Conventional mineral oil-based metalworking fluids are detrimental to the environment and human health, and they bring significant additional costs to production. As a result, they are also recognized as a major unsustainable element of the machining process, and alternative cooling and/or lubrication techniques are increasingly being developed. In this regard, one of the development directions is the strategy of combining different alternative techniques that can complement each other by overcoming the limitations of each. The application of the MQL lubrication technique in combination with the vortex tube cooling as a possible environmentally friendly solution for turning martensitic stainless steel X20Cr13 is explored herein. The aim was to determine the technological and economic viability of the proposed solution compared to the conventional application of a metalworking emulsion. The MQL lubrication technique, also known as near-dry machining, delivers extremely small amounts of biodegradable metalworking fluid, measured in millilitres per hour, into the cutting zone instead of using conventional circulating emulsion flood systems. It attracts a lot of attention of researchers because it respects the unique philosophy of "more is not always better". On the other hand, air as a cooling medium is completely natural, so this cooling technique is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly. The statistical analysis of the results of the experiments by the Taguchi method and in combination with the entropy-weighted gray relational analysis, and the obtained regression models of the surface roughness and the tool life, made it possible to draw conclusions about the technological efficiency of the studied cooling and/or lubrication methods. The positive influence of the MQL lubrication technique supported by the vortex tube cooling on the surface roughness and the tool life was determined. The cost evaluation made it possible to draw conclusions on economic efficiency. It has been found that the MQL lubrication technique supported by the vortex tube cooling is more cost-effective than conventional emulsion cooling. It is concluded that the transition from mineral oil-based emulsions to a combination of MQL lubrication and vortex tube cooling is a good step towards the sustainable turning of martensitic stainless steel X20Cr13, resulting in a significant reduction in environmental load and human health hazards, which can offer significant economic benefits.