Visiting Oxford's Best B Corp Businesses

Here at Y.O.U Underwear we are very proud of our B Corp certification. After a rigorous process of examining every part of our business model, from supply chain to charity partnerships to textile and packaging waste, we certified in 2021.

The B Corp certification is incredibly important to us as it verifies our high environmental and ethical standards while pushing us to keep improving.

B Lab UK is seeing lots of momentum around the country with over 2,500 companies now certified and a strong community which continues to grow. 

But did you know there are a growing number of certified B Corps in Oxford city centre?

Oxford's B Local community is a brilliant collection of forward-thinking sustainable brands, so we decided to put together a B Corp map to help you locate some of your local businesses striving for a better industry.

Follow along with us to visit our favourite B Corp shops in Oxford...

1. Y.O.U Oxford

We started off in the Y.O.U Oxford shop, located in the central area of the Covered Market. Here you can pick up one of our B Corp trail maps to get you started.

Collect a sticker from each stop and bring the completed map back to Y.O.U to enter the draw to win a bundle of B Corp goodies!

While you're there, take a browse through some of our local and sustainable gifts, accessories, and beauty products as well as our cloud soft organic cotton underwear!

2. Bird & Blend

Our next stop was Bird & Blend, long-time friends of Y.O.U Underwear. Visiting this shop is always such a (beautifully scented) joy where you can taste some of their latest creations - today was delicious strawberry lemonade cold brew.

The Bird & Blend brand (originally Bluebird Tea Co) was started in 2013 when founders Krisi and Mike set out to offer customers unique and exciting tea flavours while giving back to a range of charities and working to minimise their environmental impact. They certified as a B Corporation in 2022 and have big plans for their B Corp community going forward (as well as dreaming up delicious new blends!).

3. The White Company

After a refreshing tea sample to get us going, we headed to Queen street to visit The White Company, a haven of summery scents and soft, luxurious fabrics. 

Having certified at the beginning of 2024, The White Company's B Corp certification reflects their commitment to producing quality, timeless items which will last and encouraging customers to buy better in order to buy less. Going forward, they aim to reduce their reliance on synthetic fibres and improve transparency across their supply chain.

4. Rituals

Next up we visited the Rituals store in the Westgate centre, a calm oasis of beautifully packaged wellness products designed to help you find moments of self care in your everyday routine - like with the smoothing hand scrub we tested out! 

For 25 years, Rituals have been looking for ways to provide wellness for their customers and their 2020 B Corp certification was a reflection of their wider commitment to employees, community, and environment. The majority of their stores now run on renewable energy and their successful refill scheme has helped them reduce waste. Through their work with charity Tiny Miracles, they also help to provide income and support for female beauty industry workers in Mumbai.

5. New Ground Coffee

Now it was time for a quick refreshment break so we popped into New Ground Coffee on Ship street. We grabbed a delicious iced coffee and chewy vanilla pastry to refuel.

Another friend of Y.O.U, New Ground is a local and independent coffee shop and wine bar bringing ethically sourced, high-grade coffee to Oxford. Through their recyclable packaging, renewable energy usage and carbon neutral commitment, they qualified as a B Corp in 2022. A core pillar of their business model provides training and employment opportunities for ex-offenders, a huge factor in reducing rates of reoffending.

Come back next week to round off Oxford's B Corp map with us.

And don't forget to pop into the Y.O.U Covered Market shop to pick up your own map and get exploring!

 

In the Meantime:

Keep exploring Oxford with our top 5 places to visit

Celebrate our Y.O.U shop birthday with us

And browse some more amazing B Corps with our Mates of the Month list

 

Images courtesy of Y.O.U Underwear