The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for materials/process/product design is becoming increasingly important in the coating treatments industrial, where the methodology may be used to supply management strategies with particular attention to the choice between alternative processes. Automotive is one of the sectors where the LCA methodology is extensively employed because of the problem of environmental impact reduction related to fuel consumption that has primarily to be solved; in the same sector it is also important the possibility of extending the useful life of components by means of proper coating processes. Following these main lines, this paper presents the preliminary activities performed for NANOMAG ("Development of Innovative Nanocomposite Coatings for Magnesium Casting Protection" - Growth Programme n. 40548), a research project sponsored by the European Commission whose aim is to develop innovative solutions with an environmental friendly life-cycle perspective.