<p>Solar hydrogen production is a promising solution for addressing the high carbon emissions associated with common production methods such as steam methane reforming and coal gasification. An advancement in this field is the integration of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers with perovskite–silicon tandem (PST) solar cells, which together enable an efficient green process for hydrogen generation through water electrolysis. Despite the benefits of these technologies in achieving carbon-free hydrogen, recycling is still necessary for end-of-life electrolyzers and solar cells due to the use of high-emission materials such as platinum, iridium, and silicon for their manufacturing. To assess the carbon emissions from recycling PEM-PST systems, a life cycle analysis study was conducted. We found that when PEM-PST systems were modeled using recycled materials, their carbon footprint decreased by 50%, and manufacturing emissions could be reduced by up to 75% for PEM stacks and 53% for PST modules.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>