5 Sustainable Indie Shopping Tips

Posted January 17, 2020

One of the New Year’s resolutions that keeps cropping up when we chat to people across the county, is to shop more sustainably this year. 1000s of people supported our Indie Oxford Market Place in The Covered Market on the run up to Christmas, and shopping locally really is a step in the right direction. When we shop indie, we’re supporting our community, cutting down on fuel, and keep more money in our local community, which benefits us all.

Many of our favourite indies are also at the forefront of the conscious consumerism revolution too, paving the way with eco friendly and fair trade collections.

So to make it even easier for you to find sustainable products this year in Oxford and the surrounding county, we’ve put together our top tips for eco living. >>

Fairtrade at St Michaels

Fairtrade at St Michaels was the first shop in Oxford to offer a high quality range of fairly traded goods from across the globe, that benefit communities and the environment. They also stock a wide range of eco friendly products, from washing liquid to water bottles.

The shop, organised as a co-operative, was started in October 2003 (Oxford city became a Fairtrade City in 2004) and at present has five people working as unpaid directors, four part-time members of staff and numerous fantastic volunteers.

Fairtrade St Michaels operate as a social enterprise in that all profit returns to the business in terms of wages, maintenance and infrastructure. Surplus profit is donated on a regular basis to projects already supported by the shop. Fairtrade at St Michaels is a member of BAFTS and Cooperatives UK.

Shop at the Old Fire Station

A cheerful, cheeky and colourful lifestyle shop. The Shop at the Old Fire Station sell quirky, feelgood gifts including jewellery, homewares, textiles, prints and stationery, alongside sustainable lifestyle products for your home. All their goods are designed or made by UK indie designer-makers or small businesses. Plus, as part of Arts at the Old Fire Station, the money from your purchases goes back into our charity work with Crisis, providing training and volunteering opportunities for homeless people. They also run modern craft workshops if you fancy learning something new. Step in and find something to put a smile on your face.

Added Ingredients

Added Ingredients are purveyors of fine food, and also stock some great sustainable kitchen essentials, including SESI refill washing liquids. Jill’s friendly shop, packed with delicious treats, is located in the historic market town of Abingdon on Thames. You can also stop in for a coffee or grab a take away sandwich made from deli counter items.

The shop also has an extensive wine selection and regularly runs wine tasting evenings. Check out their website for further details.

So Sustainable

SO Sustainable is an online and pop-up shop, run by Watlington local, Steph, providing organic whole foods, household cleaning products and sustainable health and beauty alternatives.

You can visit Steph’s home based shop in Watlington, click and collect or visit them at one of her pop-ups in Watlington, Chinnor, Chalgrove and Benson.

Indigo

This lovely shop sells wonders from all over the world, including the UK, with high quality and a fair trading ethic weaving it all together. Indigo has put sustainability, beauty, good quality and design at the heart of their business, and the gorgeous products they sell.

Their intention is to support small producers and suppliers and align with the Zero Waste ethos as much as possible, offering something a bit different to their beloved Oxford community. Find products like beeswax wraps and bamboo straws, as well as gorgeous pieces from Nkuku.

If you’d like to find more indie businesses in Oxfordshire that are championing sustainability, check out our Independent Oxford directory and filter on sustainability,

Love,

Rosie

xxx

Independent, indie, Oxford, sustainability

Rosie Jacobs

I’m really passionate about Independent Oxford and supporting and promoting independent businesses in Oxfordshire. Indie businesses are the life blood of our towns, cities and communities, but they need support to survive and thrive. Creating a network that provides a space for indies to find peer support, knowledge and information is so important, and means businesses are far more likely to continue. Supporting indies means a stronger local economy and a closer, inclusive community for all.