Without reliance on freshwater, direct impure water electrolysis (DIWE) enriches the vision of sustainably producing green hydrogen in regions with a geographical mismatch between freshwater and renewable resources. However, the roadmap of industrialization is fraught with a pyramid of interconnected challenges, especially stemming from performance degradation. Herein, this review provides a timely appraisal of diverse impurities present in seawater and wastewater. The specific impacts of impurities were reassessed to highlight the synergistic optimization toward industrial-scale implementation. Moreover, we pioneered a lucid industrial pathway based on the impurity-induced interplay. The technical and economic viability of integrating the DIWE process into existing industrial workflows was emphasized to outline promising avenues for future research.