Design Life-Cycle

Crystal Nguyen

DES 40A

Professor Cogdell

Polaroid Film Raw Materials

Lights. Camera. Print. With one click, instantaneously, a photo is printed. Polaroid films are an iconic product that has been used in photography for numerous years. It was one of the first types of instant film available, allowing for users to see their photograph develop before their very own eyes, without the use of a darkroom or professional lab. It was created by the founder of Polaroid Corporation, Edwin H. Land in 1947. The Polaroid company was later sold to the Impossible Project in the 2000s. With the company in different hands, the production, manufacturing, and distribution of the product changed too. This essay reflects the journey of the raw materials used in the production of Polaroid film, from the acquisition to disposal and the ecological footprint.

The production of Polaroid film can be split into three stages, creating the film negative, assembling the polaroid photo, and then packaging. The first stage was manufactured in Germany, while the other two components of the film were produced and assembled in the Netherlands. For the film negative, a film base is inserted into a machine where it is coated with numerous image dyes and chemicals. Such as Land’s instant film, the film is composed of “three layers of light sensitive silver bromide (blue, green, and red) but with the addition of other layers of oppositely colored hydroquinone dye (yellow, magenta, and cyan.)” [The Photography Professor] The layers are interchanging if silver bromide and hydroquinone dye. The blue layer to yellow, the green layer to magenta, and the red layer to cyan. Polaroid Film GMBH is their company in Monheim, Germany that produces their film negative. Looking into the company, their purpose is about “the development, manufacture, and marketing of multiple coatings of flexible carriers.” [Implisense] On the Implisense website, it listed the chemical products, supply chain dependencies that have been found with Switzerland, France, and the United States of America. Bromargyrite is a natural mineral that contains silver bromide. There are numerous noteworthy locations where you can find bromargyrite such as Australia, Chile, Mexico, California, and New Mexico. I would assume that with their supply chains being located in the USA, the silver bromide was extracted in California or New Mexico or was purchased after it was shipped into the USA. Hydroquinone is a white crystalline solid that is distributed by the Eastman company in the following locations, the Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America. After the negative dries, they are packaged into tight drums and shipped to a second factory.

The rest of the production happens at the second Polaroid factory located in Enschede, The Netherlands. The polaroid photo is composed of a negative, transparent cover sheet, and a thin foil pod. Not much is known about the raw materials of the transparent cover sheet and thin foil pod but I will do my best to describe each material and its origin. In the second factory, all three are in the process of being made before being combined all together. The negative was already produced from the initial company but needs to be laminated with a plastic spacer, that is referred to as the rail. At a different lamination head the transparent cover sheet is made. The transparent cover sheet is what “lets the image be exposed to the negative but keeps all the chemicals safely inside the film.” [Polaroid Support] Here the iconic white frame, which is referred to as the mask, is applied to the positive sheet (the acid layer). The mask is a specialized material that is metalized, plus heat and friction resistant. The Impossible Project struggled on finding a capable supplier but finally settled on a British firm, Harman’s Ilford Photo subsidiary. Now the thin foil pod is what causes the photo to develop. The thin foil pod contains the reagent which is a mixture of opacifiers (light-blockers), alkali (acid neutralizers), and white pigment. Opaque polymers, which I hope are similar to opacifiers, is a highly efficient, voided latex product. Where it doesn’t state the complete origin, it is geographically available in the Asia Pacific and Northern America. The alkali Everything comes back to the main assembly machine and everything is laminated together. From bottom to top, is the negative, the thin foil pod, and the transparent cover sheet. They are then sliced into their proper dimensions and sent to the next stage, packaging.

After being sliced, they are dispensed into stacks of eight. While being sorted into eight, a robot arm deposits a rectangular spring on a battery. Soon after, they position the stack with a light blocking cover onto the spring battery and it is squeezed into a plastic cassette. Then the plastic cassette is moved into a fitted box before getting ready to ship. For the individual film boxes, there is no clear state of material but the assumption that the primary material is either paperboard or cardboard. The boxes are said to be folded closed but from personal experience an adhesive is used to hold the box together. For the shipment and distribution of the Polaroid film, we can make another assumption that it uses boxes made of cardboard. I would say that the raw materials acquisition ends here. For the use/re-use/maintenance and recycle/waste, there doesn’t seem to be any new raw materials that are acquired. Instead of new materials appearing. It’s more components of the product leaving and creating waste.

The production of Polaroid film involves a complex process that spans across different countries and involves numerous raw materials. From the acquisition of the raw materials across the globe, to the production of film negatives in Germany, to the production and assembly of the final product in the Netherlands, to the distribution of the product all over the world, every step in the production process has some sort of ecological footprint. Despite the changes in ownership and production methods over the years, Polaroid film remains a popular product among a large demographic. As consumers, we need to be made aware of how these products could harm us and the impact that it makes on the environment around us. Hopefully the knowledge of this topic can help us acquire different materials or different means of acquisition.

Work Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Polaroid Corporation.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 June 2013, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Polaroid-Corporation.

Bromargyrite: The Silver Mineral Bromargyrite Information and Pictur, https://www.minerals.net/mineral/bromargyrite.aspx.

Fred. “What's inside a Polaroid Film Box? – Polaroid Support.” Polaroid Support, https://support.polaroid.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012554908-What-s-inside-a-Polaroid-film-box-.

Harris, Tom. “How Instant Film Works.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 8 Mar. 2023, https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/instant-film.htm.

“Hydroquinone - Photographic Grade.” Eastman, https://www.eastman.com/en/products/product-detail?product=71001349&pn=hydroquinone%2B-%2Bphotographic%2Bgrade.

Juillion, Perrine. “What Is a Film Emulsion?” Studybuff, 22 Jan. 2023, https://studybuff.com/what-is-a-film-emulsion/#:~:text=Emulsion%20is%20a%20light-sensitive%20material%20which%20is%20used,base%20such%20as%20paper%2C%20glass%2C%20celluloid%2C%20or%20fabric.

Lee. “Is Polaroid Ink Toxic? the Answer Might Surprise You.” The Photography Professor, 31 Jan. 2023, https://thephotographyprofessor.com/is-polaroid-ink-toxic-the-answer-might-surprise-you/#What_Is_a_Polaroid_Instant_Photo.

“Opacifiers from Arkema: Arkema Global.” Opacifiers from Arkema | Arkema Global, https://www.arkema.com/global/en/products/product-finder/product-range/coatingresins/opacifiers/.

“Polaroid Film GmbH: Implisense.” Implisense GmbH, https://implisense.com/en/companies/polaroid-film-gmbh-monheim-DE964SL8N782#supply-chains.

the Science Platypus, Prentice. “Instant Film. Complex Chemistry: The Science behind Polaroid Film - Insanitek.” Insanitek Research and Development, 11 Oct. 2018, https://insanitek.net/instant-film-complex-chemistry-science-behind-polaroid-film/.

Taggart, Emma. “Get an ‘Instant’ History of How Polaroid Revolutionized Photography.” My Modern Met, 15 June 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-polaroid/.

Wright, Mic. “The Impossible Project: Bringing Back Polaroid.” WIRED UK, 4 Nov. 2009, https://www.wired.co.uk/article/the-impossible-project-reviving-instant-photography.

Zhang, Michael. “How ‘Polaroid’ Instant Film Is Made.” PetaPixel, 3 Nov. 2022, https://petapixel.com/2011/07/11/how-polaroid-instant-film-is-made/. 

Kim Le

DES 40A

Professor Cogdell

Polaroid Film Recycling and Film Waste

Not the best angle of a photo? Trash. Is the lighting too dim? Trash. Photo includes a person you’re no longer in contact with? Trash. With polaroid film being highly demanded in the market, the waste it accumulates in the environment is no surprise. Its user-friendly approach has made waste easy to accumulate with just a click of a button. The product is widely popular among different demographic groups—young people, old people, amateur photographers, professional photographers, etc. What comes with popularity and exposure tends to come with increased waste. Polaroid film waste isn’t just the aftermath of taking the photo—there are factors such as the production, manufacturing, and distribution of the product to account for. With the Polaroid film being a relatively smaller product in comparison to other photography tools, the film has been demonstrated to be detrimental to the environment as there’s no way to actually recycle the product as a whole. Polaroid film is composed of many different components and has made the recycling process significantly challenging as it must be broken down into parts in order to do so. Throwing the film away isn’t an option. This essay reflects how the Polaroid film has contributed to environmental waste through its chemical extraction and disposal, product packaging, and emissions from globally distributing the product—but also ways to combat the harm with contemporary methods of recycling and upcycling. 

Before delving deeper into the waste and recycling processes, it’s important to understand the history of the Polaroid film company itself—as these historical backgrounds help build a clearer picture of the production, manufacturing, and distribution processes alongside the waste and emissions involved. The Polaroid company had a long success when it was first introduced to the public in 1937. However, these successes were up until 2001 when the Polaroid company filed for bankruptcy. And in 2008, Polaroid announced it would discontinue instant film production. This was the end of an era, but only for a temporary amount of time. Former employees of the Polaroid Company—calling themselves The Impossible Project—ended up buying a Polaroid film factory in the Netherlands which has now since been where the film is produced, manufactured, and distributed. Production of the film involves obtaining raw materials such as materials needed to create the film and materials to package the product.

The raw materials needed for the Polaroid film include chemicals such as, “Silver bromide (AgBr),  hydroquinone(C6H4(OH)2)-decorated dyes cyan, yellow, magenta, dark blue dye or dark room dye, potassium thiosulfate (K2O3S2), developing dye potassium hydroxide (HKO)” . Silver bromide is found in the bromargyrite mineral as it’s a chemical compound composed of silver and bromine. When this chemical compound is exposed to sunlight, it decomposes and leaves an image. Thus, silver bromide doesn’t leave any waste like gasses, just more of a “trace” for the photographic image. The mineral bromargyrite is primarily found in Chile and Mexico which needs to be accounted for when transporting to the Netherlands. I was unable to find specifically CO2 emissions from transporting products from Central/South America to Europe, however, “container ships [] spew about 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air, which is about 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions”. It’s assumed that transportation for these raw materials being transported to the Netherlands is included in this percentage. Hydroquinone-decorated dyes for the instant film are used to, “diffuse up through the light-sensitive layers wherever their corresponding silver bromide molecules have not been exposed” when they are in contact with the developing chemical potassium hydroxide. It’s important to note that hydroquinone is incredibly harmful to the human body. Hydroquinone helps create the instant film that appears in color. This crystalline is used in photography developers but also other uses such as paints and motor fuel. The chemical is usually created in a lab but can be extracted from nature like the Agaricus hondensis mushroom and the bombardier beetle. Taking this into consideration, hydroquinone waste is extremely toxic and must be disposed of at an approved waste disposal plant. Oftentimes, hazardous chemicals are put into an incineration plant where they go through high thermal methods to, “detoxify certain organic wastes but also can destroy them”. However, these methods contribute to air pollution. Furthermore, disposal of this specific chemical has to be, “distributed mainly to the water compartment when released into the environment,” due to environmental contamination. Hydroquinone is toxic for organisms however, it “degrades as a result of both photochemical and biological processes; consequently, it does not persist in the environment”. Timing is important to allow hydroquinone to degrade before flushing away with water. If not degraded, the chemical is extremely harmful to humans as it can cause skin bleeding and dryness. Potassium thiosulfate is a developing agent for instant film. The purpose is to, “dissolve undeveloped silver bromide so the picture stays and the image is created”. Potassium thiosulfate, luckily, can be recycled into the environment as fertilizer. Instant film production isn’t the only factor that goes to waste. Packaging production is also to be accounted for. 

The waste that comes into instant film packaging includes the paper packaging, metalized polypropylene film packaging wrap, cardboard dark slide, empty film cartridge, metal sprint, plastic frame, and the lithium ion-battery. The paper packaging and cardboard dark side can be recycled in the mixed paper bin. The metalized polypropylene film packaging wrap unfortunately cannot be recycled as it contains, “a mix of various plastic layers and aluminum [which makes it] quite tricky to separate”. Polypropylene film packaging wrap is thrown in landfill which, “will cause great harm to the soil, affecting the sustainable use of the land. If the abandoned waste metalized films on road or oceans are eaten by animals, it will cause animal death. Such case has already happened in our life”. The lithium ion-battery can be recycled or disposed of at certain disposal facilities. This can be done by searching places that accept battery recycling. However, if lithium-ion batteries are not recycled and end up in landfill, it may cause harm to the environment. For instance, if these batteries are not disposed of properly—the batteries can cause, “large fires in those areas which are extremely difficult to control due to the large amount of combustible waste they are mixed with”. Despite these waste production and recycling solutions, many have come up with upcycling solutions to help keep these items out of landfills. For instance, cartridges can be reused as a frame and also storage for already developed film. Additionally, cartridges can be used as a business card holder or a gift box. But if these alternatives are not in one’s best interest—recycling is always an option. However, the cartridge must be taken apart before it’s recycled.

Rewinding to the brief history of the Impossible Project, the instant film manufacturing plant has been and continues to be in the Netherlands. The production, however, is also manufactured in Germany. Different components of the film are produced and assembled to a designated location. The negative part is produced in Monheim, Germany whereas the film emulsion is created in Enschede, Netherlands. All assembling is done in Enschede as well. Human labor is needed to monitor the film production and most of the beginning processes are done in the dark. This would mean the factory uses less light electricity, however doesn’t mean it necessarily uses “less” as machinery is still operating. The beginning processes are done in Germany then transported to the Netherlands. Transportation is usually through trucks as it contains light tight drums. Transportation emits CO2 gasses into the atmosphere which contributes to air pollution. Once the products are finished, the product is ready to be distributed across the globe. Transporting the finished product requires plane and truck vehicles. Global aviation contributes to, “1.9% of greenhouse gas emissions, 2.5% CO2 emissions, and 3.5% of effective radiative forcing which is an impact to global warming” I was unable to find CO2 emissions or other greenhouse gasses being byproducts from the manufacturing process. As the manufacturing mainly worked with chemicals, these chemicals were properly disposed of or have decomposed. 

The waste and recycling that the Polaroid film has demonstrated to have contributed greatly to the well-being of the environment. As emphasized throughout the essay, the small product can lead to detrimental effects and long lasting impacts in this world. Extracting and disposing of these chemicals have made its way to landfills. Even the end product has released waste. The product’s packaging has displayed how there may not be recycling available and that its only option is to stay in the landfills. It’s our responsibility to minimize the effects of these manufacturing processes and raw material extraction. Given that the smallest of products can have such an impact on the environment, people, and society, it’s vital to recognize where, how, why these products can harm us and how there are solutions to these problems. I’ve learned through my research how people’s interests in products tend to overshadow the consequences. We may have many approaches to combat the harm—such as upcycling and recycling, but it doesn’t hurt to acknowledge and educate ourselves on the processes of the instant film. Knowledge on this topic can help us be more cautious of what to input when manufacturing and what outputs are a danger. 

Works Cited

[1] “History of Polaroid and Edwin Land.” Boston.com, The Boston Globe, 3 Oct. 2012, 

https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2012/10/03/history-of-polaroi

d-and-edwin-land/. 

[2] ​​[11] Byrd, Johnathon. “The Chemistry of Instant Polaroid Film.” Www.ChemistryIsLife.com, 

https://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-instant-polaroid-film. 

[3] Merlet, Clément. “Bromargyrite.” Bromargyrite - Minerals Identify, 

https://minerals-identify.com/detail/bromargyrite.

[4] Northam, Jackie. “Shipping Industry Is Pressured to Cut Pollution Caused by Merchant 

Fleet.” NPR, NPR, 1 Dec. 2021, 

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/01/1060382176/shipping-industry-is-pressured-to-cut-pollution-caused-by-merchant-fleet. 

[5] Jarvis, Lisa  M. “What's That Stuff? Instant Film.” Cen.acs.org, 23 Mar. 2009, 

cen.acs.org/articles/87/i12/Instant-Film.html.  

[6] Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet - Government of New Jersey. 

https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1019.pdf. 

[7] “What Is Hydroquinone Made of?” Admire My Skin, 

https://www.admiremyskin.com/blogs/learn-to-glow/what-is-hydroquinone-made-of. 

[8] “Treatment, Storage, and Disposal.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, 

Inc.,https://www.britannica.com/technology/hazardous-waste-management/Treatment-storage-and-disposal. 

[9] [10] “HYDROQUINONE HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDE.” World Health Organization, 

World Health Organization, 1 Jan. 1970, https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/255507. 

[12] “Potassium Thiosulfate (KTS).” AmeriTurf, 

https://ameriturf.com/product/potassium-thiosulfate-kts/. 

[13] [14] Dmitri. “How to Recycle Used Polaroid Film Cartridges.” Analog.Cafe: A Film 

Photography Blog, Analog.Cafe, 16 Aug. 2022, 

https://www.analog.cafe/r/how-to-recycle-used-polaroid-film-cartridges-booz. 

[15] “Metalized Film Recycling:  Metalized Film Baler Machine - Sinobaler.” Baler 

Manufacturer | Baling Machine | Baling Press | Hydraulic Press | Waste Compactor, 10 

June 2017, 

https://www.sinobaler.com/metalized-film-recycling-baler/#:~:text=This%20film%20is%

20thin%20and,recycled%20to%20reduce%20the%20pollution. 

[16] “Environmental Impacts of Lithium-Ion Batteries.” UL Research Institutes, 16 Mar. 2022, 

https://ul.org/research/electrochemical-safety/getting-started-electrochemical-safety/envir

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[17] Veen, Amy van. “The Art of Recycling Polaroid Cartridges (Part Two).” Silvergrain 

Classics, 25 June 2020, 

https://silvergrainclassics.com/en/2020/04/the-art-of-recycling-polaroid-cartridges-part-t

wo/. 

[18] What's inside a Polaroid Film Box? – Polaroid Support. 

https://support.polaroid.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012554908-What-s-inside-a-Polaroid-fi

lm-box

[19] Science Channel. “How It's Made: Instant Film.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 May 2022, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LLfWAXWOM. 

[20] Ritchie, Hannah. “Climate Change and Flying: What Share of Global CO2 Emissions Come 

From Aviation?” Our World in Data, 22 Oct. 2020, 

https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation#:~:text=Global%20aviation%20(

including%20domestic%20and,2.5%25%20of%20CO2%20emissions. 

“Instant-Picture Photography.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 

https://www.britannica.com/technology/technology-of-photography/Instant-picture-photo

graphy. 

Zhang, Michael. “How ‘Polaroid’ Instant Film Is Made.” PetaPixel, 3 Nov. 2022, 

https://petapixel.com/2011/07/11/how-polaroid-instant-film-is-made/. 

Harris, Tom. “How Instant Film Works.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 9 Sept. 

2022, 

https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/instant-film.htm. 

“Fighting Electronic Waste: How Polaroid Made It into the 21st Century.” National Science and 

Media Museum, https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/our-environment/electr

onic-waste-polaroid. 

“Edwin Land and Instant Photography.” American Chemical Society, 

https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html

#:~:text=Introduction%20of%20instant%20photographic%20film,-In%20fewer%20than

&text=The%20first%20Polaroid%20camera%2C%20called,cameras%20sold%20ou

t%20in%20minutes. 

Taggart, Emma. “Get an ‘Instant’ History of How Polaroid Revolutionized Photography.” My 

Modern Met, 15 June 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-polaroid/. 

“Silver Bromide.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound 

Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Silver-bromide. 

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ext=And%20tin%20foil%20is%20not,down%20through%20the%20oxidation%20proces

s.