The utilization of agricultural waste as a raw material for paper production provides an alternative for agricultural residue management. This study investigates the viability of using rice straw, a typical agricultural waste in Sri Lanka, as a raw material for paper production. Initially, eight distinct experimental methods were employed, maintaining a consistent liquid-to-solid ratio of 7, while varying key parameters such as temperature (ranging from 150 to 180 degrees Celsius), cooking time (spanning 60 to 90 min), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration (from 1M to 0.5M). The optimal papermaking process was identified through the application of Design of Experiments (DOE) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), where cooking time, cooking temperature, and sodium hydroxide concentration were treated as independent variables (factors), while tensile breaking strength and grammage served as the dependent variables (responses). This process aimed to achieve tensile breaking strength and grammage metrics that align with the established standards of commercially available paperboards. The optimal process was characterized by a 1M NaOH concentration, a 60-min cooking time, and a 180 ℃ cooking temperature. After identifying the ideal process, a rigorous Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to comprehensively evaluate its environmental impact compared to wood-based paper production, taking the functional unit as 1 m2 of paper and using a ‘Cradle-to-gate’ system boundary. Compared to wood-based paper production, rice straw pulp making has less environmental impact, mainly due to reduced chemical consumption.