Purpose <p>With the rising demand for lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFPB), it is crucial to assess the environmental impacts of their production, specifically in the interconnected characteristics of different systems (e.g., energy, water, carbon, environment, and economy).</p> Methods <p>This study investigates the major contributors to environmental footprint impact in LFPB production processes to identify areas for optimization and reduction of environmental and economic burdens. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was conducted to evaluate environmental impacts associated with energy, carbon, and water footprint of LFPB, and the evaluation included an environmental-economic analysis.</p> Results and discussion <p>The results showed that the water footprint is responsible for 85.6% of human health damage and is the primary factor in ecosystem quality, while the carbon footprint contributes 14.4% to human health damage. Processes involving lithium iron phosphate, aluminum shell, and conductive carbon are significant contributors to overall environmental impact. Indirect processes dominate the impacts across four footprint indicators (water degradation, water scarcity, carbon footprint, and water footprint), with water degradation representing over 90% of normalized results for the four footprint indicators. In direct processes, positive conductive carbon, negative conductive carbon, and aluminum shell contribute 46.7%, 33%, and 15.3% to water degradation, respectively.</p> Conclusions <p>The study highlights the importance of optimizing conductive carbon and lithium iron phosphate processes to reduce environmental and economic impacts. Recognizing the interconnected resource consumption in producing upstream materials is essential for advancing the sustainability of LFPB technology.&#xa0;</p>