Michelin retires Green Star award

Michelin has retired the Green Star, the sustainability distinction it introduced in 2020 for restaurants with environmental and ethical practices, and will replace it with a new editorial initiative called Mindful Voices. The company said in a May 18 post on its official Guide site that the Green Star, which was limited to gastronomy, “will be discontinued” as Mindful Voices is rolled out globally. (guide.michelin.com) The move ends a six-year experiment in giving sustainability a separate Michelin symbol alongside stars, Bib Gourmands and other Guide distinctions. (guide.michelin.com) Trade publication The Caterer reported on May 19 that Michelin told operators the Green Star would be “gradually phased out,” with the 37 Green Star restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland set to lose the accolade at the end of 2026. (guide.michelin.com) ### When did Michelin make the change official? Michelin published the change on May 18 in an article announcing Mindful Voices, a new platform covering gastronomy, hotels and wine. The company said the initiative would highlight chefs, hoteliers and wine producers “who are rewriting the rules in their respective fields,” quoting Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. (guide.michelin.com) Le Monde reported on May 19 that Michelin is trying to reposition the Guide as a broader benchmark for the “art of living,” expanding beyond restaurant rankings as it grows in hospitality and wine. That broader shift helps explain why Michelin framed the replacement as an editorial platform rather than another scored award. (thecaterer.com) ### What exactly was the Green Star? Michelin launched the Green Star in 2020 as a mark for restaurants with notable sustainability practices. Michelin’s February 9 article for Great Britain and Ireland said the award recognized restaurants combining culinary quality with efforts to reduce their impact on the natural world. (guide.michelin.com) SquareMeal reported that Michelin used the Green Star to recognize practices including renewable energy, sustainable sourcing, low-waste cooking, staff welfare, charitable projects and education work. Michelin’s own Green Star coverage has also highlighted restaurants for farm-led sourcing, low-waste preparation and broader environmental commitments. (guide.michelin.com) ### How many restaurants are affected? Great Britain and Ireland had 37 Green Star restaurants in the 2026 Guide after Michelin added seven new ones on February 9. Michelin said at the time that the seven additions brought the regional total to 37. The Caterer, SquareMeal and other U.K. trade reports said those 37 restaurants will lose the accolade by the end of this year as the phaseout takes effect. (guide.michelin.com) Restaurant Online and other reports said venues affected include Petersham Nurseries Café and Daylesford Organic Farm, both of which still appear in Michelin Guide listings. ### What is replacing it? Mindful Voices is not a formal award. (squaremeal.co.uk) The Caterer reported it will have no icon or logo, unlike the Green Star, and Michelin said it will appear across the Guide’s web, app, social and print channels through profiles and features. Michelin said Mindful Voices will begin with gastronomy before extending to hospitality and wine. Poullennec said the platform would give visibility to people whose practices Michelin inspectors encounter firsthand. (guide.michelin.com) ### When will the replacement start showing up? June 1, 2026 is the first date Michelin has attached to the new format. The company said Mindful Voices will be unveiled at the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries ceremony in Copenhagen, with a broader European and then worldwide rollout through the rest of 2026. (thecaterer.com) The next concrete milestone is that Copenhagen launch. In Great Britain and Ireland, the 37 current Green Star holders are set to keep the distinction only until the end of 2026, according to trade reports on Michelin’s phaseout plan. (thecaterer.com) (guide.michelin.com)