<p>This study proposes a novel multi-phase energy-emission-cost optimization framework for sustainable electric vehicle (EV) battery production. The model integrates four key sustainability levers—RE transition, green investment, recycling efficiency, and a cap-and-trade mechanism—within a unified production-inventory system. It introduces a sigmoidal transition function to capture the gradual adoption of renewable energy (RE), an investment-responsive recycling efficiency model, and a lifecycle-based emission cost formulation embedded within a cap-and-trade policy. A demand function sensitive to both price and sustainability investment further strengthens the policy-decision interface. The model is solved using advanced variants of particle swarm optimization (WPSO and CPSO) to jointly optimize five critical decision variables: production rate, unit selling price, green investment amount, production duration, and replenishment cycle length. Numerical results show that a green investment of USD 42.02 achieves an 11.55% reduction in total production cost (USD 625.43 to USD 553.17), a 5.48% decrease in carbon emissions (365 to 345&#xa0;kg CO₂), and a major improvement in recycling efficiency (from 0.10 to 0.94). The proposed framework delivers methodological and practical contributions by integrating environmental dynamics, policy instruments, and operational decision-making, offering valuable insights for manufacturers and regulators striving toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7, 9, 12, and 13.</p>