In 2018, frustrated by the perpetually broken washing machines at his Oxford University college, Dr Kyle Grant founded Oxwash. Armed with just a bike and backpack, he started collecting laundry from equally fed-up students. Kyle knew that just another laundry app wouldn’t cut it and, with co-founder and fellow student Tom de Wilton, set out from day one to clean up the traditional, environmentally hostile washing and dry-cleaning sector. The business quickly snowballed.
Re-engineering the cleaning process from the ground up, Oxwash developed an entirely new, hyper-local, tech-enabled service model, which aims to be carbon-neutral by 2023. A fleet of zero emission e-cargo bikes are used to collect and deliver laundry, saving an impressive 6,700kg of CO2 each year. Additionally, every average 8kg load of washing saves 32 litres of water and filters up to one million plastic microfibres.
In 2021, the company embarked on a new project with Vanish, the well-regarded clothes care brand owned by Reckitt. The Oxwash ‘powered by Vanish’ partnership saw the company use sustainable Vanish 0% in its London state-of-the-art washing facilities, known as lagoons, to help give old clothes a new life, preventing tons of clothing from ending up in landfill. Nine out of ten pieces of clothing end up in landfill long before they should – up to 70 per cent of clothing waste could be prevented with better care. Vanish and Oxwash are on a mission to help clothes live longer by ending irresponsible washing and encouraging a circular economy.
Embracing ozone technology means Oxwash can sanitise fabrics at low temperatures, while achieving higher than medical-grade disinfection, which led to the company being chosen to sterilize items used during the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial.
Despite the pandemic, Oxwash grew exponentially in 2021, thanks to its dedicated team and a cohort of committed and excited investors. To date, the company has secured over £4.8m million from the likes of Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Holly and Sam Branson, FMCG giant Reckitt and former Pinterest and Beyond Meat backers, Future Positive.
Come rain or shine, Oxwash prides itself on its excellent service, always collecting and returning on time. In 2021, the company grew its community by over 200 per cent, as disgruntled businesses and consumers sought it out as an efficient, reliable alternative to their usual services.
Supporting hospitals, care homes and GP practices has always been a priority, and Oxwash will continue its support of the NHS, key workers and vulnerable individuals beyond the pandemic.
Circular fashion platforms represent the future of the fashion industry, so in line with the company’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices, teaming up with the likes of Hurr, Kidswear Collective and My Wardrobe HQ was a natural next step. Victoria Prew, CEO of Hurr said, ‘We’re thrilled to have partnered with Oxwash as our exclusive dry cleaning partner. The garment cleaning process is a key part of fashion rental and after years of searching, we’ve finally found an innovative, sustainable and tech-first wet cleaning business that really is the perfect partnership.’
Oxwash is an easy choice for consumers looking for a simple, sustainable way to clean their clothes and homeware.
Visit the website today and enter the code GBB20 at checkout to get 20 per cent off your first order.
