Light industry or consumer goods industry

Makes products for direct consumption. Its principal characteristics are the following:

• Consumes fewer raw materials and energy resources tha heavy industry and capital goods industry.
• Is generally less contaminating, but modifies natural space because it is concentrated in specific areas.
• Usually located near cities and transport links.
• Its size can vary a lot.
• There are different types of light industry: food, light chemical products and computing, textiles, etc.

 Food industry

• Transforms and manipulates (refrigerates, packs, etc.) vegetable, meat, fish an diary products. The United States and the Netherlands are some of the principal producers.

Automobile industry

• Manufactures industrial vehicles (lorries, vans, buses, etc) and vehicles for individual use (cars and motorbikes). The main producers are European countries, Japan, the United States, countries from southeast Asia, like South Korea and China.

Light chemical industry

• Manufactures pharmaceutical, photographic, cosmetic products and plastics. France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy are some of the main producers.

Electronics and computing industry

• Manufactures equipment like televisions, telephones, computers, multimedia recorders and players (for DVDs and MP3s), cameras and digital video cameras. The United States, some European countries, Japan and the countries from South-Asia are the principal roducers.

Textile industry

• Groups activities like spinning and weaving, making clothes and other articles (rugs, bags, belts, etc). Asian countries, like China, have replaced traditional textile producers, like France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Nethelands.