As we all are aware, people are using so many non-renewable sources and even polluting environments with some harmful chemicals. Many industries are working to become sustainable so that they can save the environment. Similarly, filmmaking industries also leave harmful chemicals behind. Film processing also needs a lot of chemicals and energy-intensive processes. Even though there are some sustainable practices through which we can reduce it to a certain amount.
Sustainable Ways in Film Processing
Following are some of the popular sustainable ways through which we can remove chemicals from film processing:
Digital Conversion
As we all are moving towards the digital world, in film processing we do entire processing methods digitally. It may not be possible for a professional photographer who loves to maintain the aesthetic of the film. It is an effective way to reduce the use of chemicals in film processing. With help of digitizing negatives and prints, a photographer can ignore traditional methods of film processing.
Eco-friendly Chemicals
Some photographers still want to follow traditional methods then there are many eco-friendly chemicals in the market. Some chemicals used in traditional methods are so hazardous that they can take several animals’ lives and pollute the environment equally. As a photographer, you can save the environment by choosing eco-friendly chemicals.
Conserve Water
From schools, we are getting this information that Earth has 75% of water but those waters are not drinkable. Only 1.2% of water is drinkable hence everyone needs to conserve water. Similarly, photographers should change their habits of using fresh water again and again. If possible, they can reuse the same water or they can reduce the amount of water for photo processing. If they reduce water consumption in photo processing then it will help in saving the environment and also save a lot of money on water bills.
Renewable Source
For a film to process, it requires a lot of energy and this amount of energy can produce a huge amount of carbon in the environment. Hence to reduce carbon emissions they can use renewable sources of energy like wind power or solar energy. After using renewable energy they can reduce their carbon footprinting and contribute to making a sustainable future.
Recycling
Recycling is one of the most important factors to save the environment from being dirty with plastic, glasses, chemicals, and many more things. As we know in film processing there are objects like paper, and cardboard, which can be recycled easily. As a photographer, if you apply the program of recycling then it will benefit you and the environment equally.
Local Sourcing
Photographers need to explore the local market for processing their film which will not only help in reducing the carbon footprint but it will boost the economy of local people. If you are taking help or products from the local market then transportation is getting reduced because in previous cases products needed to travel from such a long distance and now they are there in your city.
Conclusion
Above are some of the sustainable ways to save the environment from degradation by film processing. Photographers can use alternative options that will not be going to harm the environment vigorously and even not increase the carbon amount in the atmosphere.
