Purchasing Power and Global Learning

Many of the products we buy and rely upon have travelled around the globe and passed through many processes before they reach our homes. Food products from every continent end up on our plates; many of our clothes have travelled through two or three continents before finding our wardrobes; and one country, China, is responsible for manufacturing a staggering proportion of all consumer goods. Every step of the process of moving goods from raw materials to consumers has impacts and costs to both people and planet. Consumers have a huge role to play in how those impacts play out and who bears the cost of our consumption. Learning to become a responsible and critical consumer is a crucial part of becoming a global citizen, as is understanding the meaning of the baffling range of indicators and marks that help the consumer to navigate a complex market. With this Think Global activity kit for Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 14) teachers and learners can:

• Explore the concept of a supply chain and the impacts of each stage
• Analyse the people and resources behind a product
• Investigate how the decisions consumer makes affect the way companies behave.