Purpose – Life cycle analysis (LCA) is more and more used in the context of electromagnetic product design. But it is often used to check a design solution regarding environmental impacts after technical and economical choices. This paper aims to investigate life cycle impact optimization (LCIO) and compare it with the classical life cycle cost optimization (LCCO). Design/methodology/approach – First, a model of a dry-type transformer using different materials for windings and the magnetic core is presented. LCCO, which is a mixed continuous-discrete, multi-objective technico-economic optimization, is done using both deterministic and genetic algorithms. LCCO results and optimization performances are analyzed, and an LCA is presented for a set of optimal solutions. The final part is dedicated to LCIO, where the paper shows that these optimal solutions are close to those obtained with LCCO.