Understanding the efficiency of green innovation in the logistics industry can drive sustainable development in China. However, there is a lack of evolutionary patterns and drivers of green innovation efficiency in the logistics industry. We examine the evolutionary patterns of green innovation efficiency in the logistics industry and identify its drivers across 30 provinces and cities in China from 2012-2021. This study examines the evolutionary patterns of green innovation efficiency in the logistics industry and identifies its drivers across 30 provinces and cities in China. It was discovered that there has been a consistent upward trend in the logistics sector's degree of green innovation efficiency. The eastern region exhibits the greatest average values across three indices of green innovation efficiency, with significant regional differentiation that decreases gradually from east to west. The overall spatial network displays an uneven pattern, with the central east showing higher efficiency and the west showing lower efficiency. Drivers such as spatial proximity, industrial structure, scientific and technological levels, and energy utilization significantly affect green innovation efficiency (P < 0.05). We underscore the importance of promoting regional cooperation and exchange, strengthening industrial restructuring and upgrading, and enhancing science, technology, and energy utilization to unleash the logistics industry's potential for green innovation.