TL;DR: 86% of the 35 Green Michelin Star restaurants have the worst web sustainability ratings, with page emissions nearly 3× higher than average. Simple fixes could cut their digital carbon footprints by up to 70%—a missed chance for true environmental leadership.
In an era where environmental consciousness drives consumer choice and business success, Britain’s most celebrated sustainable restaurants, those awarded the prestigious Green Michelin Star, are demonstrating a glaring contradiction.
While these establishments have mastered the art of sustainable sourcing, waste reduction, and energy efficiency in their physical operations, our comprehensive study reveals they are systematically neglecting their digital environmental footprint.
What is a Green Michelin Star?
The Michelin Green Star, introduced in 2020, recognises restaurants at the forefront of the sustainable gastronomy movement. These establishments are selected based on their outstanding commitment to sustainability, from sourcing ingredients locally and seasonally to implementing innovative waste reduction strategies. They represent the pinnacle of environmental responsibility in the hospitality sector.
Michelin say on their website about how they consider a restaurant for a Green star:
“The Inspectors are simply looking for those at the top of their game when it comes to their sustainable practices.
They consider things such as: the provenance of the ingredients; the use of seasonal produce; the restaurant’s environmental footprint; food waste systems; general waste disposal and recycling; resource management; and the communication between the team and the guests about the restaurant’s sustainable approach.”
“The Inspectors are simply looking for those at the top of their game when it comes to their sustainable practices.However, this study reveals a blind spot in their sustainability vision.
While these restaurants have revolutionised their physical operations, they have overlooked an increasingly significant aspect of their environmental impact: their digital carbon footprint.
Analysis of Green Michelin Star restaurants websites.
Our study of these restaurant’s websites across Britain & Eire uncovers a startling reality: despite their commitment to sustainability, 86% of these establishments receive the lowest possible environmental rating (Grade E) for their websites.
With an average carbon footprint of 2.38 grams of eCO₂ per pageview, these digital platforms are undermining the very sustainability credentials these restaurants have worked so hard to establish.
The variation in performance is significant. The worst-performing restaurant generates 9.68 grams of eCO₂ per website visit; over 23 times more than the best performer at 0.41 grams. This represents a substantial inconsistency in environmental approach between physical and digital operations.
This study reveals not merely a problem but a transformative opportunity. The hospitality sector, which has pioneered sustainable practices in food sourcing and waste management, now has the chance to lead the next frontier of environmental responsibility: digital sustainability.
The Sustainable Restaurant Paradox
The contrast is revealing. Restaurants like Jericho in Plungar champion local sourcing and minimal waste, whilst Pythouse Kitchen Garden in Tisbury grows its own produce in a Victorian walled garden. These establishments carefully examine every aspect of their environmental impact, from the carbon footprint of their ingredients to the energy efficiency of their kitchen equipment.
However, when it comes to their digital presence, this same comprehensive approach to sustainability has yet to be applied.
The Digital Carbon Reality
The numbers are sobering. The comprehensive analysis of 35 Michelin Green Star restaurants in the UK & Eire reveals:
Environmental Ratings:
- 30 restaurants (86%) received Grade E (the lowest environmental rating)
- 4 restaurants (11%) received Grade D
- Only 1 restaurant (3%) achieved Grade C
- Zero restaurants achieved Grade A or B ratings
Carbon Emissions:
- Average emissions: 2.38 grams of eCO₂ per website pageview
- Highest emitter: Moor Hall at 9.68g per pageview
- Lowest emitter: Restaurant Sat Bains at 0.41g per pageview
- The difference represents a 23-fold variation in digital carbon efficiency
Website Performance:
- Average page weight: 6.58 megabytes
- Heaviest website: Moor Hall at 28.7mb
- Lightest website: Restaurant Sat Bains at 1.04mb
- 69% of restaurants have website landing pages heavier than the sector average of 3.875mb
To put these figures in perspective, consider that the average webpage produces 0.8 grams of eCO₂ per page view. The worst-performing sustainable restaurants in our study are producing over 12 times this amount.
For a typical restaurant website receiving 4,382 monthly pageviews, this represents an annual carbon footprint of approximately 125kg of eCO₂ at the study average of 2.38g per pageview, equivalent to the emissions from driving over 300 miles in an average car.
However, for the worst-performing restaurants like Moor Hall (9.68g per visit), the same traffic volume would generate over 508kg of eCO₂ annually, equivalent to driving more than 1,240 miles.
The Scale of the Problem
The digital sustainability gap extends far beyond individual websites. The hospitality sector’s digital footprint is expanding rapidly, driven by increasing reliance on online presence for bookings, marketing, and customer engagement. This digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, has created new environmental challenges that the sector has yet to acknowledge.
Consider the broader implications:
- Industry-Wide Impact: If Britain’s 35 Michelin Green Star restaurants collectively receive approximately 1.84 million annual website visits (based on the realistic estimate of 4,382 monthly pageviews per restaurant), their current digital practices generate approximately 4.4 tonnes of eCO₂ annually. This is equivalent to the carbon footprint of driving approximately 10,730 miles in an average car.
- Scalability Concerns: The restaurant industry comprises thousands of establishments across Britain. If sustainable practices were applied to digital operations industry-wide, the potential carbon savings would be substantial. However, if current poor practices continue to spread, the digital carbon footprint will grow exponentially.
- Consumer Expectations: Modern diners increasingly expect comprehensive sustainability credentials from restaurants. A restaurant that champions local sourcing but operates an energy-intensive website presents a contradictory brand message that risks undermining consumer trust.
The Leaders and Laggards
Our study reveals stark differences in digital sustainability performance across Britain’s green-starred establishments, highlighting both the potential for improvement and the pioneers already leading the way.
Digital Sustainability Champions:
- Restaurant Sat Bains (Nottingham) stands as the exemplar of digital sustainability, achieving 0.41g eCO₂ per visit with a lean 1.04mb website. This two-Michelin-starred establishment, known for its innovative approach to fine dining and sustainability, has extended its environmental philosophy to its digital presence.
- Silo (Brighton) demonstrates that sustainable principles can be applied holistically, producing just 0.49g eCO₂ per visit with a 1.46mb website. Known for its zero-waste approach to dining, Silo has clearly recognised that true sustainability must encompass all aspects of operations.
- Exmoor Forest Inn (Somerset) rounds out the top three with 0.6g eCO₂ per visit and a 1.54mb website, proving that rural establishments can achieve digital efficiency alongside their commitment to local sourcing.
Digital Sustainability Laggards:
At the opposite end of the spectrum, several high-profile sustainable restaurants are significantly undermining their environmental credentials through poor digital practices:
- Moor Hall (Lancashire) produces a 9.68g eCO₂ per pageview with a heavy 28.7mb website landing page over 23 times the emissions of the best performer. This three Michelin-starred restaurant with a Green Star is effectively negating much of its physical sustainability efforts through its digital presence.
- Daylesford Organic Farm (Gloucestershire) generates 6.70g eCO₂ per visit with a 17.18mb website. Despite its commitment to organic farming and sustainable food production, the establishment’s digital footprint is severely undermining its environmental credentials.
- Osip (Somerset) produces 5.02g eCO₂ per visit with a 14.93mb website, representing a missed opportunity for a restaurant that prides itself on sustainable practices.
The Technical Diagnosis
Our analysis reveals specific technical issues contributing to the poor digital sustainability performance across Britain’s green-starred restaurants:
- Oversized Images: Many restaurants are using high-resolution food photography without proper compression or optimisation. While visually appealing, these images significantly increase page weight and loading times, directly contributing to higher carbon emissions.
- Excessive Third-Party Scripts: Restaurant websites are increasingly incorporating multiple third-party services; booking systems, social media widgets, analytics tools, and marketing platforms. Each additional script increases server load and energy consumption.
- Inefficient Video Content: Several restaurants embed high-definition video content showcasing their sustainable practices, creating an ironic situation where content about sustainability is itself environmentally damaging.
- Outdated Web Technologies: Many websites are built on outdated content management systems, frameworks or file types, that are inherently less efficient than modern alternatives.
- Lack of Optimisation: Few restaurants are implementing basic web performance optimisation techniques such as image compression, efficient caching, or content delivery networks (CDNs).
The Opportunity for Eco Leadership
This digital sustainability gap represents a significant opportunity rather than merely a problem. The hospitality sector, which has successfully pioneered sustainable practices in food sourcing, waste management, and energy efficiency, is perfectly positioned to lead the next phase of environmental responsibility.
Competitive Advantage: Early adopters of digital sustainability practices will gain a significant competitive advantage. As consumer awareness of digital carbon footprints increases, restaurants that can demonstrate comprehensive sustainability credentials, encompassing both physical and digital operations, will stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
Brand Consistency: Restaurants with strong sustainability credentials risk brand inconsistency if their digital practices don’t align with their physical operations. Addressing this gap strengthens the overall brand narrative and enhances customer trust.
Innovation Potential: The restaurant industry has a track record of innovation in sustainability. Digital sustainability represents the next frontier for this innovation, with potential for developing new technologies and practices that could be adopted across the broader hospitality sector.
Cost Savings: Improved digital sustainability often correlates with better website performance, which can lead to improved user experience, higher conversion rates, and reduced hosting costs.
Green Michelin Star websites: The Path Forward
Quick Wins and Long-Term Strategies
The encouraging news is that significant improvements in digital sustainability can be achieved relatively quickly and cost-effectively. Our analysis suggests that most restaurants could reduce their digital carbon footprint by 50-70% through basic optimisation measures.
Immediate Actions (0-3 months):
- Image Optimisation: Implement proper image compression and use next-generation formats like WebP. This single action could reduce page weight by 40-60% for most restaurants.
- Third-Party Audit: Review and remove unnecessary third-party scripts and services. Each removed script can reduce both carbon footprint and improve website speed.
- Hosting Assessment: Evaluate current web hosting providers and consider switching to renewable energy-powered hosting services.
- Consider colour selection: Using white over black uses 23% more energy, blues are more energy hungry.
Medium-Term Improvements (3-12 months):
- Website Redesign: Implement a sustainable web design approach, prioritising efficiency and performance alongside aesthetics.
- Content Strategy: Develop a content strategy that balances visual appeal with environmental responsibility, including guidelines for image and video use.
- Performance Monitoring: Implement regular monitoring of website carbon footprint and performance metrics.
Long-Term Vision (12+ months):
- Industry Leadership: Develop and share best practices for digital sustainability within the hospitality sector.
- Supplier Influence: Work with web developers, hosting providers, and technology partners to promote sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.
- Customer Education: Educate customers about digital sustainability and position comprehensive environmental responsibility as a competitive advantage.
The Broader Implications
The digital sustainability gap in Britain’s green-starred restaurants raises important questions about the future of environmental responsibility in the hospitality sector:
- Certification Evolution: Should sustainable restaurant certifications like the Michelin Green Star include digital sustainability criteria? Our research suggests that comprehensive environmental assessment should encompass all aspects of operations, not just physical practices.
- Consumer Awareness: As digital literacy increases, consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of their online activities. Restaurants that fail to address their digital carbon footprint may find themselves at a disadvantage as this awareness grows.
- Industry Responsibility: The hospitality sector has an opportunity to lead by example in digital sustainability. By addressing their own digital carbon footprints, restaurants can influence their suppliers, customers, and competitors to adopt more sustainable practices.
- Technology Innovation: The demand for sustainable digital solutions is driving innovation in web technologies, hosting services, and content management systems. Restaurants that embrace these innovations early will benefit from both improved performance and reduced environmental impact.
Case Study: The Transformation Potential
To illustrate the transformation potential, consider a hypothetical optimisation of one of the worst-performing restaurants in our study. Moor Hall, currently generating 9.68g eCO₂ per pageview with a 28.7mb website landing page, could potentially reduce its digital carbon footprint by 80% through comprehensive optimisation:
Current Performance:
- Page weight: 28.7mb
- eCO₂ per visit: 9.68g
- Annual emissions (52,584 visits): 509kg eCO₂
Optimised Performance (projected):
- Page weight: 5.7mb (80.1% reduction)
- CO2 per visit: 1.94g (80.0% reduction)
- Annual emissions (52,584 visits): 102kg eCO₂
This optimisation would prevent 407kg of eCO₂ annually, equivalent to the carbon saved by eliminating 993 miles of car travel. For a restaurant committed to sustainability, this represents a significant opportunity to enhance its environmental credentials.
The benchmarks are achievable
Recent restaurant developments demonstrate that dramatic optimisation is not only possible but practical. A website we recently developed for a restaurant client operates with a page weight of just 988.67kb and an eCO₂ footprint of 0.33g—metrics that surpass every single one of the 35 restaurants currently holding Michelin Green stars.
These results stem from rigorous adherence to sustainable web design principles, proving that digital environmental excellence can be seamlessly integrated into hospitality operations without compromising functionality or user experience.
This achievement exposes the gap between what the industry could accomplish and what it currently delivers, highlighting an immediate opportunity for widespread digital transformation.
Conclusion: Green Michelin Stars – The Digital Sustainability Imperative
Our study reveals a critical blind spot across Britain’s hospitality sector: the systematic neglect of digital environmental responsibility. While Michelin Green Star restaurants have revolutionised their physical operations, their digital practices, alongside the broader industry, are significantly undermining sustainability credentials.
The data is unequivocal:
85.7% of Michelin Green Star restaurants receive the lowest possible environmental rating for their websites, with an average carbon footprint of 2.38g eCO₂ per visit. However, our control group analysis reveals this isn’t unique to sustainability leaders: 77.1% of random independent restaurants also receive Grade E ratings, with higher average emissions of 2.64g per visit.
This represents not just an environmental problem but an industry-wide brand consistency issue that risks undermining years of sustainability effort. Yet exceptional performers like Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud (0.12g eCO₂ – from the random control group) and Restaurant Sat Bains (0.41g eCO₂) prove that digital sustainability excellence is achievable.
However, this challenge also presents an extraordinary opportunity. The hospitality sector, which has demonstrated remarkable leadership in sustainable practices, is uniquely positioned to pioneer digital sustainability. The technical solutions exist, the benefits are clear, and the competitive advantage is significant, with 87% of all restaurants performing poorly, early adopters will stand out dramatically.
The restaurants that act now in optimising their digital presence, implementing sustainable web practices, and extending their environmental philosophy to encompass all aspects of their operations, will emerge as true leaders in the next phase of sustainable hospitality.
The question is not whether digital sustainability will become a standard expectation for environmentally conscious restaurants, but rather which establishments will have the foresight to lead this transformation. To keep global warming below 1.5°C, emissions must fall 45% by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050, and with proven examples of digital excellence across the industry, urgent action is essential.
The future of sustainable hospitality depends not just on what happens in the kitchen, but on what happens in the digital realm. Britain’s restaurants, both Green starred and independent have the expertise, the values, and the proven pathways to lead this transformation. The only question remaining is: will they seize it?
Green Michelin Star Study: Methodology
This study was conducted as part of a study into digital sustainability practices across Britain’s hospitality sector. The research analysed 35 Michelin Green Star restaurants in the Great Britain & Eire 2025 guide, using standardised environmental assessment tools to measure digital carbon footprints and identify opportunities for improvement.
The full study is available for download on our Downloads page with a full explanation of the study’s methodology.
Supplemental information & Sources:
Hospitality sector average website landing page weight is calculated on basis of metrics supplied by HTTP Archive and case studies from GTMetrix & WebPageTest. All considered to be leaders within website design testing. We took and average of desktop & responsive page weights for both hotels & restaurants (which tend to be marginally lighter)
The 0.8g figure for average carbon footprint comes from the Website Carbon Calculator by Wholegrain Digital, which states:
The Ecogrder tool was employed to measure the landing page’s environmental impact. This tool is widely recognised by sustainable website design advocates as one of the most comprehensive solutions for assessing a website’s ecological footprint, while also providing actionable recommendations for improvement.
The 4,382 monthly page views represents an average derived from our QED Hospitality client portfolio, based on multi-year analytics data across our hospitality client accounts.
