The report of the 19th CPC National Congress explicitly pointed out that it is necessary to “accelerate the establishment of a legal system and policy orientation for green production... To build an environmental governance system in which the government plays the leading role, enterprises play the main role, and social organizations and the public participate.” In this context, could the family business, which as a socially emerging force, be involved in the construction of the environmental governance system? This paper explores this problem by using the Twelfth China Private Enterprise Survey Database. The study finds that compared with non-family businesses, family businesses are more willing to invest in green innovation. This is mainly due to the motivation for the preservation of extended socioemotional wealth and the drive of external institutional pressure. The policy implications of this paper is to further deepen market-oriented reforms and improve the construction of green environmental protection system, so as to strengthen the long-term commitment of family business through a sound institutional environment to guide them to actively carry out green innovation. Based on these actions, Chinese government can not only help family business establish the long-term competitive advantage and to be the main role of the environmental governance system, but also effectively promote the construction of a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society.