How Does Network Location Affect Green Innovation Performance? Evidence from Supply Chain Networks in China’s Manufacturing Industry

With the background of green development, the relationship between SCN and green innovation in manufacturing enterprises has received increasing attention. However, how the network position is related to GIP still needs further exploration. This study takes Chinese A-share listed manufacturing enterprises from 2015 to 2024 as samples, constructs the SCN based on supplier and customer relationships, examines the association between the enterprise’s network position and GIP, and tests the mediating role of market power and the moderating role of government subsidies. The study finds that both degree centrality and structural hole richness are significantly positively correlated with GIP, while the correlation with betweenness centrality does not reach the statistical significance level. Further analysis supports the partial mediating role of market power in the above relationship, and the positive correlation is more obvious under a higher level of government subsidies. Heterogeneity tests show that enterprises with stronger executive environmental awareness exhibit a more prominent positive association between network position and GIP, and the differences in group coefficients are statistically significant. This study supplements empirical evidence for understanding the connection between the network position of the supply chain and the green innovation of manufacturing enterprises and also provides references for enterprise supply chain relationship management and green innovation practices.