Michelin retires Green Star awards

Michelin said on May 19 it will end the Green Star sustainability distinction it introduced six years ago and replace it with a broader editorial platform called Mindful Voices. The move was reported by Le Monde and confirmed in Michelin Guide materials published this week. Michelin said the new initiative will cover chefs, hoteliers and wine producers as the guide expands further into hospitality and travel coverage. ### What exactly is Michelin ending? The Green Star was Michelin’s sustainability award for restaurants, given to properties the guide said were “at the forefront” of responsible practices. Michelin’s site still carries a Green Star section and country-level Green Star lists, including 2026 awards in Great Britain and Ireland published earlier this year. Restaurant Online reported that Michelin is retiring the Green Star scheme after six years. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s own new materials do not present the Green Star as an ongoing global program; instead they introduce Mindful Voices as the new vehicle for highlighting commitments across gastronomy, hotels and wine. ### What is Mindful Voices supposed to do? (guide.michelin.com) Mindful Voices will be unveiled on June 1, 2026, at the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries ceremony in Copenhagen, Michelin said. The company said the rollout will continue across Europe and then worldwide during 2026. Michelin said Mindful Voices will begin with gastronomy, then extend into hospitality and wine. (guide.michelin.com) On its website, Michelin described the platform as a way to “amplify the commitment” of chefs, hoteliers and wine producers, signaling a format built around editorial profiles and storytelling rather than a standalone badge awarded to restaurants. ### Is Michelin moving beyond restaurants? Le Monde reported that Michelin is trying to become a broader benchmark for the “art of living” as it responds to competition from digital platforms and widens its reach across travel and hospitality. Michelin’s current site already combines restaurant selections, hotel keys, travel guides and magazine-style articles, and the Mindful Voices announcement explicitly spans gastronomy, hospitality and vineyards. (guide.michelin.com) The company’s recent publishing pattern points in the same direction. Michelin has continued to release national and regional star lists, but it has also expanded hotel coverage, travel articles and editorial features alongside those rankings. ### Does this change Michelin’s regular star guides? Michelin has not indicated that its core star system is being retired. The guide continues to publish 2026 restaurant selections and ceremony updates in multiple markets, including France, Great Britain and Ireland, and Japan. (guide.michelin.com) What changed on May 19 was the sustainability layer around that system. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s announcements this week focused on Mindful Voices and on broader hospitality and wine coverage, not on replacing the one-, two- and three-star restaurant rankings. ### Was there any Italy-specific Michelin 2026 announcement? The May 19 materials reviewed for this story did not include an Italy-specific 2026 Michelin star list. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s public pages surfaced this week were centered on Mindful Voices, France, Nordic countries and other market updates rather than a new Italy release. (guide.michelin.com) June 1 is the next named milestone in Michelin’s new plan. Michelin said Mindful Voices will launch that day in Copenhagen at the Nordic Countries ceremony, with chefs, hoteliers and wine producers included in the rollout through the rest of 2026. (guide.michelin.com)