The importance of sustainability in the marketing and merchandising strategies for Italian students: the case of the University of Insubria

The importance of sustainability is an overall aspect of everyday life, even at an academic level. It is no longer just a research topic, but it can be found at a practical, theoretical, social, and promotional level in our society. Knowledge of the sustainability issues should be considered by all the actors involved, especially in the younger age groups. This paper aims to understand the importance of numerous facets of sustainability and the circular economy in the academic field through a questionnaire distributed to students at the University of Insubria. After a brief theoretical framework related to the link between university, sustainability, and merchandising, the core part of the paper is focused on a survey. Administered in the summer of 2022, the survey aims to understand the major occurrences of these issues for respondents, checking their propensity for sustainability, knowledge of the circular economy, and the role of sustainable merchandising. To conclude, a statistical analysis of these elements is carried out to understand the overall level of importance and knowledge and to verify if there are gender differences