Sustainability

The Saffrron ethos

Food tells a story.  Make it a good one.  Food sustains us.  It must be sustainable.
Food brings people together. No one should be harmed in the making of the feast, and everyone’s invited!
Food is the spice of life. The mouth should water, and the eyes too – if you like extra chilli.
Food is life – and life is sweet!  Save room for the dessert!

Our sustainability philosophy is pretty simple really – be true to who we are, do the best we can to create a positive impact for our community, and leave things in the best possible shape for the generations to come. Without our community and without our natural environment, there is no ‘us’ in the equation at all.

We believe that responsible businesses practices are good business and contribute to a healthy, sustainable and vibrant community where everyone benefits.

At  Saffrron we

Source local

Sourcing local produce from Darwin’s markets and Top End growers means fresher, healthier, tastier food that delivers a real sense of place and season, but also helps us reduce food kms and support local food systems towards future food security.

You’ll find 100% NT seafood on our menus, including award-winning sustainably-farmed saltwater barramundi from Humpty Doo Barramundi.

It means a lot to us to be able to help keep our farmers on the land and our local fishing industry in business, and to know we’re not contributing to overfishing, depletion of global fish stocks, or dubious labour practices where the supply chain is unknown.

Source biodegradable

We do love our eco takeaway packaging here at Saffrron. It’s always been a part of what we do since we opened in 2008 and it’s always evolving - smarter packaging, zero waste, happy customers.

All of our single-use eatware come from BioPak: non-toxic, carbon neutral, made from renewable resources, sustainable plantations and plants, not fossil fuels, and all recyclable or compostable. 

Whether we’re delivering takeaway or catering an event, we think you’ll love our sustainable packaging and eatware too.

Minimise waste

With the help of some amazing partner businesses we are always working on more ways to improve our waste reduction. 

In 2021 we switched to a new composting system with new local business Eco Passive. 

Cookers delivers our fresh cooking oil in bulk, saving 300 tins going to landfill per delivery. In addition, Cookers collects used oil to refine and reuse for bio-fuel. 

Credit goes to our amazing staff and customers too. Our team members are our chief recyclers, and for our customers who bring their own containers we reward them with a 15% discount.

Our stainless steel tiffin carriers are available for large orders and event catering.


In 2021 Saffrron was awarded Best Environmental & Energy Efficiency Practice at the Hospitality NT Aristocrat Technologies Award.

“We pride ourselves on our rigorous environmental management systems. We have reduced our water discharge to almost nil by recycling it through a purpose built constructed wetland system to deliver the highest quality produce, while protecting our unique environment.

Our water treatment system is the first of its kind in Australia. We recirculate our salt water using a manmade wetland to ensure optimum water quality for our fish while minimising the need to release water back to the Adelaide River.”
– Humpty Doo Barramundi farm
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