Everything You Need to Know About the Michelin Guide’s Green Star

For several years now, environmental awareness has been growing across all sectors. The culinary world is keeping pace with this trend, and the renowned culinary guide now offers a unique distinction to sustainable restaurants. The Michelin Green Star, often referred to as the “green clover,” specifically recognizes establishments committed to eco-friendly cuisine. 

What is the Green Star ?

The Michelin Green Star is an award created to highlight restaurants that excel in sustainability. Its primary goal is to recognize the work of chefs and teams committed to environmentally friendly cuisine. While the Michelin Guide is traditionally associated with culinary excellence, this new distinction draws attention to the environmental impact of each establishment.

Earning a Green Star is about more than just serving exceptional cuisine. This distinction also recognizes concrete initiatives carried out on a daily basis, such as working with seasonal ingredients, reducing food waste, and promoting locally sourced products. It proves that a sustainable restaurant can create an authentic experience while respecting the planet.

What are the differences between the green star and the red star?

The Michelin Red Star and the Michelin Green Star recognize two radically different aspects of culinary excellence. While the red star evaluates exclusively culinary performance, ingredient quality, technical mastery, harmony of flavors, and consistency over time, the green star, created in 2020, introduces a new criterion: the environmental commitment of the chef and their establishment. The two distinctions can be held concurrently, but they are based on entirely different evaluation criteria.

The red star evaluates what’s on the plate; the green star evaluates what happens behind the scenes, from supplier selection to waste management. A restaurant can thus earn one without necessarily qualifying for the other, which illustrates Michelin’s commitment to broadening its definition of excellence far beyond mere culinary pleasure.

What are the criteria for earning the Green Star?

The selection process for this Michelin distinction is based on numerous criteria related to the overall management of a sustainable restaurant. Inspectors examine every aspect of the restaurant’s operations to assess the chef and their team’s genuine commitment to eco-friendly cuisine and respect for the environment.

Local sourcing plays a central role in earning a Michelin Green Star. Prioritizing local products, working with local producers, and utilizing short supply chains helps reduce the carbon footprint and support the regional economy. This approach to sourcing ensures freshness, authenticity, and respect for the seasons.

Combating food waste

A key pillar of this distinction is minimizing food waste as much as possible. This involves rigorous inventory management, making the most of leftovers, and creating recipes designed to use every ingredient. Some chefs develop flexible menus tailored to daily deliveries to avoid unnecessary waste and surplus.

Efforts are being made in the areas of recycling, composting organic waste, and using energy-efficient technologies. All of these measures reflect a commitment to optimizing resources and promoting sustainability.

Promoting Values

Award-winning restaurants also convey their values to their staff and customers: explaining their transparent sourcing practices, discussing the origins of their ingredients, and encouraging the adoption of best practices in their daily work. This commitment to driving change is evident even in the dining experience itself.

This approach often involves training staff, serving as an ambassador to customers, and even collaborating with other organizations that share this philosophy, in order to foster an exchange of ideas that benefits everyone.

How many restaurants have been awarded the Green Star?

The number of restaurants displaying the Michelin Green Star fluctuates regularly, as new establishments are added to the list each year while others may be removed depending on their continued commitment to sustainability. This trend reflects the restaurant industry’s growing commitment to eco-friendly dining.

In 2021, a total of 82 establishments were awarded the Green Star; as the selections have progressed, there has been a steady increase in the number of award-winning French and international restaurants. The list includes a wide variety of establishments, ranging from prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants to regional inns where respect for nature is a top priority. All share the same goal, however: to encourage mindful consumption and strengthen ties with local communities.

• Growing number of rural restaurants using exclusively local products
• Emergence of urban bistros committed to reducing food waste and collaborating with local supply chains
• Annual update of the list of selected establishments, underscoring that sustainability is becoming essential

This recognition is inspiring the entire culinary scene to address environmental issues, encouraging both newcomers and established talents to take concrete action to protect the planet while offering their guests unique culinary experiences.