Michelin retires Green Star program

Michelin is retiring the Green Star, its sustainability distinction for restaurants, and replacing it with a new editorial initiative called Mindful Voices. The change was announced on May 19 in trade coverage and on Michelin’s own website, ending a program the guide introduced in 2020 to highlight restaurants with strong environmental practices. Michelin said Mindful Voices will begin on June 1 at the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries ceremony in Copenhagen and then roll out across Europe and worldwide through 2026. ### What exactly is Michelin ending? The Green Star was a formal Michelin distinction awarded to restaurants for sustainable gastronomy. Michelin’s own explainer said the accolade was first revealed in 2020 and introduced into several 2021 editions of the guide. Michelin described Green Star restaurants as operators combining culinary standards with steps to reduce their impact on the natural world. (thecaterer.com) Restaurant trade outlets reported on May 19 that Michelin would phase the award out. The Caterer said Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland told restaurants the Green Star would be “gradually phased out,” with the 37 Green Star restaurants in the UK and Ireland set to lose the accolade at the end of 2026. ### What is replacing it? (guide.michelin.com) Mindful Voices is a Michelin editorial platform rather than a scored award or badge. Michelin said the project is designed to “amplify the commitment of inspirational chefs, hoteliers and wine producers” and will appear across its website, app, social media channels and print products. Michelin said Mindful Voices begins with gastronomy and then expands into hospitality and wine. (thecaterer.com) The company’s announcement said the new format reaches beyond restaurants alone, while trade reports said Michelin described the Green Star as having been “limited to the culinary arts.” (guide.michelin.com) ### Why is this a different kind of recognition? Mindful Voices does not function like a Michelin Star, Bib Gourmand or Green Star. The Caterer reported that Michelin said the replacement would not be a formal accolade and would have no icon or logo attached to it. That means Michelin is moving from a visible restaurant-level designation to profiles and features centered on named people and their practices. (guide.michelin.com) Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said the new framework would give a platform to people “rewriting the rules in their respective fields.” Michelin said those profiles would include women and men from gastronomy, hospitality and wine, and that some would also appear at Michelin events. (thecaterer.com) ### How big was the Green Star program before Michelin retired it? Michelin’s own background material said there were 287 Green Star restaurants globally at the time of one official explainer. More recently, Michelin announced seven new Green Stars in Great Britain and Ireland for the 2026 guide, bringing that market’s total to 37. Michelin also awarded Green Stars in other markets in 2025, including California, where it said two new Green Stars brought the total there to 17. (thecaterer.com) Those figures show the program was still being used in guide releases shortly before Michelin announced the change. Michelin’s website also still hosts Green Star community pages and sustainability stories tied to the distinction. ### What happens next for restaurants that already have one? June 1 is the next fixed date in the transition, when Michelin says Mindful Voices will be unveiled at the Nordic Countries ceremony in Copenhagen. (guide.michelin.com) In Great Britain and Ireland, trade publication The Caterer reported that existing Green Star holders will keep the accolade until the end of 2026, when the 37 restaurants in that market are due to lose it. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin said the broader Mindful Voices rollout will continue through Europe and then worldwide during 2026. (guide.michelin.com)