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sustainability: more beauty less harm

Our business is committed to and balances people, planet and profit.
Safe and ethical sourcing, recycling, and community engagement form part of who we are and how we think.
The waste Australia generates is staggering, so we see every sustainable action as positive. From the 144 solar panels on our roof generating the equivalent of 20 homes power a day, to the fish we buy, the bio-degradable disposables we use and the support we give and receive from OzHarvest, our programs are designed to reduce harm and inspire ourselves to think about the actions we take every day.

Ronni Kahn and the Gastronomy Team

our commitment to the environment

In Australia, our annual food waste is more than 7.6 million tonnes each year, costing the economy more than $36.6 billion each year. The UNEP Food Waste Index ranks Australia as the tenth most wasteful country in the world. Yet with all that waste, people still go hungry or can’t afford a healthy diet for their family.

Food waste is generated at every stage of the supply chain with a third being lost in primary production/farms, a third from the manufacturing, retail and the hospitality sector and a third from our homes. All that water, fertiliser, power, fuel and human effort wasted, not to mention the greenhouse gasses created by food waste breaking down in landfill.

Change is required at all levels of society.  Thats why all our profits go to OzHarvest

We think about sustainability and how it applies to our creative business.
When we buy fresh food we think about how it is delivered. Will the fish supplier use cooler bags? Will the fruit supplier accept their boxes back? Will the tea supplier use compostable packaging? When we dispose of waste we are mindful of our local environment and the broader community. We follow and promote open and transparent practices that reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and we help our clients, suppliers and neighbours do the same.

In practice this means writing menus with seasonal produce and incorporating  local and organic sourcing, with a balance of imported fair trade products ensuring farmers and growers in other countries are properly compensated and supported for their labour.

We quietly write plant based food into all our menus – no need to make a fuss, we just do it.

We think about animal welfare in the production of our food. We use free range eggs from happy chickens, our grass fed beef comes from cattle running in paddocks rather than trapped in feedlots and our fish are produced using the best farming practices without growth enhancers.

local suppliers or supporting third world grocers?

This is a big city and yet, quietly and with artisan pride, local producers arise. Honey from rooftops in Marrickville, re-useable wine kegs from Sparrow and Vine, mushrooms from Li Sun in old train tunnels in Mittagong (worth seeing!). Further afield we love Alto Olives from Crookwell and the Australian native food revolution of Warndu. These are our Big City. Handmade kind of producers.

We support third world growers of coffee, tea and cocoa. All of our coffee is organic and is certified as 100% Fair Trade. This certification system ensures the workers and communities in these coffee plantations are treated fairly and their communities thrive.

We and our suppliers support the four International Labour Organisation (ILO) core labour standards. We want a world with no child labour; no discrimination; no forced nor compulsory labour; and the freedom of association and right to collective bargaining as expressed in the Fundamental ILO Conventions. Which leads us to our people…

our commitment to our people

We are a female and male run business and come from a wide range of cultures and religions, each with their own histories and traditions. As an equal opportunity employer Gastronomy does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, age, marital status, religion, culture or physical difference. We celebrate our diversity, especially our culinary diversity and treat each other with respect. Religious, political and philosophical discussion flows when we gather for our daily meal which is a bridge to our common humanity.

We train for excellence. We foster individual and team talents. We promote within our ranks and cultivate loyalty. We understand flexibility works both ways. Gastronomy is inspired by all of us – our cultures, our passions and our beliefs.

Happy and professional staff: Gastronomy Sydney AU consistently demonstrates staff retention far in excess of catering and hospitality averages.

recycling

We work in an industry where a large amount of refuse is produced. This generally falls into 5 different categories: compostable organic waste; lipids; glass, aluminium and paper; plastics and electronic and mixed waste.

Compostable organic waste: Where we can, we compost our non-animal organic waste: vegetable and fruit peelings, disposable plates, shredded paper, egg cartons, paper towels, egg shells and coffee grounds (admittedly the egg shells are animal matter!). We don’t compost as much as we would like to – some of the corporate environments we work in dont have the facilites – but we are working on it.  We have already successfully created hundreds of  kilos of rich, life giving compost which created our herb beds and onto the gardens of our complex in Alexandria. The once barren industrial estate is slowly becoming a mini green haven for bees, birds and most importantly, fresh herbs!.

Disposables: The disposables we use for outdoor functions are biodegradable. So, rather than plastic cutlery we use wooden or cornstarch cutlery and plates are unbleached paper or bamboo or sugar cane fibre (such as the BioPak range). Our cafés sell reusable cups and incentivise their use. We only use paper or metal straws.

Lipids: Waste oils and fats are picked up from our premises and recycled as biofuel, animal feed products, detergents and soap, paints and industrial lubricants .

Glass, paper, aluminium cans and electronic waste: these are collected, categorised and recycled. Old computers, appliances and printers, we take to City of Sydney e-waste,  Brisbane City council, and other council facilititeis across Australia.

Plastics: PET plastics are recycled but to be honest, we prefer reusable containers wherever possible. We actively recommend conferences and events use water dispensers and glasses rather than individual water bottles, and estimate that we have cut individual plastic water bottle consumption by about 9000 bottles a year. To be clear, we still use PET bottles, sometimes there’s no choice. But we’re pretty happy with the 9000 glasses of water served that used to be served in throwaway bottles! Wherever possible we try to minimise the use of non-recyclable plastic by re-using containers.

Mixed waste: And then there’s everything that’s left. Dirty plastics, meat scraps and bones, cling wrap, packaging, used rubber gloves. That’s life in the city but we’re working on it!

awards

We are the proud recipient of the University of New South Wales Environmental Achievement and Leadership Award as well as the NSW Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) Corporate Social Responsibility Award.
Five star sustainable catering by Gastronomy Sydney AU
“I hope you realise how much we appreciate your support – the success of all our events rests solely on 1) your great food and 2) the incredible team you always send to look after our guests. Thanks from everyone here.”
Five star ethical catering practices by Gastronomy Sydney AU
“Your step-by-step greening of what was a barren industrial site has inspired us all. That enormous amount of waste diverted from landfill now enriches our green strips as compost and is growing flowers, herbs and even passionfruit!”
Five star staffing management by Gastronomy Sydney AU
“It was wonderful to chat with Michael Mobbs and so many other interesting people at your International Day of Happiness event. I loved the kitchens, loved the food and your staff’s enthusiasm for your ‘more beauty: less harm’ initiatives got me fired up too!”