing meaningful changes in areas identified for improvement. We intend to apply that same commitment and momentum as we work toward our next renewal.

Our Commitment Remains the Same

Since our founding, Catalyst Partners has been committed to practicing what we preach.

While the metrics used to evaluate the Just Label have evolved, our commitment to transparency, equity, employee well-being, and social responsibility remains unchanged. Building a just organization is not a one-time achievement; it is an ongoing process of listening, learning, measuring, and improving.

We are proud to continue carrying the Just Label and to hold ourselves accountable to the higher standards established by Just 3.0.

For organizations considering Just certification, the framework offers a valuable opportunity to assess workplace practices, increase transparency, and identify meaningful opportunities for growth. Catalyst Partners can help guide organizations through the certification process, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies that align social impact goals with organizational values.

Because creating a more equitable, transparent, and just workplace is work worth doing; work that is never truly finished.