Michelin stops awarding green star for sustainable restaurants

Michelin is ending its Green Star designation for sustainable restaurants, a distinction introduced in 2020 to recognize environmentally focused kitchens. The company said it will no longer treat sustainability as a separate award category and will instead include it in its general restaurant assessments.

A total of 23 restaurants in the Netherlands learned their head chefs were awarded a Green Star, or kept their Green Star, during a ceremony in October. Eight of the restaurants also have at least one Michelin Star.

Chef Daniël Schutte of Het Seminar in Zenderen, located between Almelo and Hengelo, told RTL he was surprised by the decision and questioned its timing given strong interest in sustainable dining. Het Seminar is a Michelin Green Star restaurant known for its focus on sustainability.

"We get our vegetables from the region; they are untreated. We have our own trout, pigs, cows and quails. We process our milk and make our own cheese. Guests experience that, and they are inspired by it,” he told the newspaper.

Schutte said such Green Star restaurants help shape consumer behavior, noting that guests increasingly choose vegetarian dishes even when meat and fish are available.

The chef added that the Star had been a meaningful recognition of his restaurant’s work and helped attract guests nationwide, saying that "people sometimes came from the other side of the country specifically to us.” He added, however, that sustainability-focused cooking will continue to grow regardless of Michelin’s decision.