The icon, a green clover, is available to restaurants awarded Michelin stars, a Bib Gourmand or plate distinction.
It debuted in the Michelin Guide France 2020, which launched on 27 January, and a spokesperson for Michelin confirmed the symbol will appear in all guidebooks going forwards, including the 2021 Great Britain and Ireland selection.
Michelin says it awards the clover to restaurants that focus on ‘preserving resources and embracing biodiversity, reducing food waste and reducing the consumption of non-renewable energy’.
The clover was used in the French guide to highlight more than 50 restaurants with ‘commendable environmental practices’, including three-starred Mirazur, which grows its own produce in gardens on the French Riviera.
“Faced with constantly evolving challenges including production methods, sourcing and waste management, chefs are striving to improve their practices,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.
“The ambition of our approach is to amplify the scope of the good and ingenious practices of chefs by putting them in the spotlight.”
The symbol's introduction comes after Michelin handed out its first Sustainability Awards in several regional guides last year.
Chef Enda McAvoy of one-starred Loam in Galway won the inaugural award for the Great Britain and Ireland 2020 edition.