Recipe for an iPhone

Before these materials can be used in the production of goods and services, they need to be extracted from the earth. This process of extraction makes up what we call the Primary Sector. This is one of the three sectors that make up all of our economies around the world. In the case of our iPhone, its life begins with the extraction of materials which will later be transformed into clever components such as microprocessors, silicon chips, batteries and so on. 

The most abundant material found in an iPhone is Aluminium. Whilst Apple doesn’t mine the material themselves, they do purchase ready-made components from other manufacturers. This is where our second sector of the economy comes in, appropriately named the Secondary Sector. In this sector, raw materials such as the Aluminium found in iPhones is converted into finished or semi-finished goods. Continuing its journey in the secondary sector, Apple factories then take all of the components and convert them into a fully functioning iPhone. 

Before the iPhone arrives in our hands, there is one more sector of the economy that is required to aid this process. This is called the Tertiary sector. This third sector of the economy includes the provision of services such as transport, distribution, and retailing.   

Every economy in the world is made up of these three sectors, all working in unison to provide goods and services for our increasingly material driven lifestyles.