Globalisation

Herunterladen
Name:
Globalisation

Video Task: What is Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

1
Vo­ca­bu­la­ry Matching Task

Plea­se match the word to its de­fi­ni­ti­on:

A. da­ma­ge or de­cli­ne of the na­tu­ral en­vi­ron­ment
B. pro­gress in tech­no­lo­gy that im­proves com­mu­ni­ca­ti­on or pro­duc­tion
C. ex­chan­ge of goods and ser­vices bet­ween coun­t­ries
D. spre­ad of cul­tu­re, media, en­ter­tain­ment, and pro­ducts glo­bal­ly
E. glo­bal in­te­gra­ti­on that pro­mo­tes shared pro­spe­ri­ty
F. un­fair tre­at­ment of workers for pro­fit
G. mu­tu­al re­li­ance bet­ween na­ti­ons or people
H. when workers' sala­ries do not in­crease over time
I. un­even dis­tri­bu­ti­on of wealth among people or re­gi­ons

Words: glo­ba­liza­ti­on, in­ter­con­nec­ted­ness, in­te­gra­ti­on, in­ter­de­pen­dence, in­ter­na­ti­o­nal trade, in­vest­ment, free trade, wage sta­gna­ti­on, in­co­me in­equa­li­ty, cul­tu­ral glo­ba­liza­ti­on, de­mo­gra­phic shift, tech­no­lo­gi­cal ad­vance­ment, ex­plo­ita­ti­on of labor, en­vi­ron­men­tal de­gra­da­ti­on, sus­tain­a­ble glo­ba­liza­ti­on

2
Con­tent Ques­ti­ons
1. What is glo­ba­liza­ti­on in your own words?
2. Name two be­ne­fits of glo­ba­liza­ti­on men­ti­o­ned in the video.
3. Name two chal­len­ges or pro­blems cau­sed by glo­ba­liza­ti­on.
4. How does cul­tu­ral glo­ba­liza­ti­on af­fect ever­y­day life?
5. How do tech­no­lo­gy and so­cial media help glo­ba­liza­ti­on?
6. Why should glo­ba­liza­ti­on be sus­tain­a­ble?
3
Extra Task
Dis­cuss with a part­ner: Give one ex­amp­le of glo­ba­liza­ti­on you see in your own life.

Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on ex­plai­ned- dif­fe­rent di­men­si­ons

1. Eco­no­mic Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Eco­no­mic glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on means that coun­t­ries trade more with each other and are con­nec­ted th­rough busi­ness. Com­pa­nies can sell their pro­ducts in many coun­t­ries, and people can buy goods from all over the world. This often makes pro­ducts che­a­per and gives con­su­mers more choices. Howe­ver, some workers may lose their jobs when com­pa­nies move fac­to­ries to coun­t­ries where la­bour is che­a­per. This can cause un­fair wages and big­ger gaps bet­ween rich and poor.



Key Vo­ca­bu­la­ry: trade, busi­ness, pro­ducts, cheap la­bour, wages, eco­no­my, glo­bal mar­ket



Ex­amp­le: A clo­thing com­pa­ny de­signs shirts in Ger­ma­ny but pro­du­ces them in Ban­gla­desh.

Step 1: Ex­pert Groups
1. Join your ex­pert group (Eco­no­mic / Cul­tu­ral / Po­li­ti­cal Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on).
2. Read your text ca­re­ful­ly.
3. Un­der­line im­portant words and in­for­ma­ti­on.
4. Dis­cuss the text in your group. Make sure ever­y­o­ne un­der­stands it.
5. Pre­pa­re to ex­plain your topic to others.
Step 2: Pre­pa­re Notes
In your ex­pert group, write short notes about your topic:
De­fi­ni­ti­on
2–3 key facts
1 ex­amp­le
1 ad­van­ta­ge, 1 di­sad­van­ta­ge
You will need these notes later.
Step 3: Home Groups
1. Move to your home group. Each group should now have:
1 Eco­no­mic ex­pert
1 Cul­tu­ral ex­pert
1 Po­li­ti­cal ex­pert
2. Take turns. Each ex­pert ex­plains their topic to the group.
3. Lis­ten ca­re­ful­ly and ask ques­ti­ons if you don’t un­der­stand
4. Toge­ther in your home group, com­ple­te the table:

Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on ex­plai­ned- dif­fe­rent di­men­si­ons

2. Cul­tu­ral Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Cul­tu­ral glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on means that music, mo­vies, food, fa­shion, and ideas spre­ad around the world. People can ex­pe­ri­ence many cul­tures th­rough so­cial media, strea­ming, and tra­vel. This can make so­cie­ties more open and di­ver­se. But it can also mean that tra­di­ti­o­nal customs and lan­gu­ages are pu­shed aside when glo­bal brands and media be­co­me more po­pu­lar.



Key Vo­ca­bu­la­ry: cul­tu­re, media, so­cial media, tra­di­ti­ons, di­ver­si­ty, life­style, glo­bal brands



Ex­amp­le: People around the world wat­ching the same Net­flix se­ries or ea­ting at the same fast‑food chains.

Step 1: Ex­pert Groups
1. Join your ex­pert group (Eco­no­mic / Cul­tu­ral / Po­li­ti­cal Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on).
2. Read your text ca­re­ful­ly.
3. Un­der­line im­portant words and in­for­ma­ti­on.
4. Dis­cuss the text in your group. Make sure ever­y­o­ne un­der­stands it.
5. Pre­pa­re to ex­plain your topic to others.
Step 2: Pre­pa­re Notes
In your ex­pert group, write short notes about your topic:
De­fi­ni­ti­on
2–3 key facts
1 ex­amp­le
1 ad­van­ta­ge, 1 di­sad­van­ta­ge
You will need these notes later.
Step 3: Home Groups
1. Move to your home group. Each group should now have:
1 Eco­no­mic ex­pert
1 Cul­tu­ral ex­pert
1 Po­li­ti­cal ex­pert
2. Take turns. Each ex­pert ex­plains their topic to the group.
3. Lis­ten ca­re­ful­ly and ask ques­ti­ons if you don’t un­der­stand
4. Toge­ther in your home group, com­ple­te the table:

Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on ex­plai­ned- dif­fe­rent di­men­si­ons

3. Po­li­ti­cal Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Po­li­ti­cal glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on means that coun­t­ries work toge­ther to solve glo­bal pro­blems. In­ter­na­ti­o­nal or­ga­ni­sa­ti­ons, like the United Na­ti­ons or the Eu­rope­an Union, help go­vern­ments make shared de­ci­si­ons. Coun­t­ries co­ope­ra­te on is­su­es such as cli­ma­te chan­ge, trade rules, and human rights. Howe­ver, some people worry that their coun­try loses con­trol over its own de­ci­si­ons.



Key Vo­ca­bu­la­ry: go­vern­ment, co­ope­ra­ti­on, in­ter­na­ti­o­nal or­ga­ni­sa­ti­ons, laws, cli­ma­te chan­ge, agree­ments, so­v­er­eig­n­ty



Ex­amp­le: Many coun­t­ries agre­e­ing to re­du­ce CO₂ emis­sions to pro­tect the cli­ma­te.

Step 1: Ex­pert Groups
1. Join your ex­pert group (Eco­no­mic / Cul­tu­ral / Po­li­ti­cal Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on).
2. Read your text ca­re­ful­ly.
3. Un­der­line im­portant words and in­for­ma­ti­on.
4. Dis­cuss the text in your group. Make sure ever­y­o­ne un­der­stands it.
5. Pre­pa­re to ex­plain your topic to others.
Step 2: Pre­pa­re Notes
In your ex­pert group, write short notes about your topic:
De­fi­ni­ti­on
2–3 key facts
1 ex­amp­le
1 ad­van­ta­ge, 1 di­sad­van­ta­ge
You will need these notes later.
Step 3: Home Groups
1. Move to your home group. Each group should now have:
1 Eco­no­mic ex­pert
1 Cul­tu­ral ex­pert
1 Po­li­ti­cal ex­pert
2. Take turns. Each ex­pert ex­plains their topic to the group.
3. Lis­ten ca­re­ful­ly and ask ques­ti­ons if you don’t un­der­stand
4. Toge­ther in your home group, com­ple­te the table:

Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on ex­plai­ned- dif­fe­rent di­men­si­ons

Type of

Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

De­fi­ni­ti­on (in simp­le words)

Ex­amp­le

Ad­van­ta­ges

Di­sad­van­ta­ges

Eco­no­mic

Cul­tu­ral

Po­li­ti­cal

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

CEO of a Glo­bal Com­pa­ny

I run a large in­ter­na­ti­o­nal com­pa­ny. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on helps me reach new mar­kets and pro­du­ce goods at lower costs. I be­ne­fit from cheap la­bour and glo­bal sup­ply chains. Howe­ver, I also face cri­ti­cism for out­sour­cing and en­vi­ron­men­tal im­pact.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

On­line Sel­ler

I sell pro­ducts on in­ter­na­ti­o­nal plat­forms. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on al­lo­ws me to reach custo­mers around the world. Ship­ping is fast and af­for­d­a­ble. But com­pe­ti­ti­on is high, and big cor­po­ra­ti­ons make it hard for small sel­lers like me to stand out.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Tech En­gi­neer

I de­sign new tech­no­lo­gy used world­wi­de. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on gives me job op­por­tu­nities in many coun­t­ries. I can work with in­ter­na­ti­o­nal teams. Still, I feel pres­su­re to con­stant­ly up­date my skills, and jobs can ea­si­ly move to che­a­per coun­t­ries.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Shop Owner

I run a small local shop. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on means custo­mers can buy cheap pro­ducts on­line in­s­tead. I strugg­le to keep my shop open. On the other hand, I can now purcha­se goods from around the world for my store.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

En­vi­ron­men­tal Ac­ti­vist

I fight for a cle­a­ner pla­net. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on in­creases pol­lu­ti­on, waste, and car­bon emis­sions. But it also helps me con­nect with ac­ti­vists world­wi­de and spre­ad awa­re­ness. It’s a con­stant strugg­le to ba­lan­ce eco­no­mic growth and sus­taina­bi­li­ty.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Role Cards – Win­ners & Lo­sers of Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on

Truck Dri­ver

I trans­port goods across long di­s­tances. Glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on crea­tes more jobs for dri­vers like me be­cau­se more pro­ducts are traded in­ter­na­ti­o­nal­ly. But working hours are long, fuel pri­ces rise, and there is pres­su­re to de­li­ver fas­ter and che­a­per.

Task 1 – Read & Pre­pa­re (In­di­vi­du­al Work)
1. Read your role card ca­re­ful­ly.
2. Un­der­line:
    • what you gain from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on (be­ne­fits)
   • what pro­blems you face
3. Write down three key facts about your role.
4. Pre­pa­re to in­tro­du­ce yours­elf in 3–4 sen­ten­ces using I-​perspective.
Task 2 – Meet Other Cha­rac­ters (Pair & Group Work)
1. Walk around the class­room and in­tro­du­ce yours­elf to at least three other cha­rac­ters.
2. Ask each per­son the fol­lo­wing ques­ti­ons:
  • What is your big­gest be­ne­fit from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
  • What is your big­gest chal­len­ge or pro­blem?
  • Do you think you are a win­ner or loser of glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on? Why?
Task 3 – Group Dis­cus­sion
Dis­cuss in your group:
   • Who be­ne­fits most from glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on?
    • Who suf­fers most?
  • Which role sur­pri­sed you?
   • Is glo­ba­li­sa­ti­on fair? Why/why not?

Sta­ti­on 1 – Raw Ma­te­ri­als: The Be­gin­ning of a Sne­a­ker

Sne­a­kers start as simp­le na­tu­ral and syn­the­tic ma­te­ri­als.

Rub­ber comes from rub­ber trees, often har­ve­s­ted in Thai­land or Ma­lay­sia.

Cot­ton for the shoe fa­bric is grown in coun­t­ries like India or the USA.

Plastic parts are made from oil, which is a fos­sil fuel.

All these ma­te­ri­als must be cle­a­ned, pro­ces­sed, and pre­pa­red be­fo­re they can be used in pro­duc­tion.

Many workers in this stage earn very litt­le money.

Rub­ber tap­ping and cot­ton far­ming can in­vol­ve tough phy­si­cal la­bour.

On the po­si­ti­ve side, this stage crea­tes many jobs and sup­ports local eco­no­mies.

Sta­ti­on 2 – Ma­nu­fac­tu­ring: As­sembling the Shoe

Most sne­a­ker pro­duc­tion takes place in huge fac­to­ries in coun­t­ries such as China, Viet­nam, and In­do­ne­sia.

Here the shoe parts are cut, glued, sewn, and fi­nal­ly as­sem­bled.

Fac­to­ries use ma­chi­nes, but also a lot of ma­nu­al work, es­pe­cial­ly for stit­ching and glu­ing.

The main re­a­son com­pa­nies pro­du­ce here is low la­bour costs.

Howe­ver, workers often face long working hours, un­safe che­mi­cals, and very small wages.

So­me­times even child la­bour is in­vol­ved.

Still, ma­nu­fac­tu­ring can im­pro­ve li­ving con­di­ti­ons when fac­to­ries fol­low in­ter­na­ti­o­nal stan­dards.

Sta­ti­on 3 – Bran­ding & De­sign: The Power of the Name

While sne­a­kers are made in Asia, the de­sign and bran­ding usu­al­ly take place in Eu­ro­pe or the USA.

Crea­ti­ve teams plan the look, co­lours, com­fort, tech­no­lo­gy, and the mar­ke­ting cam­pai­gns.

Brands use sports stars and in­flu­en­cers to make sne­a­kers look “cool” and de­si­ra­ble.

This stage adds a lot to the final price.

A well-​known logo can make a pro­duct much more ex­pen­si­ve — even if pro­duc­tion costs stay low.

In this step, com­pa­nies try to crea­te a “life­style” around the sne­a­kers.

Sta­ti­on 4 – Ship­ping: A Long Trip Around the World

Sne­a­kers tra­vel thousands of ki­lo­me­tres be­fo­re they reach the shops.

Most are trans­por­ted in large con­tai­ners on cargo ships from Asia to Eu­ro­pe or Ame­ri­ca.

Then trucks or trains de­li­ver them to wa­re­houses and stores.

Trans­port is cheap for com­pa­nies but ex­pen­si­ve for the en­vi­ron­ment.

Ships burn heavy oil which re­leases CO₂ and other harm­ful gases.

Cli­ma­te ac­ti­vists say we should re­du­ce glo­bal trans­port to pro­tect the pla­net.

Howe­ver, glo­bal trade also of­fers con­su­mers more choice and lower pri­ces.

Sta­ti­on 5 – Re­tail: From Shelf to Your Feet

In shops or on­line stores, custo­mers fi­nal­ly buy the sne­a­kers.

Here, re­tail com­pa­nies add their own price to make a pro­fit.

Mar­ke­ting, packa­ging, and store staff also add to the final cost.

Con­su­mers often pay over 100 €, alt­hough workers in fac­to­ries re­cei­ve only a tiny part of that money.

But buy­ing sne­a­kers can also sup­port in­no­va­ti­on, sports cul­tu­re, and local jobs in shops and de­li­very ser­vices.

Sta­ti­on 6 – Waste & Re­cy­cling: The End of the Jour­ney

Most sne­a­kers end up in the trash after one or two years.

They are dif­fi­cult to re­cy­cle be­cau­se they con­tain many dif­fe­rent ma­te­ri­als (rub­ber, glue, fa­bric, foam).

As a re­sult, many shoes are thrown into land­fills or bur­ned.

This crea­tes pol­lu­ti­on and mi­cro­plastics that harm the en­vi­ron­ment.

Some com­pa­nies are try­ing to im­pro­ve re­cy­cling and de­ve­lop bio­de­grad­a­ble ma­te­ri­als.

Custo­mers can also help by re­pai­ring, do­na­ting, or buy­ing more sus­tain­a­ble sne­a­kers.

The Jour­ney of your Sne­a­ker

In­ter­me­di­a­te Tasks

Task – Cost Split (esti­ma­te)
Dis­tri­bu­te €120 for a bran­ded sne­a­ker:
Task – Pro­blem Ana­ly­sis

Choo­se one pro­blem in the sup­ply chain
(e.g. low wages, CO₂ emis­sions from ship­ping, fast fa­shion waste).

Write 6–8 sen­ten­ces:
What is the pro­blem?
Who is af­fec­ted?
What could be a so­lu­ti­on?

B1: The Jour­ney of Your Smart­phone

Today, al­most ever­y­o­ne owns a smart­phone. We use it to take pho­tos, lis­ten to music, talk to fri­ends, or do ho­me­work. But many people do not know how long the jour­ney of a smart­phone re­al­ly is. Be­fo­re it ar­ri­ves in your hand, it tra­vels around the world.

The jour­ney starts with the ma­te­ri­als in­si­de the phone. Im­portant ma­te­ri­als are li­thi­um, co­balt, cop­per, and gold. These ma­te­ri­als are found un­der­ground. Workers in coun­t­ries like the De­mo­cra­tic Re­pu­blic of Congo, Chile, and China dig them out of mines. Mi­ning is hard and dan­ge­rous work. So­me­times workers do not have good tools or enough safe­ty equip­ment. For the en­vi­ron­ment, mi­ning can also be harm­ful. It can da­ma­ge the land and pol­lu­te ri­vers.

After the ma­te­ri­als are taken from the ground, they are sent to large fac­to­ries, most­ly in Asia. China is one of the big­gest pro­duc­tion coun­t­ries. In these fac­to­ries, thousands of workers help build the dif­fe­rent parts of the phone. Some workers make the bat­tery, others make the screen or the small com­pu­ter chips in­si­de the phone. Then all parts are put toge­ther in an as­sem­bly line. Fac­to­ry work crea­tes many jobs, but it is also ti­ring. Workers often need to work long hours for litt­le money.

When the smart­phone is fi­nis­hed, it tra­vels again. It is pa­cked into boxes and ship­ped around the world. Some pho­nes tra­vel by ship, others by air­plane. This crea­tes CO₂ emis­sions, which are bad for the cli­ma­te. Fi­nal­ly, the pho­nes ar­ri­ve in shops or on­line wa­re­houses, where custo­mers can buy them.

But the jour­ney does not end when you buy the phone. After one or two years, many people buy a new model. Old pho­nes often end up in the trash. This is a big pro­blem be­cau­se pho­nes con­tain toxic ma­te­ri­als. If they are not re­cy­cled, they can harm the en­vi­ron­ment. Some com­pa­nies now offer re­cy­cling pro­grams. This helps reuse va­lu­a­ble ma­te­ri­als and pro­tect na­tu­re.

















The jour­ney of your smart­phone shows that mo­dern pro­ducts are con­nec­ted to many people and many places. It also shows that every choice we make has an im­pact — on workers, on the en­vi­ron­ment, and on the pla­net. By using our pho­nes lon­ger, re­cy­cling them, and choo­sing sus­tain­a­ble brands, we can help make the jour­ney bet­ter for ever­y­o­ne.

B2: The Jour­ney of Your Smart­phone

The smart­phone is one of the most glo­ba­li­zed pro­ducts of our time. Alt­hough it fits in your po­cket, it con­nects do­zens of coun­t­ries, thousands of workers, and a com­plex web of re­sour­ces and tech­no­lo­gies. Un­der­stan­ding its jour­ney helps us see both the be­ne­fits and the pro­blems of glo­bal sup­ply chains.

The jour­ney be­gins with raw ma­te­ri­als. Smart­phones re­qui­re li­thi­um, co­balt, ni­ckel, cop­per, and rare earth ele­ments. These ma­te­ri­als are mined in coun­t­ries such as the De­mo­cra­tic Re­pu­blic of Congo, Aus­tra­lia, In­do­ne­sia, and Chile. Mi­ning is often risky work. Many mi­ners face long hours, unsta­ble tun­nels, low wages, and ex­posure to toxic dust. En­vi­ron­men­tal harm is ano­ther issue: fo­rests are cle­a­red, soil be­co­mes con­ta­mi­na­ted, and water sources are pol­lu­ted.

Once ex­trac­ted, the ma­te­ri­als are ship­ped to pro­ces­sing plants where they are cle­a­ned and re­fi­ned. After that, they are trans­por­ted again — this time to ma­nu­fac­tu­ring hubs, most­ly in East and Sou­the­ast Asia. China, Viet­nam, and South Korea pro­du­ce many key com­pon­ents, in­clu­ding mi­cro­chips, bat­te­ries, and touch­screens. Fac­to­ries here be­ne­fit from skil­led labor and ad­van­ced tech­no­lo­gy, but the pres­su­re to keep pri­ces low often leads to tough working con­di­ti­ons. Workers may face strict dead­lines, night shifts, and re­pe­ti­ti­ve tasks.

After the parts are ma­nu­fac­tu­red, as­sem­bly takes place in enor­mous fac­to­ries, so­me­times em­p­loy­ing more than 100,000 people. On as­sem­bly lines, workers at­tach screens, con­nect bat­te­ries, in­stall ca­me­ras, and test soft­ware. The pro­cess is ex­tre­me­ly ef­fi­ci­ent, al­lo­wing com­pa­nies to pro­du­ce mil­li­ons of smart­phones every month.

Once as­sem­bled, smart­phones begin ano­ther long trip. They are packa­ged, loa­ded onto ships or pla­nes, and dis­tri­bu­ted to mar­kets around the world. This glo­bal trans­port ge­ne­ra­tes si­gni­fi­cant CO₂ emis­sions, con­tri­bu­ting to cli­ma­te chan­ge. Mar­ke­ting, re­tail, and custo­mer ser­vice are also part of the sup­ply chain, ad­ding to the final price con­su­mers pay.

The smart­phone’s jour­ney con­ti­nu­es even after purcha­se. Many de­vices are re­placed quick­ly, often for cos­me­tic re­a­sons or minor up­dates. This leads to gro­wing amounts of elec­tro­nic waste. E-​waste is dan­ge­rous be­cau­se it con­tains toxic che­mi­cals that can leak into the en­vi­ron­ment. Re­spon­si­ble re­cy­cling is es­sen­ti­al, but many pho­nes still end up in land­fills.















The jour­ney of a smart­phone high­lights both the ad­van­ta­ges and the hid­den costs of mo­dern tech­no­lo­gy. It crea­tes in­no­va­ti­on, jobs, and glo­bal com­mu­ni­ca­ti­on — but also rai­ses ques­ti­ons about sus­taina­bi­li­ty, labor rights, and en­vi­ron­men­tal pro­tec­tion. As con­su­mers, we can in­flu­ence this jour­ney by re­pai­ring de­vices, re­cy­cling old pho­nes, and sup­por­ting com­pa­nies that in­vest in ethi­cal and sus­tain­a­ble pro­duc­tion.

The Jour­ney of your Smart­phone

Com­pre­hen­si­on Ques­ti­ons (B1)
1. Where do many smart­phone ma­te­ri­als come from?
2. What pro­blems can mi­ning cause for workers?
3. Why is fac­to­ry work so­me­times ti­ring?
4. How does smart­phone trans­port af­fect the en­vi­ron­ment?
5. Why is elec­tro­nic waste a pro­blem?
6. What can con­su­mers do to help the en­vi­ron­ment?


Com­pre­hen­si­on Ques­ti­ons (B2)
1. Why is the smart­phone con­side­red a glo­ba­li­zed pro­duct?
2. What are some risks mi­ners face while ex­trac­ting raw ma­te­ri­als?
3. Why do fac­to­ries in Asia do­mi­na­te smart­phone pro­duc­tion?
4. How do glo­bal trans­port pat­terns con­tri­bu­te to cli­ma­te chan­ge?
5. Why is e-​waste harm­ful for the en­vi­ron­ment?
6. What re­spon­si­ble ac­tions can con­su­mers take to re­du­ce ne­ga­ti­ve im­pacts?
Vo­ca­bu­la­ry Exer­ci­se
Find the Ger­man words for the Eng­lish terms.
1. Raw ma­te­ri­als
2. As­sem­bly line
3. Pol­lu­ti­on
4. Re­cy­cling
5. Sup­ply chain
6. Emis­sions

Com­pa­ri­son Task
Com­pa­re the jour­ney of smart­phones with ano­ther glo­bal pro­duct (e.g., sne­a­kers). Con­sider raw ma­te­ri­als, pro­duc­tion, trans­port, en­vi­ron­men­tal im­pact, and working con­di­ti­ons.

Sweat­shops

Topic 1: Wages

B1

In many gar­ment fac­to­ries around the world, workers earn very litt­le money. Some workers get only a few euros per day, even if they work 10–12 hours. This money is often not enough to buy food, clo­thes, or pay for housing. Many workers have no con­tract and no so­cial be­ne­fits. Some fac­to­ries pay workers only when the or­ders are fi­nis­hed. So­me­times workers ask for hig­her wages, but fac­to­ry ow­ners re­fu­se. Low wages can also make it hard for workers to send their child­ren to school. People call this “un­fair pay.” Low wages af­fect fa­mi­lies, be­cau­se workers often have to work extra jobs to sur­vi­ve. Fair wages are very im­portant be­cau­se they help workers live a healt­hy life and sup­port their fa­mi­lies. Some or­ga­niza­ti­ons and cam­pai­gns are try­ing to make com­pa­nies pay fair wages. But many big brands focus on cheap pro­duc­tion and do not chan­ge their po­li­ci­es. Con­su­mers can also have an ef­fect, for ex­amp­le by choo­sing ethi­cal­ly pro­du­ced clo­thes.



Stu­dent task (Ex­pert phase):
1. Read the text toge­ther
2. Ans­wer:
What is the pro­blem?
Why is it un­fair/dan­ge­rous?
One real ex­amp­le

Pre­pa­re a simp­le ex­pla­na­ti­on for others



B2:

In many sweat­shops world­wi­de, gar­ment workers re­cei­ve ex­tre­me­ly low wages, often below legal mi­ni­mum stan­dards. Em­p­loyees may work 10–12 hours a day, six or seven days a week, yet they can­not af­ford basic neces­si­ties such as food, clo­thing, or housing. In ad­di­ti­on, most workers have no con­tracts, so­cial be­ne­fits, or health insurance, which in­creases eco­no­mic vul­ne­ra­bi­li­ty. Low wages also limit ac­cess to edu­ca­ti­on for workers’ child­ren, per­pe­tu­a­ting cy­cles of po­ver­ty. While some workers at­tempt to re­quest hig­her pay, fac­to­ry ma­nage­ment fre­quent­ly re­jects their claims, pri­o­ri­ti­zing pro­fit over human wel­fa­re. In­ter­na­ti­o­nal ad­vo­ca­cy groups em­pha­si­ze that pay­ing fair wages is es­sen­ti­al for human di­gni­ty, so­cial ju­sti­ce, and re­du­cing glo­bal eco­no­mic in­equa­li­ty. Some com­pa­nies have star­ted ad­op­ting ethi­cal pro­duc­tion stan­dards, but en­force­ment is in­con­sis­tent. Con­su­mers can in­flu­ence the sys­tem by sup­por­ting brands that gu­a­ran­tee fair wages and trans­pa­ren­cy in their sup­ply chains. Un­der­stan­ding wage in­equa­li­ty is cru­cial for eva­lu­a­ting the so­cial cost of cheap fa­shion pro­ducts.

Sweat­shops

Topic 2: Working Hours

B1



In many sweat­shops, workers have to work very long hours every day. Some workers work ten to twel­ve hours, six or seven days a week. This is very ti­ring and so­me­times dan­ge­rous. Workers often do not get enough breaks or time to eat. Be­cau­se of long hours, many workers are very tired and can­not rest pro­per­ly. Young workers are also af­fec­ted and so­me­times do jobs that are too dif­fi­cult for them. Long hours in­crease the risk of ac­ci­dents. So­me­times ma­chi­nes are dan­ge­rous, and tired workers can get hurt. Some fac­to­ries also re­qui­re over­ti­me wit­hout pay­ing extra money. Fa­mi­lies are af­fec­ted be­cau­se workers have litt­le time to see their child­ren or do other things. Even small breaks can help, but they are often not given. Re­du­cing working hours is im­portant to keep workers healt­hy, safe, and able to have a bet­ter life.



Stu­dent task (Ex­pert phase):
1. Read the text toge­ther
2. Ans­wer:
What is the pro­blem?
Why is it un­fair/dan­ge­rous?
One real ex­amp­le

Pre­pa­re a simp­le ex­pla­na­ti­on for others



B2:

Ex­ces­si­ve working hours are a major pro­blem in the glo­bal gar­ment in­dus­try. Workers fre­quent­ly per­form long shifts of 10–12 hours per day, six or seven days per week. The lack of ade­qua­te breaks in­creases fa­ti­gue, re­du­ces con­cen­tra­ti­on, and rai­ses the risk of ac­ci­dents. Young workers are es­pe­cial­ly vul­ne­r­a­ble, as their phy­si­cal de­ve­lo­p­ment and stami­na may not be suf­fi­ci­ent for de­man­ding tasks. Over­ti­me is often com­pul­so­ry, and extra pay is ra­re­ly pro­vi­ded. Ex­ten­ded hours also rest­rict op­por­tu­nities for edu­ca­ti­on, fa­mi­ly time, and per­so­nal de­ve­lo­p­ment. Fac­to­ry ma­nage­ment often en­forces tight dead­lines to meet glo­bal pro­duc­tion sche­du­les, crea­ting phy­si­cal and men­tal stress. The com­bi­na­ti­on of long hours and poor safe­ty stan­dards can lead to in­ju­ries, chro­nic health pro­blems, and even fa­ta­li­ties. Re­du­cing working hours and en­for­cing labor re­gu­la­ti­ons is es­sen­ti­al for pro­tec­ting workers’ health and pro­mo­ting sus­tain­a­ble em­p­loy­ment.

Sweat­shops

Topic 3: Safe­ty

B1



Many sweat­shops are not safe for workers. Some buil­dings are old or bro­ken and may col­lap­se. Fire alarms, fire exits, or other safe­ty equip­ment are often mis­sing. Ma­chi­nes can be very dan­ge­rous, and workers so­me­times have no gl­oves, hel­mets, or masks. Be­cau­se of un­safe con­di­ti­ons, ac­ci­dents hap­pen often, and workers can get hurt or even die. Some ac­ci­dents are cau­sed by crow­ded work­places or poor ligh­ting. In some fac­to­ries, safe­ty rules exist on paper but are not fol­lo­wed. Workers often have no trai­ning on how to use ma­chi­nes safe­ly. Im­pro­ving safe­ty is very im­portant to pro­tect lives. Some in­ter­na­ti­o­nal or­ga­niza­ti­ons check fac­to­ries and give ad­vice. Com­pa­nies that fol­low safe­ty rules can re­du­ce ac­ci­dents and pro­tect their workers.



Stu­dent task (Ex­pert phase):
1. Read the text toge­ther
2. Ans­wer:
What is the pro­blem?
Why is it un­fair/dan­ge­rous?
One real ex­amp­le

Pre­pa­re a simp­le ex­pla­na­ti­on for others

B2

Safe­ty stan­dards in many sweat­shops are ex­tre­me­ly low, put­ting workers at con­stant risk. Fac­to­ry buil­dings may be struc­tu­ral­ly un­sound, with mis­sing fire alarms, emer­gen­cy exits, or ade­qua­te ligh­ting. Ma­chi­nery is often un­guar­ded, and pro­tec­ti­ve equip­ment such as gl­oves, hel­mets, or masks is ra­re­ly pro­vi­ded. In­a­de­qua­te safe­ty me­a­su­res re­sult in fre­quent ac­ci­dents, in­ju­ries, and even fa­ta­li­ties. Over­c­row­ded con­di­ti­ons, poor ven­ti­la­ti­on, and lack of emer­gen­cy trai­ning ex­acer­ba­te the dan­gers. The col­lap­se of the Rana Plaza buil­ding in Ban­gla­desh de­mons­tra­ted the ca­ta­stro­phic con­se­quen­ces of ne­glec­ting worker safe­ty. Alt­hough some fac­to­ries im­ple­ment safe­ty re­gu­la­ti­ons, en­force­ment is often weak. In­ter­na­ti­o­nal or­ga­niza­ti­ons ad­vo­ca­te for strict oc­cu­pa­ti­o­nal health and safe­ty in­spec­tions and com­pli­ance with legal stan­dards. Com­pa­nies that pri­o­ri­ti­ze pro­fit over safe­ty endan­ger lives, while those ad­op­ting ethi­cal prac­ti­ces re­du­ce risks and pro­mo­te sus­tain­a­ble labor con­di­ti­ons. Edu­ca­ting workers and ma­nage­ment about safe­ty is also cri­ti­cal for pre­ven­ting ac­ci­dents and main­tai­ning a pro­duc­ti­ve work­force.

Sweat­shops

Topic 4: Child La­bour

B1



Child la­bour is a se­rious pro­blem in some coun­t­ries. Some child­ren work in gar­ment fac­to­ries in­s­tead of going to school. They often per­form hard or dan­ge­rous work, like car­ry­ing heavy ma­te­ri­als or ope­ra­ting ma­chi­nes. Child­ren can work 10–12 hours a day. Working so much is very ti­ring and can make them sick or hurt. Child la­bour is il­le­gal in many coun­t­ries, but it still hap­pens be­cau­se fa­mi­lies need money. Child­ren who work often can­not learn or play, which is un­fair. Or­ga­niza­ti­ons try to stop child la­bour by checking fac­to­ries, hel­ping fa­mi­lies, and gi­ving child­ren ac­cess to school. People can also help by buy­ing clo­thes from com­pa­nies that do not use child la­bour.



Stu­dent task (Ex­pert phase):
1. Read the text toge­ther
2. Ans­wer:
What is the pro­blem?
Why is it un­fair/dan­ge­rous?
One real ex­amp­le

Pre­pa­re a simp­le ex­pla­na­ti­on for others

B2

Child la­bour re­mains a per­va­si­ve issue in the gar­ment in­dus­try, es­pe­cial­ly in coun­t­ries with weak labor re­gu­la­ti­ons. Many child­ren work in fac­to­ries in­s­tead of at­ten­ding school, per­forming phy­si­cal­ly de­man­ding or ha­zar­dous tasks such as lif­ting heavy loads, ope­ra­ting ma­chi­nery, or re­pe­ti­ti­ve assembly-​line work. These child­ren often work 10–12 hours per day, six or seven days per week, which can lead to fa­ti­gue, in­ju­ries, and long-​term health pro­blems. Eco­no­mic neces­si­ty dri­ves fa­mi­lies to send their child­ren to work, de­spi­te legal rest­ric­tions. Child la­bour li­mits ac­cess to edu­ca­ti­on, so­cial de­ve­lo­p­ment, and fu­ture em­p­loy­ment op­por­tu­nities, per­pe­tu­a­ting cy­cles of po­ver­ty. In­ter­na­ti­o­nal or­ga­niza­ti­ons ad­vo­ca­te for stron­ger en­force­ment of labor laws, ethi­cal sup­ply chain mo­ni­to­ring, and pro­grams that pro­vi­de edu­ca­ti­on and fi­nan­cial sup­port to fa­mi­lies. Con­su­mers can con­tri­bu­te by sup­por­ting brands that gu­a­ran­tee child-​labour-​free pro­duc­tion. Eli­mi­na­ting child la­bour re­qui­res coor­di­na­ted glo­bal ef­forts, awa­re­ness cam­pai­gns, and a com­mit­ment to ethi­cal ma­nu­fac­tu­ring.

Jigsaw Groups
Each ex­pert ex­plains their topic to the group.
Others fill in the “De­scrip­ti­on” and “Ex­amp­le” co­lum­ns.
Dis­cuss ques­ti­ons if so­me­thing is un­clear.

Globalisation

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