Introduction
In the video “The Story of Stuff,” Annie Leonard closely discusses the life of the things people obtain and use from production to disposal. Leonard underlines that such a process is tightly connected with various environmental and social problems. That is why she pushes people at the creation of a more sustainable world, disclosing the thing that many individuals, including me, have never thought about.
Main body
Among the global economy elements highlighted by Leonard are the key economic interdependencies that can be found at the heart of globalization. The professional emphasizes that commodity production is a complex process that involves globe-spanning commodity chains, known today as global value networks. Of course, I realized that the things I have were produced at someplace, delivered to the store, and only then purchased by me but I have never thought of the stuff from the global perspective and have never tracked the whole commodity chain that turned out to be extremely extended.
Everything starts with extraction but not production. Natural resources are obtained to be used as raw materials and let the products be produced in both come and foreign countries. Then they are distributed to various locations, which requires additional payment and influences the price of the product that will be purchased. Still, all stuff goes out in the garbage in the end, utilization of which is often harmful to nature and makes different companies cooperate to select the best way of disposal.
Conclusion
Now I know that products’ life requires the interaction of people and organizations from all over the world. Knowledge of the peculiarities of global value networks can make professionals and the general public more conscious of the manner, in which they use and dispose of the stuff. It also serves as a guideline for companies on how to operate efficiently, be environmentally friendly, and globalize.