To terminology first, millennials mean those born after 1981, and before 1996. So we're talking 42-year-olds who perhaps run businesses, service mortgages, parent children, pay taxes, contribute to pensions, and most importantly — vote.

Now, to the events of the last few days, in chronological order.

On Friday, in the WhatsApp chats and on the Instagram stories of many millennials, a photo of Minister Coveney cutting a black ribbon starts doing the rounds. The word Shein was written across the ribbon in bold white lettering. It was a jobs announcement, 30 to be exact. 

Slim figures to Shein — a Chinese fashion brand with the opposite of slim figures, but with an €88 billion valuation thanks to its Concorde-speed and ultra-low-cost business model. Shein was coming to Ireland, we found out on Friday morning, launching its EMEA headquarters in Dublin. This, is the kind of news that usually delights those matured millennials.

Then there was Linkedin. A social media space where profile photos are professionally taken, where grammar and spelling matter, and where decorum takes precedence above all else. If you have an opinion, Linkedin is not where you air it. Except when it comes to Shein.

A post by the IDA — Ireland's foreign direct investment (FDI) agency — announces the news on Linkedin, explaining what Shein is, the number of jobs it's bringing here, and how its EMEA operations are coming to Dublin. So far, so Linkedin. Then the comments — from business owners, and professional types — start to come in.

"Shein — known for unsustainable fast fashion and clothes that are literally TOXIC — this is not a 'good look'," wrote one user, complete with a link to a Greenpeace report. There were no emojis, no expletives, and no hiding behind bots or obscure usernames.

"Really confused by this move. Simon Coveney stated earlier this year: 'Sustainability and the decarbonisation of businesses will be a fundamental driver of Ireland’s future competitiveness and the long-term health of the overall economy.' Surely the support of a company that leaves 6.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in its trail each year is counterproductive?," wrote another politically-informed Linkedin user.

"Business Ethics, Human Rights Watch, will the IDA need to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)? Interesting that the EU has passed this directive yet the Irish government of the day are still in the business of slowly dissolving Ireland's social contract with their singular focus on profit and productivity before people," wrote another.

Dozens of dismayed Linkedin users were breaking ranks with the platform's usual rules of engagement and were now revolting with cold hard facts in the comments section.

And that's when you realise the term millennial doesn't refer to some non-voting nomad but grown adults who will rebut ministers, criticise government agencies, call out billion-euro businesses — and all with the aplomb of a university debating star.

To Shein. There are some things you should know about our latest EMEA HQ.

A Channel 4 documentary last October revealed that workers in one Shein factory received a wage of 3p per item produced. If a mistake was made, the worker was fined up to three quarters of their average daily salary — 100 Chinese Yuan, or €13. Some workers were also doing 18-hour days and only got one day off a month. Shein (with that $88bn valuation, remember) has since said it is investing money to improve working standards at its factories.

Emissions

But there's also the matter of climate change.

The fashion industry itself makes up between 8% and 10% of all global carbon emissions and contributes 20% of all wastewater. Shein, as an ultra-fast fashion company, adds 2,000 new items a day to its site. And it is worth more than the combined value of the world's two biggest retailers — Zara owner Inditex (€60 billion valuation) and H&M (€17 billion valuation).

Last November, a month after the Channel 4 documentary, Greenpeace released its own report about Shein. It tested 47 Shein products and found that 15% of them "contained hazardous chemicals that break EU regulatory limits".

And yet, when the e-retailer of ultra-fast fashion comes to town with their pop-up stores, like they did this weekend in Cork's Opera Lane, or in Dublin last November, phone-wielding TikTok-using customers flock through their doors. The IDA said the Dublin pop-up "attracted over 4,000 visitors per day".

But those flocking are more Gen Z (born between the late 1990s and 2010) than Gen Y (Millennials). Perhaps their purchasing is driven by shallower pockets, or abject disillusionment about our leaders' lack of concrete climate action. Whatever the reason behind Gen Z's spend, the Government can no longer assume that every jobs or EMEA HQ announcement will get the unconditional endorsement of middle Ireland — our now matured millennials.