The Database of Eco-friendly Art Materials
Photography & Printing
Photography is the medium that provides both a source of artistic inspiration and environmental concern. If you choose to work with film photography, you have to deal with hazardous chemicals needed for film processing. But if you are open to experimenting, you can find ways to produce beautiful images even without cameras or conventional film development solutions.
Let’s look more closely at different opportunities & obstacles for eco-friendly practices in photography.
Equipment
Both digital and film cameras have their own limitations and advantages. For example, film cameras are usually more durable and require less service than the digital ones. However, the film itself as well as film canisters and packaging materials are made from petroleum-based plastics which contributes to plastic pollution. Moreover, conventional chemical solutions used for film processing are known to be hazardous and hold a serious threat to the environment if not disposed properly. On the other hand, physical prints can last for hundred years. At the same time, digital technologies change rapidly, nudging digital photographers to update their equipment, software, image formats, and hard drives all the time.
So, it’s not easy to say which type of photography – digital or film – is more sustainable.
Perhaps, the biggest matter of concern is not even the choice between the types of camera, but rather the use of batteries – both in digital and film cameras.
As of 2025, the most popular type of batteries used in cameras are lithium-ion ones. But the problem is that the production of lithium-ion batteries depends on the supply of rare-earth elements like Lithium and Cobalt which are limited and are usually mined in socio-political trouble spots like the DRC (Democratic Region of Congo). Moreover, the practices (such as the use of toxic poly(vinylidene fluoride) as binders and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent) used during batteries’ manufacturing are unsustainable.
The alternatives are yet in the process of development and testing, which makes lithium-ion batteries the most realistic option for photographers currently.
It is important to remember that lithium-ion batteries can be recycled, and you need to dispose of them properly as they contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful to the environment.
A good idea would be to consider the use of rechargeable batteries. They are more environmentally friendly than disposable ones, as they reduce the number of manufactured and disposed of batteries. However, it is only true if you get the most of them: researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Milan have calculated that a rechargeable battery needs to be charged about 50 times to offset its environmental impact. To prolong the life of your rechargeable batteries, try to avoid very high or very low temperatures. And once the lifetime of a rechargeable battery has come to end, don’t forget to recycle it.
If you are curious about the emerging technologies that might soon replace conventional lithium-ion batteries, here is the short list for you:
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Solid-state batteries
These batteries replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid, enhancing safety and potentially increasing energy density. It also allows for faster charging times.
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Sodium-ion batteries
Sodium is more abundant and less expensive than lithium which makes it a more sustainable solution.
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Nanotechnology
By manipulating materials at the atomic level, manufacturers are developing batteries that charge faster (up to 70%) and hold more energy.
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Smart batteries come with integrated management systems which provide real-time data on battery health, charge cycles, and remaining power, thus helping users to take a better care of their equipment.
By the way, another option might be the cameras that don’t require batteries at all.
Development for film camera and printing
Let’s be straight about it: the processes in analogue photography are from being sustainable. First of all, film photography depends on silver which is present both in film negatives and printing paper. But the mining of silver has harmful impact on the environment: it can lead to habitat destruction, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, most conventional chemicals used in film processing can be hazardous to the human body as well as to nature.
Luckily, there are some eco-friendly replacements and practices that could help to reduce your environmental footprint.
Film developing agents are often primarily composed of phenols, which are organic compounds commonly found in plants, wine, and coffee. That means that you could experiment with creating a DIY film developer from wine or coffee. The results would be similar to the traditional chemical approaches to black and white film.
Another option may be finding the recipes for creating caffenol at home (please search it for yourself). While not entirely hazard-free, it is less toxic and more environmentally friendly than traditional developers. There are also commercially available caffenol-based developers.
Photo developed with home-made caffenol. (c) Ryan Johnson. Source
Finally, among the readymade developers, Xtol is considered to be a more sustainable option. Its primary developing ingredients are Phenidone and Vitamin C. Phenidone has low toxicity for humans and unlike some other developers, does not cause dermatitis upon skin contact. However, it is toxic to aquatic organisms, that’s why it is important to dispose of it properly so that it does not end up in the water bodies.
Try using neutral fixers (they are available on the market). They are free of compounds like acetic acid and hydroquinone which makes them more eco-friendly. A neutral fixer has built-in buffers that neutralize the developer without wearing out the fixer itself. This way, you can go straight from developing to fixing. It will also help you to reduce the overall number of rinses between solutions.
If you are open to DIY practices, you can try using vinegar and water as homemade alternatives to commercial stop baths. They can effectively neutralize the developer without posing significant health risks.
And don’t forget about the basic rules of safe chemical disposal:
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Never pour chemicals down the drain: Many film processing chemicals are toxic to aquatic life and can contaminate water sources if disposed of incorrectly.
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Extract silver from the fixer using a silver recovery unit. This way you can separate the chemicals and dispose of them properly, while recovered silver can be recycled.
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Find a local hazardous waste facility and ask for their guidelines for dropping off the waste.
Last but not least, phytograms are a perfect alternative to conventional photographic technologies which do not even require a camera. It utilises the internal chemistry of plants to create chemical traces on film. Phytogram photographers immerse plant matter, including leaves, flowers, or grass, in a developer made of vitamin C powder and sodium carbonate, then place them on the gelatin on the film. Leave the rest to the sunlight — in the end you will get the beautiful prints of the plants. Yet, you should be aware that such prints do not last long — even when keeping the prints in a dark space, the colours may fade as soon as in 10 days.
Afterlife
Photo and video cameras can be recycled. Like all electronics, digital cameras contain valuable materials that can be put back to use. Their microchips have gold and platinum, the wiring contains copper, and aluminum is used elsewhere in the device. By recycling metals, manufacturers do not have to buy as many raw materials that are dug out of environmentally-damaging mines.
You can also look up trade-in programs from large manufacturers or donating old digital cameras.
Another option is using disposable cameras: actually, they are designed in a modular way which makes them easy to disassemble and recycle.
Useful links:
“How to Make Film Developer from Vegetable Food Waste.”
The project is based at The University of Salford and has been funded by the Salford Advantage Fund and The University of Salford Art Collection.