The increasing integration of electronic components in modern vehicles requires a comprehensive evaluation of their environmental impacts. While Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of complete vehicles are well-documented in literature, there remains a significant research gap regarding detailed environmental data for specific electronic products within automotive systems. This article addresses this gap by presenting an in-depth LCA of an automotive headlamp Electronic Control Unit (ECU), examining environmental impacts across all life cycle stages from cradle to grave. Our research not only quantifies the carbon footprint of the headlamp ECU but also identifies key environmental hotspots within its life cycle. Based on literature findings, this work proposes and evaluates targeted design optimisations to reduce these impacts. The findings demonstrate that strategic modifications to materials and production technologies, as well as energy efficiency, could potentially reduce the ECU’s carbon footprint depending on the utilisation scenario by up to 71 %.