Supporting the Yangtze River Economic Belt's high-quality, environmentally friendly growth reflects the new development concept. Green innovation drives green development, which is essential for promoting high-quality enterprise growth. Environmental information disclosure serves as an effective measure to achieve both ecological protection and socio-economic progress. This study selects listed companies in the Yangtze River Economic Belt provinces from 2008 to 2022 as samples, analyzing the impact of corporate environmental information disclosure on green innovation. First, stakeholders’ expectations drive higher levels of environmental disclosure, promoting green innovation. This conclusion remains robust after variable replacement, PSM, and IV tests. Moreover, it has stronger effects in the mid and lower Yangtze regions. Second, financing constraints act as catalysts. Under external pressure like high financing constraints, firms seek to acquire resources and tend to increase disclosure to attract investors’ resource support, which can reduce costs and boost green innovation. This is notably evident in resource-dependent and non-state-owned firms. Threshold tests confirm that, as financing constraints exceed certain levels, the positive impact of disclosure on innovation intensifies. Lastly, the study offers theoretical references and policy recommendations for green development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.