FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Marty Matlock, executive director of the University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability, was an invited speaker at the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Retail Summit in Paris in October.

Matlock is professor of biological and agricultural engineering. His research focus is metrics and measurements for sustainable systems, and his research team is the world’s leader in agricultural and land-based sustainability assessment. Matlock presented research from his team, including Greg Thoma, professor of chemical engineering, Jennie Popp, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness, and Jack Cothren, professor of geosciences and director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies. Their research quantified the impact of technological innovation on agricultural sustainability in the U.S. over the past 40 years.

The Consumer Goods forum is a global industry network of more than 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries. Their member companies have combined sales of nearly $4 trillion and employ nearly 10 million people with a further 90 million supporting jobs across the supply chain. The vision of the Consumer Goods Forum is “Better Lives Through Better Business.” They create opportunities for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers to create positive change through information and knowledge sharing. The four pillars of the Consumer Goods Forum are sustainability, product safety, health and wellness, and value chain life cycle standards and protocols.

This presentation is part of the larger influence the University of Arkansas is having on global sustainable agriculture. Matlock served as a U.S. State Department special envoy in France in March, to share the technologies and methods U.S. agricultural producers have adopted that have allowed them to dramatically reduce soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water use, and land use for production. He made similar presentations in China in June.