<p>Zinc, an indispensable non-ferrous metal raw material for industrial production, has a highly energy-intensive smelting process, and its transition towards environmental friendliness has attracted significant attention. Here, the ecological and economic performance of China’s six primary and two recycled zinc smelting processes was comprehensively assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costs methods. LCA results reveal that the hot acid leaching of the needle iron ore method demonstrates superior environmental performance in the primary zinc smelting process, reducing 0.9–6.2 tons CO₂ eq/t compared to the other processes, while the hot acid leaching of the hematite process provides the best economic benefits, increasing CNY 542-1349/t. The ammonia leaching method excels in environmental performance for recycled zinc smelting, achieving 8.1 tons CO₂ eq /t. And the electric furnace distillation method proves most economically advantageous, generating a CNY 408/t profit. Moreover, based on provincial data regarding zinc ingot production and recycling across China, the study formulates multiple recycling rate scenarios (20%, 30%, and 40%) integrated with technological transition strategies, exploring thirteen prospective production scenarios. Under the optimal recovery rate combined with advanced technologies, national carbon emissions and energy consumption will reduce 27.31 million tons CO₂ eq and 3.1 × 10⁸ GJ, while economic benefits will increase by CNY 4.74 billion. These findings indicate the potential for synergistic optimization of environmental and economic sustainability in China’s zinc smelting industry through technological implementation and policy-driven improvements in recycling rates.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>