Donate to help a struggling sustainability store in Oxford

Hi, my name is Fola, and along with the Oxunboxed team, we are trying to raise £4,000 to save our store in Oxford. OxUnBoxed is Oxford's only centrally located refill store where customers reuse their own containers to stock up on household essentials, lowering the local single-use plastic consumption. We are entirely volunteer-run, comprised of working adults and students of the University of Oxford who give up time in their busy schedules to try and make a positive impact on our planet. Only 9% of plastics have ever been recycled and the global plastics industry produces more greenhouse gases than the UK, France, and Germany combined. We think this is unacceptable and since opening the Covered Market, we have helped to reduce 500 kg worth of plastic from being produced with our affordable alternatives. Plus, the store is more than just a refill; it also hosts several educational events, such as clothes mending workshops, which aim to equip locals with the knowledge to live more sustainably

Earlier this year, our store was burgled and we lost a considerable chunk of our money. Coupled with the doubling of business rates in March, an unexpected electricity bill of nearly £4000 in June, and increasing cost of stock, we’re finding it hard to pay the bills, which in turn is making it difficult to maintain the affordable pricing of the products in the store. This fundraiser would allow us to pay back numerous debts and keep the shop going. We don’t want to have to closed our doors, as we believe that Oxunboxed is essential to solving the urgent plastic pollution and climate crisis in the city.

Despite these challenges, we’ve recently seen the best months ever in our 10-year history and we see a bright future ahead of us if we can get past this fundraising goal. We hope you can see this too.

Plastic pollution and the climate crisis will only be solved if we work together as a community. We therefore urge you to donate to our cause and support local, passionate, eco-friendly businesses like us.