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I knew in the initial stages of wanting to start a film lab that there would be a lot of waste. Film photography and film processing is inherently wasteful. Between negatives, film canisters, chemicals, disposable cameras, etc. These things don't just disappear off of our planet.
One of our main goals is to not only be as sustainable and environmentally conscious as possible, but to also cherish the quality in which we process your priceless memories.
What are you
doing differently?
A lot of materials go into film photography. Various forms of plastics, metals, and papers are all at work to create that nostalgic image we love. We take the time to separate these different materials so they can then be recycled as easily as possible.
We also don't use stop bath for black & white processing. We use a non-hardening fixer from the UK's
Zone Imaging called Eco Zonefix that can utilize plain water as a stop bath. It is also sodium thiosulphate based and free from: borate derivatives, non-biodegradable DPTA and EDTA, phosphates, acetic acid, known carcinogens and mutagens to make it more friendly to the environment.
WHAT IS CAFFENOL?
History suggests that the true origin of caffenol film processing is unclear. Some reports indicate that it was first used during WWII when traditional photo chemicals were in short supply. One of the more recent and prominent historical reports of caffenol comes from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Scott A. Williams, PhD lead the Technical Photography class when in 1995, he formulated an entirely sustainable black & white developer using instant coffee, washing soda, and vitamin C.
Since then, there have been many iterations of this formula. Red wine, beer, and cloves are some examples of alternative ingredients that have been successfully used. We've come up with our own formulation of the traditional caffenol recipe with the goal of maintaining the maximum quality of your black and white negative while making it even more sustainable.
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