Caffenol chemicals?

[titrisol]

It is. Caffenol is a relatively expensive developer and I wonder if an LCA would support the eco-friendliness often attributed to it.

Eco friendly? It was never the point

 

[koraks]

It's touted as such by many, though.

 

[AntonKL]

the controls are not very predictable

The pH can vary a lot depending on how exactly you mix it, if you dissolve the soda first, the CO2 formed during neutralization will make bicarbonate with the excess soda. If you dissolve the vitamin C first and slowly add the soda, the CO2 escapes and the final pH will be higher, especially if you use just a small amount of water for mixing and then fill up to the final volume.
You can avoid this entirely by using sodium ascorbate in place of AA, but then the pH might even end up too high.