Michelin Drops Green Star..
Michelin Quietly Drops Its Green Star
The sustainability award introduced in 2020 is being phased out after years of self-reported claims and no independent verification.
Michelin is phasing out its Green Star, the sustainability-focused award it introduced in 2020. The decision was confirmed in May 2026, though the removal had been happening quietly for months beforehand.
Why It Is Being Dropped
The core problem was credibility. Green Star recipients were selected based entirely on self-reported sustainability claims, with no independent verification by Michelin inspectors. As one industry source put it, restaurants realised they could secure the award simply by submitting a generic sustainability report each year — reports that were often shared and lightly modified between establishments. Michelin never audited supply chains, visited farms, or inspected waste practices.
"Unlike the traditional stars, which assess tangible, tasteable elements, sustainability cannot be evaluated during a single anonymous meal."
Unlike the traditional stars, which assess tangible, tasteable elements — technique, flavour, consistency — sustainability cannot be evaluated during a single anonymous meal. A restaurant's carbon footprint, labour ethics, or waste-reduction claims are not discernible from the dining room. Critics argue the programme became more of a marketing badge than a genuine environmental credential.
What Happens Now
The Green Star has already been removed from Michelin's website search filters and restaurant listings. Former recipients like Haoma and JAMPA in Thailand have had the distinction stripped from their profiles. The remaining Michelin awards — the traditional 1–3 stars, Bib Gourmand, and the basic "Selected" mention — will continue as before.
At its peak, around 500 restaurants globally held the Green Star. The quiet retirement suggests Michelin recognised the programme was unsustainable in its current form, and chose to kill it rather than invest in the rigorous auditing infrastructure that would have been needed to make it legitimate.
It leaves a gap in the industry. For all its flaws, the Green Star did nudge kitchens toward sourcing better, wasting less, and thinking harder about their footprint. Whether another body — or a reformed Michelin — steps in with a more robust alternative remains to be seen.
