Michelin retires Green Star awards

Michelin has retired the Green Star, its sustainability award for restaurants, and is replacing it with Mindful Voices, a new editorial platform that will cover gastronomy, hospitality and wine. Michelin announced the change in a May 18 press release, saying the Green Star “will come to an end” as Mindful Voices is rolled out globally. (michelin.com) The company said the new platform will begin on June 1 at the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries Ceremony in Copenhagen. Michelin framed the move as part of a broader expansion beyond restaurant reviewing into hotels, wine and what it calls the “art of living.” (guide.michelin.com) ### When did Michelin make the change official? Michelin dated its announcement May 18, 2026, in a press release and parallel post on the Michelin Guide site. (michelin.com) In both, the company said Mindful Voices would be introduced gradually on a global scale and that, “in parallel,” the Green Star would end. The Michelin Guide site said Mindful Voices will be accessible across its web, app, social media and print channels. Michelin said the initiative will begin with gastronomy before extending into hospitality and then wine. ### What exactly is replacing the Green Star? Mindful Voices is not a new badge or rating. (michelin.com) Michelin described it as an editorial series focused on people rather than places, highlighting chefs, hoteliers and wine producers whose practices its inspectors view as influential or innovative. The Caterer reported on May 19 that Mindful Voices will not be a formal accolade and will not carry an icon or logo, unlike the Green Star. (michelin.com) That means Michelin is moving from a visible distinction attached to a restaurant listing to a content format built around profiles, features and event appearances. ### What did Michelin say about why it is doing this? (guide.michelin.com) Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said Mindful Voices would give a platform to people “rewriting the rules” in gastronomy, hospitality and wine. Michelin said the concept reflects what its inspection teams “witness firsthand” and fits its recent moves into hospitality and wine, as well as its expansion to more than 60 destinations. (michelin.com) Le Monde reported on May 19 that Michelin is trying to become a “global benchmark for the art of living,” describing the guide’s strategy as a response to competition from digital platforms and a broadening of scope beyond traditional restaurant reviewing. That language matches Michelin’s own description of reaching beyond gastronomy. (thecaterer.com) ### How big is the immediate impact on restaurants? The Green Star was launched in 2020 and first appeared in Michelin guides for the 2021 cycle, according to trade and lifestyle coverage published after Michelin’s announcement. In Britain and Ireland alone, The Caterer said 37 Green Star restaurants will lose the distinction at the end of 2026. (michelin.com) Reporting cited in European coverage said Spain will lose 59 distinctions as the award is withdrawn. That figure points to one of the largest national resets tied to the phaseout. ### Is this only about sustainability awards, or part of a wider Michelin shift? Michelin linked the Green Star’s retirement to a wider repositioning of the guide. (lemonde.fr) Its May 18 statement said the new platform was designed to reflect gastronomy, hospitality and wine together and to move “beyond local borders.” Recent Michelin activity supports that broader push. The guide has expanded hotel coverage, added Michelin Keys for hotels, and continued widening its geographic footprint, while company and press accounts describe the guide as a lifestyle and travel brand as much as a restaurant ranking system. (thecaterer.com) ### What happens next, and where will the first rollout be visible? June 1, 2026, is the first date Michelin has attached to the replacement. Michelin said Mindful Voices will debut at the Nordic Countries Ceremony in Copenhagen and then continue across Europe before a worldwide rollout through 2026. (michelin.com) Michelin also said the new material will appear in the magazine section of the Michelin Guide’s website and app, alongside profiles and features tied to its events. That is where the first practical evidence of the post-Green-Star system is expected to appear. (guide.michelin.com) (michelin.com) (lemonde.fr)