Michelin Guide retires Green Star May 18

Michelin Guide said on May 18 that it is retiring its Green Star designation, ending the sustainability award it introduced in 2020 for restaurants with environmentally focused practices. The company did not announce a new like-for-like badge to replace it. Instead, Michelin said it will begin an editorial initiative called Mindful Voices, which will start next month at its Nordic ceremony in Copenhagen. The change closes out Michelin’s main formal sustainability marker for restaurants. Michelin’s own Green Star pages remained live on May 19, still describing a global community of restaurants recognized for environmental work, even as the company moved to phase out the distinction itself. ### When did Michelin create the Green Star, and what was it for? Michelin launched the Green Star in 2020 as an annual award for restaurants “at the forefront” of sustainable practices, according to its own explainer pages. (thecaterer.com) Michelin used it to highlight restaurants that combined cooking with efforts such as lower-waste operations, local sourcing and broader environmental stewardship. (guide.michelin.com) In February 2026, Michelin was still adding to the program. At the Great Britain and Ireland 2026 ceremony in Dublin, Michelin awarded seven new Green Stars and said the distinction recognized restaurants with “an outstanding commitment to a more responsible approach to gastronomy.” ### What exactly did Michelin say on May 18? The Caterer reported on May 18 that Michelin said the Green Star will be “gradually phased out.” The trade publication said Michelin told readers that the 37 Green Star restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland will lose the accolade at the end of 2026. (guide.michelin.com) Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin Guide’s international director, said the replacement framework would “give a platform to all those who are rewriting the rules in their respective fields,” according to The Caterer. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s initial public materials did not describe a new scored sustainability award or icon for restaurants. ### What is replacing it? Mindful Voices is the only named successor Michelin publicly identified in the May 18 notice cited by The Caterer. (thecaterer.com) Michelin described it as a new editorial initiative that will “highlight and share the stories and pioneering practices of chefs, hoteliers and wine producers.” Unlike the Green Star, Mindful Voices is not a formal accolade and will not have an icon or logo, The Caterer reported. (thecaterer.com) That means Michelin is shifting, at least for now, from a visible restaurant designation to a storytelling format spanning gastronomy, hospitality and wine. ### Does Michelin still have Green Star material on its site? Michelin’s website still carried Green Star content on May 19. The Green Star Community pages in the U.S. and other editions continued to feature restaurants and sustainability-focused articles one day after the retirement notice surfaced. (thecaterer.com) That left Michelin in a transitional position: active Green Star editorial pages remained online while the company said the designation itself was being wound down. (thecaterer.com) Michelin’s search and ceremony pages also continued to show earlier 2026 Green Star awards in some markets. ### What happens next for restaurants that had the award? The clearest next step Michelin has publicly identified is the launch of Mindful Voices at the Michelin Guide Nordics ceremony in Copenhagen next month. (guide.michelin.com) In Great Britain and Ireland, The Caterer said the 37 current Green Star restaurants are due to lose the accolade at the end of 2026. Michelin had not, in the materials reviewed on May 19, published a replacement badge, scoring system or eligibility criteria for a new sustainability award. (guide.michelin.com) (thecaterer.com)