The Hidden Cost of Child Labor in Global Supply Chains (Fast Fashion)

There is the ignored story and conditions of the millions of children behind the multi-billion dollar fashion industry. When you buy those ready-to-wear, affordable and quite accessible cheap t-shirt or trendy outfits from a well-known brand, you might not see what happened before it reached the store. Underneath some bright logos and fast-paced trends lurks a hidden cost: child labour woven into the fabric of the global fashion supply chain.

Globally, around 138 million children aged 5–17 are in child labour, and a significant portion are linked directly or indirectly to the apparel industry, especially in lower tiers of production where cotton is grown, threads are spun, and garments are finished and packed for export. Most of these children are outside formal factories and hidden in subcontracted or informal work settings that evade audits and regulation, making them invisible to consumers and brands.

Fast fashion thrives on ultra-low prices and rapid production cycles, often pressuring suppliers to cut costs and corners. In countries like Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter, new research has found evidence of child labour deep in export supply chains, especially in invisible subcontracted workshops. In a study in Dhaka and Chittagong, majority of minors interviewed were illegally employed in garment manufacturing, performing hazardous work for a fraction of fair wages.

Conditions for adult workers are already harsh: roughly 32% of garment workers surveyed earned below the minimum wage, and nearly one-third reported working over ten hours a day, six days a week benchmarks that violate both local and international labour standards and indicate broader forced labour risk. A related Bangladesh study showed that about 80% of child workers were in subcontracted or mixed factories, with long hours and forged age documents, and 98% were out of school due to family financial hardship.

In 2024, the fast-fashion giant Shein disclosed two child labour cases in its supply chain, one involving an 11-year-old and terminated the supplier relationships after finding the violations. This is to show that companies aren’t the only party that needs to join the fight against child labour but also the 3^rd party contractor and outsourcing firms need to regular check themselves.

Part of the problem is that many global brands audit only first-tier suppliers, leaving hidden tiers unchecked. Children may be employed in remote subcontracting units or informal workshops where oversight is weak or non-existent.

This is not just an ethical failure, it’s a loss of childhood, education, and opportunity. Children who work in these conditions are denied the chance to learn, grow, and contribute equally to society.

Call to Action

You can help change this. Support brands that publish full supply-chain transparency and verify independent ethical certifications. Demand stronger, enforceable due diligence laws that require companies to monitor every tier of their supply chains. And support movements like NTK that fight for child-labour-free production standards globally. Your choices, what you buy and who you hold accountable matter. Together, we can make fast fashion truly fair for every child.

Join the Fight form.

For us to achieve a total eradication of child labour, the first step is to join the fight against it. And with NTK, you are just a step closer to becoming a part of the fight against child labour.