Advanced optical materials inspired by natural minerals and non-toxic light elements, such as the Hackmanites (Na8Al6Si6O24(Cl,S)2), find vast possibilities of applications as they can simultaneously perform photochromism and persistent luminescence (PersL). In this work, we have explored a rapid and energy-efficient microwave-assisted (MASS) methodology for the synthesis of PersL and photochromic hackmanites. In addition, we have prepared hackmanite materials using a zeolite-free precursor to control the Na-Al-Si ratio and study its influence on the materials’ photoluminescent properties. The PersL hackmanites showed a white-bluish emission color, with up to 2 hours of emission time. Zeolite-free photochromic materials were able to change the color from white to purple/blue efficiently with a few seconds of 254 nm excitation, but the usage of zeolite precursors enhanced the overall optical performance. Microwave synthesis times of 10–40 min were demonstrated to be optimal, as longer times boosted the formation of nepheline spurious phase, which decreases luminescence efficiency. In this way, the MASS method led to a reduction of reaction time up to 99,3%, yielding hackmanite materials with similar photoluminescent or photochromic properties compared to those obtained by a 24 h conventional solid-state synthesis. This work represents a significant improvement toward coupling eco-friendly synthetic processes to eco-friendly solid-state materials for PersL illumination and PersL/photochromism optical marking.